Castle-d out (aka Wales Part II)

Caernarfon Castle in Northern Wales

Chris and I have been to four castles together so far in our 2 months of living in England. That may not seem like a lot but let me tell you – it is – and we are castle-d out! Chris’ parents just recently visited and Chris took them to Windsor Castle – his fifth castle in two months! Too many castles!

Our first castle visit to Hampton Court was by far our most enjoyable castle excursion so far. (It may or may not have benefited from being the first – see my description of our trip there and decide for yourself!) However, on our recent trip to Northern Wales we went to Caernarfon Castle and it was pretty darn cool. Like really, really I wish I had been taken there when I was little and it was still socially acceptable for me to run in public, because I would have run through every stone corridor and up and down every steeply spiraling staircase up to every turret, and then all the way around the battlements.

Learn from my mistake and wear appropriate footwear - stylish flats just won't do.

This was a medieval marvel. No fancy fabrics and furnishings, just stone, and iron chains, and an impressive impenetrability despite the disrepair. (Although the Welsh villagers did manage to burn the castle of their English oppressors down on at least one occasion.)

Caernarfon was built by Edward I in the early 13^th century as part of many castles and forts built in Northern Wales to suppress uprisings in the newly acquired territory. Edward I was a crusader and spent many years fighting in Europe and the Middle East so his castles were inspired by those he had seen on his travels.

The only drawback to this castle was the lack of information about the history of the castle and the area. There was only one room dedicated to dolling out historical information about the castle - and no general historical information at all. This is in stark contrast with all other castles we've visited, all of which have had more than ample educational information available everywhere. However, the one room was a nice summary of the castle's history and besides, wandering around on top of the stone walls and turrets, and roaming the dark, dank stone corridors and towers is much more fun than reading anyway.

Llandudno

Drumroll please…. I herewith present the record of our trip to Northern Wales!!

Come on – I know you’ve been dying with anticipation, and I surely have kept you waiting long enough! It’s been a week and a day since we got back. Computer issues, sickness, you’d think I were writing an excuse to an English teacher on why a paper was late (Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Feinberg, et al do you see now? These excuses are/were real!)

Ahem.

Anyway.

Northern Wales trip – Part I

We picked up our rental car from Waterloo early Friday morning. It was a bright, clear, summer-like day – perfect for a drive through English countryside. We hit no traffic, driving on the wrong side of the road was a breeze (well a breeze for me because I was in the passenger seat – but Chris had no issues), and the rest stops on the highway were immaculate. But a word to the wise – stick to American chains, the fries at the British knock-off of McDonalds were terrible! And the chicken nuggets were actually made with real chicken! (Which really isn’t as good as it may sound – there’s a reason McDonalds inserts all that bread into the chicken pulp.)

So, we arrived at Llandudno safe, sound and happy. Llandudno – according to my guidebook – is a chic Victorian sea-side resort. According to me, it occupies a stunning spot on a beautiful rocky coastline nestled between green and rolling hills, but the town itself has little to offer except a disgusting array of fish and chips. (Disgusting, in that, that is all anyone was eating anywhere. I can only look at a certain amount of fried-food consumption per day – seeing it consumed everywhere at all hours is disconcerting to my stomach.)

But coming from London, it was lovely to be on the seashore, even if the accompanying town lacked the charm I had expected from the (deceiving!) guidebook. The walk along the boardwalk was stunningly, movie-like beautiful even in the evening rain, and the kaleidoscope rocks that made up the beach made walking along the water like walking along a mineral rainbow.

We also went for a short trek up the adjoining hillside and saw a bunny and some spectacular views.

Our very own, private Easter bunny!

Just a short walk up the hillside found us on the edge of the world.

If I were to go to this part of Wales again I would pick a less touristy town and rent my own cottage– so as to enjoy the jaw-dropping scenery and fresh sea air while escaping the crowds and the bad food.

The next morning we went to a castle – to be continued tomorrow!

Playing Travel Agent

And why have I not posted anything since last Friday? It’s because I’ve been playing that all-consuming, maddening game called let’s be our own internet travel agent.

I started off on Monday with great success. I booked Easy Jet tickets to Porto, Portugal for one week in the end of July for our one-year anniversary. Success!

But then I started to plan our long Easter weekend in Wales. There’s a bank holiday on Good Friday, and one on Easter Monday too – which means a nice four-day long break that involves no taking days off work for Chris – perfect! What could be simpler than planning a long weekend in Wales, right? Right?

Because it’s taken me more than four days and I still have yet to book anything, I hereby pronounce that all further long weekends and vacations booked by me will involve nothing other than a phone and a guidebook. Because clearly, I am paralyzed by the choice afforded by endless internet searches.

What happens is, I go to Trip Advisor, find the best ranked hotels and b&bs for our price range, and then debate between the top few picks (are there pubs within walking distance? is there parking? is it too touristy? yadayadayada) for so long that the rooms are no longer available, and then I have to start the review process all over again. I think this is the reason that Chris booked our honeymoon…. Actually, I know this is the reason.

But my indecisive self has come up with an (obviously) indefinite and still yet to be booked plan:

Friday

9am – pick up rental car in Waterloo (Chris booked this! Yay for decisive action!)

12pm – stop for lunch in some quaint town west of Birmingham (or MacDonald’s – because hey, they use 100% British beef so it’s kind of authentic)

1-4pm – see Conwy Castle

4pm – check into this B&B or this one in Llandundo (seaside resort town north of Snowdonia National Park - don't ask me to pronounce it though!)

5pm - explore beachfront

7pm – dinner

Saturday

Enjoy a Welsh breakfast (which from the description seems identical to an English breakfast - clearly nothing served in Wales can be tainted with the word "English")

Check out

Hike Snowdon Mt!!!

See Caernarfon Castle if there is time

Check in at this cute little B&B, or this one, in the southern part of Snowdonia National Park

Sunday

Church and 4 mile walk around the Mawddach Estuary

Barmouth Beach in the afternoon

photo credit

Monday

Mountain biking in the am for Chris

Check out of cute little B&B

Find something cool to see en route back to London! (maybe Tintern Abbey or somewhere else ancient and castle-y in Southern Wales?)

If you have any suggestions for my very hesitant self - please post a comment below!