Wales (Part 5 of UK/Ireland Trip)

On the Road to Wales-Iron Bridge and Conwy Castle

One of our first stops on the way to Wales was the Iron Bridge. This was the first bridge to be made from cast iron. It is located in the place in which the industrial revolution started. On the drive, we flew past several poppy fields, but at 70 mph--couldn't get a good shot.  There were poppies at the Iron Bridge though!

River Scene from the Iron Bridge

These two cuties were posing for their mistress on the Iron Bridge. I couldn't resist getting a few shots myself.

Hillside view from Iron Bridge

Wales

We finally arrived in Wales where English is the second language. 

Conwy Castle

Our second stop was the castle in Conwy. The castle was built in the 13th century by Edward I as he sought to establish his rule over Wales. The first fort in this area was built by the Romans. When Edward came in, he built 5 castles to fortify the area. The following pics are shots of the castle and views from the tops of several towers.

The Thinker?

Couldn't resist getting a pic of the dove below. They were all over, but this one was just begging me to take his picture.

Flowers grew right out of the walls of the castle. The birds have been busy. 

When we got back to our car after viewing the castle, a seagull had landed on top of a car near us. The elderly couple whose car it was were busy putting stuff in their trunk but the woman soon noticed the seagull and was all upset about it. Her husband said, "Don't worry, I will take care of it." He then walked up to the seagull, made a swiping motion with his hand and yelled, "Bugger off!" LOL--He was her knight in shining armor! 

Llanberis

We stayed at the Alpine Lodge in Llanberis and this was the view from our windows:

Snowdon Mountain

Snowdon Mountain is a hiker's paradise. You can hike to the top by walking or by using equipment to climb the sheer cliffs. People come here from around the world to train for Mt. Everest. There is also a race every July to the top of the mountain and back down which also draws people from all over the world. We took the train up to the summit since the weather was iffy and the wind was over 40 miles an hour. Below are pics we took from the train.

Meeting another train coming down

If you look hard you can see the water falls.

Sheep would sit right by the tracks. Some would skitter off, but others would just sit there while the train rolled by. 

This train was right on the edge of the mountain, which was pretty steep in places.

We met some people on the train who were from West Sussex and of course they asked where we were from. The funny thing is--whenever we are asked that question and we tell them "Kansas," the first thing out of their mouths is "Oh Tornadoes!" Haha! A few people have asked us about how Americans like Donald Trump. So far the people we have met seem to really like him. 

Beddgelert

I just had to come to Beddgelert because some of the pictures I had seen of it reminded me of Frodo's and Sam's Shire. It did not disappoint!

The Bridge.

Homes by the river

Country church

Dwellings

Hobbit Country? Yes! This next little walk made me feel like I just might see Sam and Frodo coming round the bend at any time.

Walk along the river

Along the path

Little resting places

Gated path

Caernarfon

We saw another of Edward's Castles today. This one was much more elegant and had a lot of rooms and places that are still being used. The following pics are in, around and on top of the castle.

If you look really hard in the following picture, you can see a round area made of slate in the middle of the courtyard. It is where Prince Charles had the Investiture Ceremony to become the Prince of Wales. 

Queen Elizabeth placing the crown on Prince Charles

We see the "elderly people" signs all over town. LOL

We ate dinner at this quaint little pub and noticed the picture of George Washington on the mantle. Turns out George's grandma was from Wales. Who knew? So they consider George one of their own. 

In the evening we went to a practice for the Caernarfon Male Voice Choir. They are one of Wales' most successful choirs. Over the years, they have performed in the best concert halls in Britain, including the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and St David’s Hall Cardiff. having won first prize in the National Eisteddfod of Wales nine times, they have also travelled and performed widely in the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe and North America.

The strangest thing--at first there were only 2 couples there to see the practice so we started talking to them to see where they were from and they were from Overland Park. Then about 5 more people came in to watch and they were all from Michigan and Wisconsin. Small world. Anyway, the group performed several songs just for their American audience. 

Here is a link to one of their performances: Caernarfon Male Voice Choir