We arrived in Hollyhead on the ferry from Dublin and as an introduction to the language in Wales, our driver drove us through the town of:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerchwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogogoch
on our way to Conwy. The signs in the photo say it all. The town name and its pronunciation are on the top sign and the bottom sign has the translation:
Llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ooll-llandus-ilio-gogo-goch
"The Church of Mary in the hollow of the White Hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the red cave".
It is easy to believe that the town has the longest name in Europe!!
We were dropped off at our accommodations, the Castle Hotel, in the center of Conwy (pronounced roughly "Con way"). The city is defined by the wall that surrounds it, the small picturesque Harbor, and Conwy Castle. The little red house below is the smallest house in town. The large white Knight Shop (bottom left), situated right opposite Conwy Castle, is the place to stock up on your medieval weaponry, armor, and related essentials.
The castle, a well preserved medieval fortress, has towered over town for 700 years. King Edward I and his architect Master James of St George built both the castle and the walls in four years between 1283 and 1287. Quite a feat!
We walked a complete circuit around the battlements using the spiral staircases in the towers to connect sections. Climbing any tower was an experience itself. Navigating one (pretty much any one and only one) winding, sparsely lit stair case to the top was worth the effort just for the views. The panorama includes mountains in the distance as well as the harbor and narrow streets of Conwy nearby. You also get views of the unbroken 1,400-yard (1.3km) ring of town walls. We chose the tower closest to the bridge and water for its views over the harbor and countryside.
Plas Mawr or the Great Hall is an Elizabethan town house from an age when fabulously wealthy merchants invested in mansions, rich fittings and lavish entertaining. Having served as a courthouse, a school and even an art gallery since then, it took significant renovations to recreate the gardens and house we visited. It may not be as lavish as some of the palaces we have seen but it certainly shows the extravagances of the time.
Our introductory day trip of North Wales started with the nearby resort town of Llandudno, north of Conwy.. A popular feature of the area is the Great Orme headland and its open spaces. On our drive around we enjoyed the long stretch of rugged coastline and caught a shot of the tram that brings people up to enjoy the wildlife and landscape.
We also spotted a Kashmiri goat resting in the rocky hillside, The goats are descendants of goats that roamed the mountains of Northern India. Two were gifted to Queen Victoria. They sired the herd that roams freely on Great Orme today.
A little further afield Bodnant Gardens is a serene combination of flowers and greenery. There are 80 acres of formal gardens, woodland walks and panoramic mountain views. It is a delightful garden. We really enjoyed wandering through it.
In the town of Llanrwst our driver pointed out a small house totally covered in Ivy.
We paused at Castell Deudraeth for lunch before heading down to Portmeirion.
Portmeirion is an enchanting Italianate style coastal "village" with a colorful collection of hotels, cottages, gift shops and restaurants and is one of Wales’ most popular tourist destinations. It is also widely known for its botanical pattern china dinner ware.
We took the long route to move from Conwy to St David's to see more of Wales.
Our guide took us first to Horseshoe Pass for the views and we passed by a circular falls in the river that feeds the canal. He later told us he lived nearby.
Along the way we stopped in the town of Corwn and visited the sculpture of Owain Glyn Dŵr. In the early 15C he proclaimed himself prince of Wales . His unsuccessful rebellion against England was the last major Welsh attempt to throw off English rule. Although 600 years have passed since Owain Glyndwr's time he remains one of Wales' prominent heroes.
We walked a narrow pathway that shares the 18-arched stone Pontcysyllte Aqueduct passing or meeting canal boats and canoes that were naviagting the canal. The aqueduct supports a section of the Llangollen Canal which links Llangollen north Wales, with Hurleston in south Cheshire England. The agueduct is 12 feet wide and is the longest aqueduct in Great Britain as well as the highest canal aqueduct in the world.
Powis Castle is a 13C medieval fortress repurposed as a home. The castle is decorated with fabrics, paintings, furniture, tapestries, and South Asian objects as was typical of the Elizabethan period through to the Edwardian period. The garden includes 17C Italianate terraces, formal gardens with apple trees and rose beds, and a peaceful woodland area. There are also panoramic views of the surrounding territory.
St Davids is a small town on the South Western Coast of Wales. We stayed at Twr y Felin. We ate in the bar the first night and really enjoyed the food. So we booked dinner for the second evening. We were not disappointed.
On our walk around town we shopped and visited St Davids Cathedral and the ruins of the Bishops Palace. Since the 6th century there has been a church on this site. The 6C church / monastery was built by St David, the patron saint of Wales. St Davids Cathedral dates mainly from 12C to 14C and has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 800 years.
The food at the hotel restaurant was great and the cathedral and Bishop's Palace make an impressive site but frankly, we'd give St Davids a pass if we had a do-over. It's just too long of a drive. And by this time we had done a lot of driving.
On our way to Brecon Beacons National Park (in central Wales) we visited the National Botanic Gardens. We enjoyed exploring the Great Glaahouse, a massive domed area planted with with some of the most endangered plants from six areas of the world: California, Australia, the Canary Islands, Chile, South Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin. This dome itself is notable being the largest single-span great glasshouse in the world.
It was Sunday and again we didn't make dinner reservations. But we found a little pub called Wright's Food Emporium. After lunch we discovered that they have a fine shop with lots of tempting local products. Pat bought bag with a image of a black cat - the cat made her think of the black cats we have had over time (see one in top left below). We arrived at Brecon Beacons and our accommodations at Peterstone Court. We wandered around the B&B and a nearby Church.
We visited Penderyn, a nice small local distillery. Their Faraday whisky stills are unique, a single copper-pot. We tasted the product and found it to our liking. Similar to our wine tasting experiences we found the personal tough of the small distillery most appealing.
We got a sunny day for our drive to Cardiff and finally decided to enjoy the views from the Brecon Beacons Park Visitors center, sheep included.
Near Cardiff we stopped at St Fagans Welch Living Museum, a collection of buildings from around Wales brought there and restored to preserve history and enable visitors to experience of a bit of 16C Welsh life.
Cardiff is a small city and easily walkable to access attractions. shopping and dining. The Castle feels like a royal home with all the elaborate decor thanks to the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Outside we walked the walls and underground tunnels (used as air raid shelters in WWII, pretty gloomy).
The National Museum has art, geology and natural history collections. We really got into the artwork by Sisley. Along the way we caught a nice view of the both the City Hall tower and the dragon on the City Hall dome.
The Parkgate Hotel, in the former Post Office building, provided more fine dining at The Sorting Room Bar (we shared a caesar salad and a mushroom, leek & cheddar pie). The second night we dined at The Sorting Room Restaurant (more refined dining) and we ordered Saag Aloo Crusted Roasted Sea Bass and Lobster Thermidor).
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