However, we didn't have to drive, so let's not whine about the trains...
We picked two places to go in Wales, both of which provided castles and beaches. After dragging the kids through the Louvre on our last jaunt, we figured outdoor pursuits were needed on this holiday.Llandudno, our first stop, was a Victorian seaside town with a pier and decorative ironwork all over the place and a million billion hotels. If I were the type to take a picture of every cool bit of decoration I saw, we'd be here all day, I tell ya. This is one of the few ironwork photos I took -- it's on the pier. And they have great postboxes in Llandudno, too! We saw Victoria, Ed VII, George V and VI and EIIR.
Harlech has a big imposing castle on a big imposing hill overlooking a beautiful sandy beach, which has only appeared over the last 500 years. We spent one whole day making sand castles, digging drainage ditches and flying kites on this beach.So here's the play by play.
Day 1. Take the train.
This took most of the day, getting us to Llandudno around 4 in the afternoon. We found our B&B, with a nice family room at the verrrrryy top of the large Victorian hotel. I think we counted 54 steps up.
We found the beach and pier and a mondo George V post box. Oh, okay, I'll show you now. Wikipedia says it's a wall box, freestanding, but really... look at that bobble on top! That's not something you see on a wall box. That's a super special thing!Day 2. Conwy Castle.
We took the bus to nearby Conwy to see the castle, which still has lots of internal structure, even roof arches in places.
It was a kind of wet and blustery day, and when the guys went up to the top of the towers, they got buffetted in the gusty winds. There were lots of spooky staircases and fireplaces in the middle of walls (where there used to be floors!) and latrine chutes and other ruined medieval stuff. We discussed battering rams and catapults and how to make a decent seige engine. A pretty darn good castle, I'd say.
We zipped from the late 1200s to the Elizabethan period, and went to Plas Mawr. These naked ladies hold up the ceilings throughout the house. There was an exhibit about medicine of the time, and a list of common complaints and their cure. If your baby has a rash, you put a frog in his or her mouth until it dies. If you think your husband is bewitched, look in his eyes, and if you can see your reflection, he's not. Just so you know...
There is also a beach at Conwy. At Llandudno there were a few stones, a few shells, and a nice sandy beach. At Conwy, there was a bit of sand at the top of the beach, and then lots of mud. Perhaps we should have read this sign before venturing down to the beach! Even if you don't read English or Welsh, there's an actual skull and crossbones, warning of impending doom.Arthur found a beer glass, covered in muck, and had to take it to the edge of the water to wash it off (it's now in my kitchen sink, awaiting another wash). His shoes were coated in slime.
We also tried to fly a kite here. Stephen and Arthur had gone in search of a kite before the trip, and found a pretty cheap one with Thomas the Tank Engine on it. I'd say the Thomas crowd are not very discerning when it comes to kite design. This one would look great pinned up on a kid's ceiling, but flew about as well as a steam engine would...
It soon ended up in the water! Well, I said, "oh dear, there goes the kite," but the guys had to follow it along the shore, hoping it would end up at the little dock where they could catch it. They dashed across the mud and the kite floated past, but lucky us, 
there was a man in a little boat who offered to chase it further. I think he took pity on them, once he saw Stephen... Yuck.These trousers must be somewhere, too, awaiting a wash. Hmmm. And I've already done 3 loads of laundry today. Must go find them...
That seems to be all the blogging I can do today. Stay tuned for trams, trains and more castles!
Sounds like you guys had loads of fun. Good for you!
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