Mountains and castles

Trip Start Jun 12, 2010

Trip End Jun 21, 2010

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Flag of United Kingdom Conwy, Wales, United Kingdom
Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Today was spent driving a loop in north wales. This area is heavily touristed, but not by americans. There is a tremendous mountain pass after Betys Y Coed. The town itself has great views, nice hotels, a waterfall and a train museum and running train rides to boot. None of this is seen due to loss of camera due to almost literally being flushed down the toilet. No worries as a new one was bought shortly thereafter for some castle pix Beyond the town, you go up and then down rapidly through the mountains and motorcyclists seem to enjoy this stretch and before long you enter some villages and eventually come to the town of Caeraflon, where a tremendous castle sits and there are tours which I missed so I proceeded through the castle and great museums. One museum shows the braves Welsh in battle through the millenia and has a very intersting account of the Revolutionary War. Apparently not only outnumbered but also outshot, as the americans had hunted and were much better marksman, they held York for as long as they could and then the tide turned

welsh castle

. They give Washington and the yanks there due here and do not sugar coat things. Afetr that they continued to field batallios through the many wars (boer, boxer rebellion, criminean, , WWI, WWI and others). The criminean was the first to show no gun powder to zero in on where the shot came from. The war against napolean they term as a world war and it certainly was critical that he suffered a final defeat at waterloo.

I then proceeded to bangor, so named because it signified the fence that once surrounded the town. It is a typical coastal town with a very nice cathedral, in great condition, with a very unusual interior, including organ. I can see why the city in Maine shares the name as it to has coast and lighthouse. I learned there that jarring and canning veggies began in the Napoleanic war and our civil war to preserve meals for the troops. I also got a bird's eye view of how people lived in the area for 30k years since the paleolithic period. Farming has always been an integral part of this area and I can tell you that the mussels here are equally good. I was very coincerned about the british cuisine but as long as I can get fresh seafood as I have throughout scotland and here, I am content. After Bangor, it was on to Conwy where I purchased the new camera and saw the outside of the massive castle there. There is also a nice waterfront, but I am much happier staying in this resort town for a couple nights Llududno is difficult to pronounce as is all of welsh but basically ll is like a ch and very hard and to me gutteral sound. There were several school children who are learning their native tounge to restore a language that otherwise, like so many others, would be lost to posterity. I like Wales a lot and am sorry to leave here, but onward i must go to the Cotswalds and the land of Shakespeare, arguably the greatest writer ever.

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