Today has been my favorite day so far! It began with a short two-hour train ride (aka nap) from Shrewsbury up to Llandudno in North Wales. Here's a picture of a typical small town train station (they all remind me of Thomas the Tank Engine!):
About 20 minutes from our destination, I was awaken by my professor telling me to wake up and look outside (he knew I'd never seen the ocean); and there it was. The Irish Sea: my first-ever glimpse of the ocean.
Now I was awake: I marveled at the breathtaking scenery from the train.
We arrived in Llandudno, rented cars, and drove down to Conwy.
Llandudno, a resort town in North Wales, just outside of the train station.
In Conwy, we spent the rest of the morning exploring and climbing through a ruined castle!! It was quite literally jaw-dropping (in fact I don't think my mouth ever closed today from the second until I saw the ocean until, well, now, while I'm blogging). The pictures can't even do the views justice.
This was part of the ruined wall that encloses the city. It kind of reminded me of the Great Wall of China! We walked the wall after lunch.
The interior
Checking out the views
The chapel tower
It looks photoshopped, but I'm actually standing in a window shaft!
The castle from afar.
For lunch, we ate at a delicious little cafe where I ordered fried eggs and crumpets (crumpets are literally the best thing in the world, especially with jam!).
After lunch, we walked the wall around the town and explored the pier. I touched the ocean for the first time and had some delicious berry-flavored gelato.
Finally, we hopped in our cars and started driving down Conwy valley toward Betsw-y-coed, where we stopped to stock up on groceries before moving on to our remote hostel.
Downtown Betsw-y-coed
We also found a waterfall while exploring the town!
Me, climbing over the rocks
At last, we drove the last little distance to our hostel in Capel Curig. It's a beautiful place to stay, the only 5-star hostel in the United Kingdom!
The view from my bunk
Our bunk room! It's so adorable!
Before dinner, a few of the girls and I went on a short hike exploring the area. Here's some shots of the scenery:
There's only a couple places to eat dinner in Capel Curig, and tonight we tried the Bryn Tyrch Inn. I had an appetizer platter of hummus, blue cheese, and eggplant ganoush!
