North Wales

Arrived in Chester to start our weekend driving trip into Snowdonia. The weather was sunny and it didn't rain which was a bonus! We managed to snare ourselves a nice lil Mercedes for the drive (auto of course!).

Our first stop was Conwy (about an hour and half drive from Chester) and near Llandudno. We visited Britain's Smallest House. Only 1.8 metres and the former home of a Fisherman on the Quay who was 6'3! Literally it can fit 3 or 4 people and its overcrowded. The toilet is basically a bowl underneath the bed upstairs. Conwy castle is also just around from this house and has a steel bridge built for King Edward I in the 1280s.

So after taking an outside look at the Conwy Castle, we had lunch of Fish & Chips and then drove to Caernarfon Castle. Mighty Caernarfon is considered Wales military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royalty. Standing on the mouth of the Seiont river, the fortress dominates the walled town founded by King Edward I. The first English Prince of Wales was born here and gained worldwide fame as the setting for the investiture of the current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles in the 1980s. Still incomplete, it was never used for any permanent residence by the King.

Late afternoon we arrived in Llanberis where we spent the night. Before going back to Caernarfon for dinner, we made a stopover in the village with the longest name in Britain if not the world. The town isn't much except for a small train station and a woolshop. The full name of the place was Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgegerychwyrndrobwlllllantysiliogogogoch......which translates to 'St Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the Church of St Tysilio of the Red Cave'.

Wales is famous for seafood and steak. The welsh black fillet steak we tried near Caernarfon Castle was really really nice. Much better than anything you'd find in London at the price we paid.

Sunday morning was sunny again! We were based about 5-10 minutes walk to the Snowdon Mountain Railway which takes you to the summit and peak of Snowdon. A key thing to point out is there is the Lake Railway nearby as well which I think everyone was confusing with the Snowdon Railway Station. We only found out because we happened to drive in the wrong direction and saw the right place to catch the Snowdon Railway.

Before we got onto the Railway, we drove to a nearby town Betws-y-Coed where the Fairy Glen falls was located. We ended up passing the ugly house on the way there.

The Fairy Glen is a secluded gorge on the river Conwy. Located a short distance from Beaver Bridge on the outskirts of Betws-y-Coed, a combination of rapids and cascades that a channelled into a narrow ravine. Definitely an amazing experience to be there after walking through the field and scrubs to get to the river. It was a good change of scenery from usual trips we take.

Next on our itinerary was back to Llanberis to get the Snowdon Mountain Railway. The trip took 2 1/2 hours - an hour each way and 30 minutes to spend on the summit (which is 1,035m above sea level). It was freezing at the peak and there were alot of people who dared the journey and climbed to the top (which takes about 3.5 hours to climb). Couldn't really see much as you can see in the photo below.

So after packing in heaps over a weekend, we all had a great time and returned to have some nice Thai food back in Chester before catching the train back into town.

Thanks for the great trip K & J!.

Until our next trip (Egypt!).

Kat & Will.

Stockholm

We visited Stockholm for the weekend. Its a fascinating city with alot to do. There are three airports into Stockholm and the closest one is Arlanda. Its better to spend the money to get to Arlanda and then the Arlanda Express takes 20 mins to get you into the city centre.

Stockholm has alot to do even in Winter but alot of the sightseeing boat tours and buses start to shut down around September as they wind down from the summer season. The city has alot of museums which are all free if you get the Stockholm Card (which includes transport as well). The museums are some of the best we've been to. The Vasa Museum was probably the best one although the Skansen Open-Air Museum was good too but we didn't have much time there.

The Vasa Museum contains the only preserved 17th century ship in the world and more than 95% of it is its original decorated with hundreds of carved sculptures. It took them 9 years just to formulate the drying process to get the ship ready for exhibition. Definitely go and see this one!

The Skansen Open-Air Museum is the oldest of its kind in the world and contains Stockholm Zoo and the Royal Djurgarden.

 

Another place worth seeing is the City Hall. It might not sound interesting but there is a particular room in there which you have to see for yourself. The whole room is a mosaic.

Apart of these museums we also visited the Nordic Museum, the Royal Palace and Junibacken. Junibacken is based on the story books written by Astrid Lindgren of which Pippy Longstockings is probably her most famous work.

Stockholm is not famous for any particular speciality of food given most Northern European places have a very large American influence including alot of franchises which are also in America. We were based near Gamla Stan (the old town) which is where the Royal Palace and Parliament is located. There are alot of cafes, restaurants to choose from here. They appear to be very keen on shrimp which is on everything from pasta, sandwiches and salads.

We didn't manage to visit Ostermalm Food Hall but we hear it dates back to the 1880s.

So until our next trip (Wales),

Kat & Will