Wednesday – Onwards to Wales

Dinner Tuesday Night at Lunya was both fun and good. We split six orders of Tapas and enjoyed every bite.

Wednesday morning we retrieved our car from the garage and at 8:30 headed out of Liverpool towards North Wales. (Obama will be in South Wales for a NATO conference, so he most likely won’t get to see us.)  Our final destination was only about 100 miles away, so we had time for stops.

First stop: Llandudno (Wales) where we wandered out on the ½ mile pier. This was like a time warp back to 1960 – penny arcades, cotton candy, etc. And Llandudno must be the geriatric holiday capital of the UK. Mobility carts, walkers, and canes were everywhere. We also drove along the Marine Drive outside of Llundudo. There were great views and a lovely stop for scones with clotted cream. Yum.

CLICK ON PICS FOR ENLARGE VIEW IN NEW WINDOW

Then it was on to Conwy Castle. This was a stronghold of Charles I, and it was a pleasant walkabout followed by a light lunch of toasted ham and cheese sandwiches.

Onward to Bodnart Gardens, a National Trust site. (We are members of the National Trust through their US subsidiary, the Royal Oak Society.) We get our monies worth out of the annual dues with free admission and free parking at National Trust sites. The Brits love their gardens. The beautiful site provided another good walk about the plants, trees, and flowers. Oh, we also enjoyed a honey ice cream cone at the refreshment stand on the way out.

Then we drove on to Caernarfon (Ka-nar’-van) and checked in at the Black Boy (or Black Buoy) Inn. We had a few pints at the Black Boy Pub and had a nice chat with a couple from Australia who were originally from the UK. Dinner was at the Black Boy pub. Traditional pub style: order at the bar and they bring you your food. It was good but not memorable – duck breast for me and a chicken pie Welsh style for Elaine. We started with a hot Camembert cheese board. No desserts. (In fact, no desserts yet in the UK!) After dinner we walked about the small town and checked out restaurants for tomorrow night.