Castle living

I went to a real live castle!!!!! Well, maybe not live, per se, but real for sure! It was pretty sweet. (fyi Click on any of the pictures for a bigger version)

Gabe and I went to Conwy Castle, one of several castles in the area here, just a 20 minute bus ride away! The town of Conwy is pretty cute too. It's a walled city from the 13th century (the walls being built at the same time as the castle, the foundation of the village to come).

 

We had to climb a lot of stairs that day... These (above) are just the beginning. This staircase leads up to a portion of the city wall which you can walk along all around the whole of Conwy. At the top of the stairs was a tiny little door out to the walkway (below). This small section leads directly to the castle.

 Over at the castle, it was an even more impressive sight. You climb up a bit of a hill, and then enter into what was the courtyard of the castle. From there, you can walk around the ground level and see the different chambers:

OR climb upstairs and walk around on what would have been the guard walks and look over the whole layout:

OR, my personal favorite, climb to the top of the towers!!! (naturally we went straight for the tallest one):

After the castle, Gabe and I also went to Plas Mawr, the finest remaining Elizabethan era home in all of the UK. Following that, we went to the Pen-y-Bryn 16th century tea room for lunch and a spot of tea. After recharging a little there, we wandered around Conwy a little, wandering in a few cute shops and such. Finally, we went to the Smallest House in Great Britain. And they mean it! Built in the 16th century, it's about the size of a small walk-in closet, and the upstairs is smaller. Unbelievable.

And now, because I have more pretty pictures that I'd like to share:

Amazing sights. It's too bad a camera just can't capture the whole scene the way you see it in person. It really is incredible. And Conwy's just castle #1 on the list... more to come soon! We're thinking Beaumaris next.






In other news, I'm a tad sick. Despite valiant attempts to fight off the cold that everyone else was getting by consuming as much vitamin c as I could, I have unfortunately come down with it. The thing with having a cold in Wales? It almost always looks cloudy and gloomy out, and probably raining, so the weather just mocks you all day long by mirroring how you feel. Cheeky atmosphere, that one is. I'm sure you'll all be on the edge of your seats desperately waiting and hoping I feel better, so I'll be sure to let you know when I do.

Have a happy week!