Thursday, May 22, 2014

Day 8 - Conwy Castle

To start off our day, we hopped on a coach to Conwy Castle bright and early. Our spunky coach driver, Nigel, informed us of the history of Northern Wales. The landscape was beautiful with rolling hills and mountains, much of it covered with sheep. When we arrived, we had a brief time to browse the local shops before beginning to explore the castle. The castle had many levels that provided gorgeous views of the ocean and the town of Conwy. From the top of the towers, we could see the wall that surrounded the entire city, most of the which was still standing. On our way out of the city, Nigel gave us a fun fact that the smallest house the U.K. was located in the town of Conwy. This was a great way to start off our morning, and thankfully the rain held off for us!

Our next stop was to the town of Llandudno where we had the freedom to roam the local shops and enjoy the scenery. Some of the group chose to ride the local cable car to get to the Great Orme. The view from the top of the hill was truly breathtaking! Others chose to explore and enjoy the shopping and dining experiences that Llandudno had to offer. Some of the guys took Eric’s advice and ate at a local pub called The Palladium. Collectively, we had fish and chips, breaded scampi, a club sandwich, and a chicken and bacon Panini. All of the food was wonderful and it was really nice to sit down and enjoy a meal with some new friends. After everyone was done, we hopped on a coach to travel to Mt. Snowdon.

When we arrived at the mountain, the majority of the group decided to climb the mountain. The weather at the beginning was somewhat cold, but thankfully it was not raining. Unfortunately, we were not able to make it to the summit due to weather conditions, but it seemed like everyone was still satisfied with the experience. The scenery was truly unlike anything we have ever seen. The scenery included beautiful waterfalls, interesting stone structures, lakes, and sheep scattered about. The hike as a whole was somewhat challenging yet very rewarding. We maintained a good pace as a group and managed to make it past the halfway point. Once we got back to the bus, Nigel drove the scenic route back to the lodge--a relaxing way to end our adventurous day!


Brooke
Senior, Biology

Brandon
Junior, Accounting