The rest of the UK

On Sunday, June 21, we visited Kensington Palace where various members of the British royal family have lived. The tour only involves a small part of it and is devoted to the history of Queen Victoria.  We passed by the Albert Hall (… and now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall) and popped into the Victoria and Albert Museum for a quick look around. In the museum there was a huge room devoted to a collection of plaster casts, and other reproductions of various masterpieces, including Michelangelo’s David. The collection was first opened in 1873 and allowed people to appreciate these works without travelling.

Our plan for Monday, June 22, was to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, then on to Westminster Abbey. We thought we were arriving at the palace early enough but there were already tons of people there. We did have a good view of the arrival of the new guard accompanied by a regimental military band, but not of the ceremony once they were inside the fence in front of the palace until the tail end when people were starting to wander away.

Westminster Abbey was quite nice and FULL of memorials to famous people (not all British), including Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Robert Browning, Henry James, Charles Dickens, and the Bronte sisters).  There are also the tombs of 30 kings and queens including Elizabeth I and her half-sister Mary I.  They are in the same tomb but the effigy is of Queen Elizabeth I.

For our last night we had dinner reservation at The Devonshire which was high on the list of places where Dennis wanted to go, in particular for a perfect Guinness. Dinner was super (Maureen had a Confit Tomato Tart, then Pumpkin Risotto, and Denny had a Scallop and Bacon appetizer, then Fillet of Beef with Duck fat chips - allowed for this special occasion, NOT to be repeated!) then we shared a Sticky Toffee Pudding with ice cream.  Dennis rated this meal as one of his best ever!

We had a smooth return home to Alicante the next day.

Did I mention it was HOT in London.  It was hot in London. Sunny and close to 90 F. Tough for walking on city streets in the sun. Lots of sunscreen was used.

While in London we used buses for transportation most of the time – they were double deckers and we usually went to the upper level. They ran on a pretty regular schedule so we didn’t usually have to wait long. The payment is “touch-and-go”, you tap your card at the reader. We each had to use separate credit cards because the system keeps track of how many rides you take and after 3 rides the rest of the day is free. We took the subway once and now I know why they call it “the tube”.  At least on the line we took, the tunnels are narrow, and tubular in shape; the cars also have a curved, circular ceiling to match.  It was quite crowded and after one ride Maureen decided she’d rather stick to the buses.

Phew! Overall, a very good trip.

Salud

And now for London

 After arriving in London (Thursday, June 18) and checking into The Marble Arch Hotel we rested a bit and then went for a stroll (we had done a lot of sitting so far this day). We briefly dipped into The Regent’s Park (it’s quite large) where we walked through Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens (so many roses!).  Along  the way we noticed a lot of restaurants and pubs where people were congregating outside on the sidewalk, drinking and talking (it looked very much like an after work crowd).  Apparently this is called  “vertical drinking” and there have been discussion lately in London about considering legislation to limit this. We chose to go to the Audley Public House for some seated drinking (which had its outdoor crowd as well) and after some waiting and maneuvering secured a small table inside. It is a classic London pub with dark mahogany wood paneling all around, brown leather booths, and a well stocked bar. Along with our drinks Maureen had London Rarebit and Dennis had a Fish Finger sandwich (he noted that the fish was very well cooked).

The next morning (after croissants and coffee) we wandered a little along the Regent’s Canal Walk. There were many canal boats though none in motion.

Then we headed over to St. Paul’s Cathedral which was quite beautiful. This is where Charles and Diana were married (and look how that turned out). We climbed the stairs up to the whisper gallery under the dome (where supposedly two people can sit on opposite sides and when one whispers, the other can hear them; we didn’t test it out; too many people trying the same thing. We climbed more stairs to the dome where you can go outside and have great views over the city.  

In the basement level of the church there are several tombs (including Lord Wellington, Horatio Lord Nelson; and Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin) and memorials to other famous figures (including such disparate figures as Florence Nightingale, and Winston Churchill).

After a quick lunch we went on to the Tower Bridge. As its name suggests, it is near the Tower of London (a destination for another day).  You can climb the stairs up into the north tower and walk across the pedestrian walkway to the south tower, then down. Part of the pedestrian walkway has glass panels to allow you to look down. Several people were nervous about walking on them, but not Dennis!

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Circolo Popolare. It had crazy décor with hundreds (thousands?) of bottles lining the walls. The meal was good but the dessert …  Denny couldn’t resist “The Incomparable Lemon Pie”.

Much of the next day was spent a the Tower of London. In my opinion this is a misnomer, it is much more than “a tower”. It is actually a fortress and castle complex with 21 different towers, defensive walls, and a moat. There is a large central tower called the White Tower. There is also a memorial at the site where Ann Boleyn is said to have been executed. Below is a view from the tower bridge with the Tower of London complex seen in the middle of the photo to the right. After that is a close up of the White Tower at the center of the complex. 

That evening we went to the Sondheim Theater where we saw Les Miserables. The theme and production was dark but the singing was tremendous, especially the actor who portrayed Inspector Javert.

If you've come along with us this far, rest assured there is only one more blog to complete our UK adventure. 

Until then, 

Salud

Leaving Wales

 On Tuesday, June 16 we left Caernarfon, Wales with the eventual destination of Chester, England.

Our first stop was Castell Conwy in the cute riverside (and nearly seaside) town of Conwy. This was one of the best preserved castles that we saw. Of course, we encountered our friend Owain Glyndwr again.

Next we stopped at Bodnant Gardens which were lovely and quite extensive. Before touring the garden we had lunch at the garden’s café. We were able to walk quite a bit. There was a large rose garden and pretty walking paths.

We made a couple more quick side trips – Dyserth Waterfall (just a quick climb to the viewpoint), 

and then the National Catholic Shrine of St. Winifred.  St. Winifred was a Christian martyr from the 7^th century who legend states was decapitated by a lecherous prince when she resisted his advances but was then miraculously restored to life. A well of water sprung up at the site where this occurred and the water was (and still is) believed to have healing powers. The well has been a pilgrimage site since the 12^th century.  The chapel above the well was built in the 16^th century. The well has had some man-made help to continue flowing – in 1917 it dried up due some nearby mining operations and a new underground source was diverted to provide the water (but it reportedly still maintains its healing powers!). When arranged in advance people are allowed bathe in the well. There is an adjacent changing room for bathers and the tradition is to pass through the water 3 times while reciting a decade of the rosary. On the day we visited we were the only ones there except for one young man who looked like he had just finished bathing.  The well (below) is in the area through behind the 3 arched openings in the second picture.

We arrived at the Mill Hotel and Spa in Chester in late afternoon. There was an elevator but we very briefly were stuck in it and Maureen declined to use it for the rest of our stay; we were only up one flight and when we checked out, her luggage took the elevator but she did not.

On Wednesday, June 17, we took the very efficient train service from Chester into Liverpool where we saw many things Beatles, including the Beatles Museum which houses a lot of memorabilia (almost overwhelming). Near the riverfront (yes, the Mersey!, we didn’t ferry ‘cross) there were larger than life bronze statues of the fab four (which Maureen had to pose with).

While in Liverpool we visited St. Luke’s Bombed Out Church. Only the outer walls and bits of stained glass remain after an incendiary bomb fell on it in World War II. The photo is taken inside what remains of the church.

In a sign of the times we came across this emergency bleeding control kit. They are sponsored by a group called KnifeSavers and contain supplies to help control bleeding in the event of a knife attack while waiting for emergency services. When you call 999 you are given a code to open the box.

We had a nice lunch at Moi Bakeshop.  As a side note – everywhere we went for a meal we were asked if there were any allergies they should know about. Turns out it’s a law in the UK.

While walking along the riverfront we happened upon a memorial ceremony honoring those killed when a British ocean liner called the Lancastria was sunk.  It had been  requisitioned by the British Government during WWII (seems this was common). Its’ home port was Liverpool and it was returning from France after evacuating British troops and nationals. It was bombed by the Germans and sunk on 17 June 1940 (so we were there on the anniversary).  It is estimated that between 4,000 and 7,000 people died in the sinking — the largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history.

Upon returning to Chester we strolled about a little along the Chester canal where there were a few canal boats.  

Thursday, June 18, was a long day – we drove back to Stansted Airport to return the rental car, took the Stansted Express into London, then a taxi to the hotel. Our hotel was The Marble Arch and it was very big and very busy. However, there were elevators, air conditioning, and the room was very nice and spacious.

To be continued…

Caernarfon and Surrounds

 Of course, Caernarfon had a castle too.

For our first full day in Caernarfon (Saturday June 13) we planned to make a circuit around the Llŷn Peninsula but first we stopped in Portmeirion. It is an odd fake village designed around 1925 and built over following years to resemble an Italian Riviera village. I did not realize until we were there that it had also been the main location for filming of the 1960s series The Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan. There was a small shop devoted to the show with a life-size cut out of Patrick outside the door. The show also featured prominently in other shops. Interestingly, at the entrance there was a sign indicating that dogs were not allowed in the village. There were two couples with a dog trying to decide what to do – eventually one of the four took a taxi back to where they had come from (with the dog) and the other three entered.  I have since looked back at the first episode of The Prisoner and the village looked exactly as it does now.

Our next stop was in the sea-side town of Criccieth where we had “lunch” (ice cream) at Cadwaladers then visited the Castell Cricieth. From the castle there was a good view of the sea front row houses similar to those seen elsewhere.

We continued navigating through the Llŷn Peninsula on many single lane (but two-way) roads, ultimately arriving in the busy little sea-side town of Aberdaron where we had second lunch/early dinner at the Sblash Fish Bar (Falafel burger for Miki, Fish and chips for Denny). The GPS chose more single lane roads for our return journey to Caernarfon.

On our second day based in Caernarfon we hit the road again and crossed over to Anglesey Island with our first stop at the Beaumaris Castle which was quite large and interesting.

Next we took a leisurely, picturesque drive (Miki was driving, Denny was bored) along the coast to Holyhead which was shut up tight on a Sunday. We had a tough time finding a restaurant for lunch but then managed to find Reubens Café and Coffee and had good sandwiches.  We walked a little along the shore on the Holyhead promenade and noticed that there is a ferry terminal where ferries depart for Dublin. Next we drove over to see North Stack Lighthouse which was quite scenic. Access to the lighthouse was closed, so we did not bother to hike down to it.

Lastly we stopped for a Denny photo opportunity at the railway station in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch. It is the actual name of the town and, yes, it has the distinction of having the longest railroad train station name in the world.

Monday, June 15 was all about a journey on the rack rail train (aka cog railway),the Snowdon Mountain Railway, up to the summit of the tallest mountain in Wales, Mount Snowdon. It was quite a ride with a lot of beautiful views and scenery. For much of the way it parallels a hiking trail which is very busy. At the summit there was a Everest-like line for hikers wanting to take a summit photo. This is one summit we skipped.

Upon return to Caernarfon we devoted ourselves to the mid-trip task of laundry.

On Tuesday, June 16, we packed up to leave Caernarfon with the eventual destination of Chester, England. Of course, there were stops along the way which will be described in the next post.

Cheerio!

Aberystwyth UK

 When last we left our fearless couple they had arrived at Gwesty Cymru, their hotel in Aberystwyth (roughly pronounced ah-buh-RIST-with). This was on June 10^th, the evening before the lovely couple’s 38^th wedding anniversary.

The town's seaside promenade is lined with classic Victorian and Edwardian stucco-and-brick terraced townhouses similar to Tenby. Aberystwyth is a university town, home to Aberystwyth University.  At the north end of the promenade is Constitution Hill with panoramic views though we did not ascend (it can be reached by a funicular) as the weather was drizzly and cold.  At the south end is the mouth of the Afon (river) Rheidol.

Several locations in and around Aberystwyth were used in the filming of a TV series called Hinterland. I think it was first aired by the BBC; we saw it on Netflix. We enjoyed it. It was a police procedural drama and dates back to 2013 to 2016. There were three seasons. The story line in the first season involved the murder of a woman whose body was thrown from the parapet of Devil’s Bridge (aka Pontarfynach). This is located about 12 miles east of Aberystwyth. There is a historic narrow-gauge railway (the Vale of Rheidol Railway) which follows the Afon Rheidol which you can take to the Devil’s Bridge (and we did!). We reserved plush seats in the VIP car (it was our anniversary after all). The bridge and surrounding area were quite dramatic. The adjacent hotel featured in the TV series as well (as a former home for orphans). The bridge attracted tourists even before it was featured in the TV show.

After our adventure at Devil’s Bridge we returned to the hotel to relax before heading to an anniversary dinner at a very good restaurant (Dennis had done his advance research) called Y Ffarmers.

We left Aberystwyth on Friday, June 12 with the day’s final destination being Caernarfon (which we learned is pronounced kr-naar-vn). We made a few stops along the way. The first was at Dyfi National Nature Reserve.  It features dunes, mudflats, sandbanks and saltmarsh.  Dennis enjoyed the dune walk. Signs warned of adders (a venomous snake) which prompted Miki to walk along the beach instead (wimp!). We stopped for lunch at a busy little vegetarian and vegan place called Ty Medi in Machynlleth. Quite good.

The weather improved and we went on to the Harlech Castle (the royal court and family home of Owain Glyndwr - remember him - in the early 1400s). This was perched on a hill (which involved a tricky drive up to the parking lot) and was very impressive.

We arrived safely in Caernarfon where we stayed at the Black Boy Inn which was comprised of multiple connected and unconnected buildings and a warren of bars/restaurants). Our room (actually a small suite with a separate sitting area) was up two flights of stairs (no elevator!). We were scheduled to be here for 4 nights, so we settled in, had dinner in the inn and rested up for the coming days.

To be continued ….

UK Continued - Cardiff to Aberytswyth

Our plan for the next several days after leaving Cardiff was to follow along the coast of Wales in a clockwise direction.

Leaving Cardiff the weather was good with blue sky and puffy white clouds; also a bit warmer than it had been.

Our first stop was at St. Fagan's National Museum of History. It’s an open-air museum demonstrating a timeline of Welsh history and representing the architecture and culture of Wales. It includes several relocated historic buildings taken stone-by-stone from across the country and rebuilt including a blacksmith forge, water mills, a chapel, a schoolhouse, and a typical row of workers cottages. 

We made a quick stop at the ruins of Ogmore Castle which was adjacent to a farm and near a small stream with stepping stones. Two horseback riders crossed the stream while we were there, going to the farm.

Next, on to Carreg Cennen Castle – this was perched on a hill and was reached by the usual single lane (two-way) roads lined with shrubbery. The castle was a short steep hike up the hill with great views of the surrounding area which was quite beautiful with green pastures dotted with sheep.

We went on to Tenby, our destination for the night, and checked in to the Premier Inn (with an elevator!) in Tenby (a quaint seaside town) and strolled about. There’s a castle on a rocky promontory so we walked along the path circling it and happened upon a lifeboat station about 30 minutes before they were going to do a training launch of their very expensive (2.7 million pounds in 2006) lifeboat. We stayed to watch. It was quite interesting. You can kind of see the ramp through the opening. They use cables to bring the boat just beyond the opening, then they let it go. The engines are running when they release it and it takes off right away once it reaches the water.

The next morning we took a quick walkabout in Tenby. It’s a very picturesque sea front with colorful houses (Georgian and Victorian Regency Style according to google). It was a walled city and some of the walls are still present.  Excellent breakfast at a little place called Fuchsia. Also stopped in to Loafley Bakery and bought a couple of cinnamon rolls for later (yummy!!). 

Upon leaving Tenby our destination was St. Davids. It was another good weather day!

We stopped along the way to tour Carew Castle (pretty decent) then continued to Pembroke where we had lunch at Will’s (good sandwiches). In a bit of a reversal the table had Hellmann’s Ketchup and Heinz Mayonnaise.

We travelled along more narrow roads to get to Marloes Sands car park and then took a walk down to Marloes Sands beach and along a portion of the Wales Coast Path with gorgeous views. It’s not just that the roads are narrow (with potential for 2-way traffic) but they are windy, and bordered by dense overgrown hedges seriously limiting the view ahead.

We stayed overnight at St. David’s Cross Hotel. Up 2 flights of stairs (no elevator). We had time for a quick stroll in St. David’s and popped into their lovely cathedral.

The next day, Wednesday, June 10, it was on to Aberytswyth.  It was colder and windy.

We made a quick stop at the Pentre Ifan burial chamber (a large rock balanced on 3 standing rocks). One of those things where you wonder how they managed to do it with primitive tools.

We drove along more treacherous narrow roads to reach Mwnt Beach where there was a small 13th century church (The Holy Cross Church); some stairs to climb down to a secluded beach, and a small hill to climb up to a nice viewpoint.

We arrived at our hotel, Gwesty Cymru, in Aberystwyth. It was very nicely renovated a few years ago. We had a large room on the 3rd floor (no elevator!). After eating at a local restaurant, it was time to crash and get recharged for the next day.

To be continued...