Days 8 - 9 Friday, June 29 Saturday, June 30 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What We Had: Highs: 74ºF-76ºF Lows: 59ºF-62ºF Averages: High: 60º Low:52º Current Weather Weather Forecast - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ================= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Click on a city name above or use the drop down list below to jump to another city. Jump to Another LocationEdinburghKeswickYorkStow-On-The-WoldBathLondon •  City Wall •  Great Britain`s Smallest House •  Caernarfon Castle •  The Slate Mine at Llechwedd •  Welsh Massed Male Choir •  Fisherman`s Restaurant •  Castle Hotel •  Castle Hotel Castle Hotel Brochure (Click Picture for More Info)(Click to Enlarge) Caernarfon Castle Brochure (Click Picture for More Info)(Click to Enlarge) Admission ticket (Click Picture for More Info)(Click to Enlarge)

Castle Hotel Castle Hotel, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) Conwy is a small town in north Wales. We stayed at the Castle Hotel located on the main street, close to everything we wanted to see, great food in the restaurant and an outstanding room. Our room was one of the most comfortable on the trip. Smallest House in Great Britain (Its 2 stories) (Click to Enlarge) Our first night was spent exploring the town, having dinner at the Fisherman's Restaurant (catty-corner from the oldest building in Conwy...more fish and chips) , a walk on the beach including the smallest house in Great Britain . Jack & Jan well ahead City Wall, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) We finished off the day with a walk around along the city wall It is amazing how well the wall is preserved. It's a great way to see the city and get some much needed exercise. A number of our group joined us in the walk. Inside looking toward the Queens Gate Caernarfon Castle (Click to Enlarge) Saturday was a very full day. We started with a trip to Caernarfon Castle . Caernarfon is a wonderful example of the castles built by Edward 1st that came to be known as his Iron Ring. It's very interesting how the castle is incomplete yet one of the most well preserved we were to see. In addition, there's a great exhibit on the crowning of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales. Jan & Jack in the car waiting to go Llechwedd Slate Mine (Click to Enlarge) Our next stop was the Llechwedd Slate Mine . We boarded a small tram (two people wide) and headed into the mine. Frankly, it wasn't until the tram started rolling that I realized we were heading underground through some very small tunnels. If you're at all concerned about tight spaces, you may want to pass up this ride. But what a shame that would be. The experience was unforgettable! I can NOT imagine how they worked these mines with candles and a lot of manual labor. The Men Choir Welsh Massed Male Choir, Rhyl Pavillion (Click to Enlarge) We finished a very busy day with a wonderful time at a performance of the Welsh Massed Male Choir in the Rhyl Pavilion. Now needless to say many of us were dubious about a mens choir performance. I have to tell you that it was unforgettable!        City Wall Kim, Sheryl and Sheila coming up from behind City Wall, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) Kim overtaking Jack and Jan City Wall, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) The wall around Conwy encircles the entire city, although the walkway (along the top) no longer passes over the railroad where it comes into the city. It did not matter anyway since you're getting off right by the center of town. The view of the castle, the harbor and the city was outstanding. As you can see from the pictures, we weren't the only ones that took advantage of the evening. Conwy Castle beyond the city from the city wall City Wall, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) A view from the turret City Wall, Conwy (Click to Enlarge)

Great Britain`s Smallest House If you've ever wanted to feel BIG, stand next to Britain's smallest house and you feel like it. Notice that the house has two floors. The story goes that the fisherman that owned the house gave it up because he couldn't stand up in it (being 6 feet tall) and there was no toilet. Smallest House in Great Britain (Its 2 stories) (Click Picture to Enlarge) Quayside Conwy LL30 2YF - Wales, UK Tel: +44 (0)1492 593429

Caernarfon Castle Narous was our guide for the castle Caernarfon Castle (Click to Enlarge) Narous describes the kitchen Caernarfon Castle (Click to Enlarge) Caernarfon Castle was built by Edward I in the latter part of the 13th century as one of his castles of the Iron Ring. The castle was not only a military outpost, but acted as the seat of English government in Wales. The tradition of crowning the heir of the British monarchy began at Caernarfon Castle in 1301. His heir, (who would become King Edward II of England) was presented to the Welsh inhabitants as the prince of Wales. The next investiture of the prince didn't occur again until 1911 with the future Edward VIII of the United Kingdom. This set a precedent which was to be repeated in 1969 with the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales. The castle is an outstanding example of a British fortification. Although never finished (there was evidence of joints left unfinished which were intended for additional walls), the structure that stands today had been unchanged for hundreds of years. As you can see from the pictures, there was a lot to see and a lot of history to hear about. Rain or shine, we'd recommend it. John listening to our guides presentation Caernarfon Castle (Click to Enlarge) Susan, Lauren & Joel looking over the Prince of Wales exhibit Caernarfon Castle (Click to Enlarge) Joel, Dave, JP, Kim and Sheryl looking around inside Caernarfon Castle (Click Picture to Enlarge) Castle Ditch Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 2AY, UK Tel: +44 1286 677617              The Slate Mine at Llechwedd Waiting for the tour to begin Llechwedd Slate Mine (Click to Enlarge) Jan & Jack in the car waiting to go Llechwedd Slate Mine (Click to Enlarge) Minning exhibit in a real deposit Llechwedd Slate Mine (Click to Enlarge) What an outstanding experience! As we approached, we learned that the hills around the mine were not natural. Rather they were the waste from the slate mines. 90% of the slate mined was waste and piled high on the local country-side. We entered the mine on a small electric train, in cars made for four people but barely large enough for an average sized person, let alone someone taller. We quickly found why the cars were so small. The tunnel we traveled through was barely larger than the train. And dark? VERY! Our first stop was at a cavern several hundred feet underground. We disembarked from our train for our first view where the miners did their work. The area was surprisingly large. They then turned out the lights to give us a sense of how dark the cavern can be, followed by the lighting of a candle to show us the amount of light the miners had available to them. We re-boarded the train and went on to another cavern where there was a display of workers and the equipment they used. One of the miners (a mannequin) was high on the pile (the red triangle on the right). The other two were near the rail line. The one on the pile is the one that drilled the holes and set the explosive charges. The other miner stacked the stone on the rail cars for the journey to the surface. A cavern that broke through to the outside Llechwedd Slate Mine (Click to Enlarge) Listening to the narrater Llechwedd Slate Mine (Click to Enlarge) Llechweed Slate Cavern Blaenau Ffestiniog Gwynedd, North Wales LL41 3NB Tel: 01766 830 306 FAX: 01766 831 260              Welsh Massed Male Choir Gathering in the lobby of the Pavillion Welsh Massed Male Choir, Rhyl Pavillion (Click to Enlarge) Christin, Warren, John, Norm, Jean & Betty Jo at intermission Welsh Massed Male Choir, Rhyl Pavillion (Click to Enlarge) We were originally scheduled to go to a Medieval Dinner, but switched to the Mens Choir instead. Initially we were a little hesitant. However that went away. the performance by the choir was exceptional. There were also several other performers (shown below in `Taking a Bow`). Two sang both opera and contemporary while the third played the harp. Opera is not my favorite, but the harp was actually very good. Clearly the best part of the performance was the Welsh national anthem. Sung in Welsh (which we, of course, we didn't understand) the entire audience joined in. It was very moving. They are a very proud people and it was clear from the way they sang that they would like to have a nation of their own. A great evening! The Men Choir Welsh Massed Male Choir, Rhyl Pavillion (Click to Enlarge) Taking a bow Welsh Massed Male Choir, Rhyl Pavillion (Click to Enlarge) The Rhyl Pavilion Welsh Massed Male Choir, Rhyl Pavillion (Click Picture to Enlarge) Welsh Massed Male Choir Rhyl Pavillion Promenade Rhyl, Denbighshire LL18 3AQ Tel: 01745 330 000 FAX: 01745 339819        Fisherman`s Restaurant Known for it's fish and chips the Fisherman's restaurant lived up to its reputation. We ate upstairs in a rather small dinning room. The food was good, but the atmosphere was nice (but nothing to write home about). Even so, we'd recommend it. Fisherman`s Chip shop and Restaurant Castle Hotel, Conwy (Click Picture to Enlarge) Fisherman`s Restaurant Castle Street Conwy LL32 8AY Tel: (01492) 5937923 Castle Hotel Dinner at the Castle Hotel Castle Hotel, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) Dinner at the Castle Hotel Castle Hotel, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) We had two great breakfasts and an equally good dinner at the hotel. Frankly, the food was good enough to have all our meals here. Definitely recommended. Breakfast in the Dinning Room Castle Hotel, Conwy (Click Picture to Enlarge) Castle Hotel High Street Conwy, Wales LL32 8DB Tel: 01492 582800 FAX: 01492 582300           Castle Hotel Linda in our room Castle Hotel, Conwy (Click to Enlarge) The Castle Hotel is a wonderful place to stay. As you can see from the picture of our room, this was one of the nicest places we stayed. It is very well located in the center of the city. The restaurant in the hotel (where we ate on our second night) was quite good. Breakfasts both mornings was very good as well. The rooms were larger than most and VERY comfortable. The hotel comes highly recommended! Castle Hotel Castle Hotel, Conwy (Click Picture to Enlarge) Castle Hotel High Street Conwy, Wales LL32 8DB Tel: 01492 582800 FAX: 01492 582300