Another Day, Another Castle

After a very satisfying breakfast this morning, we were off to visit a Welsh castle. The visit was a hoot because our local guide did not hide her disdain for the British monarchy. She rather likes Harry but doesn’t have much time for all the others. 

Caernarfon Castle is one of the world’s best examples of a medieval fortress. It was built alongside the River Seiont and was one of three fortresses built by King Edward I that include ones at Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech. It was built in the Roman style, took 47 years to construct and cost 25,000 pounds.

Castle touring veterans - Photo by Jackie Messenger

As sometimes happens in these cases, a later ruler of England decreed that this and all the other castles in Wales be destroyed. The job was given to the local villagers. According to our guide, they took a look at the job and decided that it was too much work and just abandoned the place. Since no one from London bothered to check on the progress of the destructive order, the castle was spared. However, the locals did plunder the castle remains for items that might be used to improved their homes. This is an example of early recycling. 

Castle touring is hard work so by the time we finished it was time for lunch. However, The Lady who sets the pace for these visits decreed that some shopping must occur first and as my loyal readers know, I never cross The Lady. Fortunately for my growling stomach, a bit of shopping was accomplished and lunch was the next order of business.

Caffi Maes had been recommended and it was close by. Our tour director had recommended the toasted ham, cheese and pineapple toastie (hot sandwich) which may sound a bit sketchy to some of you. I’m here to report that it was delicious, and not just because I was starving.  

Suitably fortified it was back to shopping and by the time we needed to return to the bus, two gifts had been purchased and, more importantly, we had found the somewhat elusive Christmas ornament representing the country we are visiting that we alway purchase for ourselves. Score.

The rugged Welsh landscape at the Peny Pass

The Lady, who has the strength of Hercules where shopping is concerned, joined a small group that left the bus in Conwy while I returned to the hotel for a very important appointment with a comfortable couch in our room. Very satisfactory. The Lady returned an hour later with one more perfect gift purchased. Did I mention how fantastic she is at this shopping thing?

Dinner this evening began with a wine tasting. We sampled three Argentinian wines, a Chardonnay, a Malbec, and a Pino Noir. We later paired one or two of those wines with our dinner. Although we are not Chardonnay people, that wine captured our fancy tonight. Of the reds, the Malbec was our favorite. Why were we sampling wines from Argentina while in Wales? Turns out there is a significant connect between the two countries. Due to a depression in the Welsh coalfields in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, there was a significant migration from Wales to Argentina. The Argentinean government granted the immigrating Welsh land and allowed them to keep their language and culture. Some of those immigrants began to cultivate wine. Tonight we celebrated that history.

Dessert was a splendid serving of Pavlova. We chose that in homage to our Texas grandchildren and their love of the TV cartoon program, Bluey. If you have access to episodes of Bluey, find the one titled “Pavlova” and enjoy. It is a riot.

Tomorrow we head to Stratford-on-Avon and Oxford. More adventures for you to enjoy with us.