Dobber-Blog: Cardiff, Conwy, and Caernarfon

Our brief stay in Wales included stops in Cardiff, Conwy, and Caernarfon (try saying that 3 times fast!)

Perhaps the most memorable part of Cardiff was a local delicacy that Matt and Grandpa tried for supper...

(Faggots = meatballs)

On our way home from Ireland we stayed overnight in Caernarfon in a little B&B right next door to the castle:

Conwy is another classic walled town. Its circuit of walls, over three quarters of a mile long, is guarded by no less than 22 towers.

The castle itself is definitely one of the neatest we've seen yet. It's just like you imagine a castle should be -complete with drawbridges, moats, towers, dungeons, etc.

Conwy, constructed by the English monarch Edward I between 1283 and 1289, was one of the key fortresses in his 'iron ring' of castles to contain the Welsh. It was built to prompt a humbling reaction and prove that the English had domination over this territory. This same Edward I declared his son - Edward II - the "Prince of Wales" when he was born in Caernarfon castle in 1301. The title remains even today for the son who is heir to the throne of England. The current Prince of Wales - Charles - was given this title here at Conwy Castle in 1958.

There were so many towers that we split up and played a game where we'd pop up at the top of a tower and try to find each other. Kind of like real life whack-a-mole.

Grams and Gramps preferred the view from the bottom looking up:

Climbing all those narrow, curvy steps really wore some of us out:

Of course, no trip to Wales is complete without visiting Snowdonia National Park and attempting a hike up Mt. Snowdon. At 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, it is the highest peak in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands and is probably the nation's most popular hiking moutain.