The 'New' Blog

The NEW Dobber-Blog:  Click HERE.

We reached the 1 GB photo limit on this site so started a new one.  Please take note of the new address and feel free to link us to your own blogging adventures.

http://dobber-news.blogspot.com/

Dover

As one of English Heritage’s most ambitious projects for many years, the entire interior of Henry VIII's Great Tower palace at Dover Castle has now been breathtakingly recreated. Historians, designers, artists and craftspeople have combined to present it as it might have appeared when newly completed in 1184.  Even though it was our third (or fourth?) trip to Dover Castle, it was our first time seeing the completed renovations.

And, of course, some old favourites:

 A souvenir rock from the famous white cliffs.

Chester

 Back in England...

The city of Chester is a beautiful walled city full of gorgeous Elizabethan architecture, pedestrian streets, Roman ruins, a castle and a cathedral.  We enjoyed exploring it for a day on our way home from Wales.

 Handel's Messiah was rehearsed here - at Chester cathedral - previous to its debut in Dublin.  This is the original manuscript:

 Ancient Roman amphitheatre:

 Street performers:

Town Hall:

 It was a lovely day for walking the walls of the city:

Chester castle:

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.

 It was a brisk day and the rugged terrain may have been deterring except for the package of Oreo cookies Matt used to bribe us forward up the trail.

 We made it to the halfway point but couldn't convince the senior folk in our party to climb further... maybe next time.

Beautiful countryside!