Saturday September 3, 2011
As morning’s light fell on Conwy Castle, two wayfaring travellers were already seated in the Clemence Restaurant ordering yet another full English breakfast. This time, rather than hashbrowns, we noted a round bit of sliced sausage with vessels, corpuscles and dried blood as a substitution not that either of us cared to try. Blood Sausage! Yuck.
No less for wear, we stormed the gates of the castle and spent a couple hours walking winding staircases and shouting at eachother across the towers. We exited the castle to find an armoury selling weapons and also enjoyed very much looking at cross bows, swords, daggers and shields. Ty was, in his own words, like a child in a candy shop.
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| These are called "Murder Holes" |
We went through the town centre to find two more houses worthy of a visit. Aberconwy house http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-aberconwyhouse
both very respectable 600 year houses with crooked hand hewn beams and unlevel floors authentically furnished just as if the owners had just left for the day.
Ty and I finished our day in Conwy with a coffee at the Tower and a few boats of Welsh fishing boats.
Then we headed across the long bridge over the River Conwy and headed east to Chester, yet another walled city stopping briefly also at Boddwydann castle, though it never held a candle to the ones we have seen at Powis and Caernarfon. Our shock at Chester wasn’t the discovery of a large walled city but the volume of people mobbing its streets. We stopped just long enough for a coffee and a sandwhich and a quick walk through the square, though it was standing room only in the streets. It seems yesterday was payday for the general public and they brought their paycheques with them to Chester.
Then we headed across the long bridge over the River Conwy and headed east to Chester, yet another walled city stopping briefly also at Boddwydann castle, though it never held a candle to the ones we have seen at Powis and Caernarfon. Our shock at Chester wasn’t the discovery of a large walled city but the volume of people mobbing its streets. We stopped just long enough for a coffee and a sandwhich and a quick walk through the square, though it was standing room only in the streets. It seems yesterday was payday for the general public and they brought their paycheques with them to Chester.
From Chester, we travelled on the "wrong" side of the road up several dual motorways with up to 4 lanes each, past Liverpool, Manchester and leeds to York which turned out to be yet another large city. We managed to find a room overlooking the street in a B&B called the Gillygate http://www.thegillygate.co.uk/ in historic downtown in the shadow of the massive cathedral York Minster and walked around in search of dinner. I have walked Burbon Street in New Orleans and the Strip in Las Vegas as well as countless other cities, but never have I seen such a parade of thousands of people ranging from unruly drunken fraternities to batchelorettes to old people. In fact, while we walked down one street, the police blocked another after a murder moments after we had walked it. We did chance to cross the river Ouze several times with its river boats lit up going by.
We intend to tour York Minster tomorrow after morning services and then we will head north towards Newcastle on Tyne.
We intend to tour York Minster tomorrow after morning services and then we will head north towards Newcastle on Tyne.
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| Ty doing what he does best, back in the safety of our room... |
