Day 6: We Had A Wales Of A Time Today

The Welsh Flag is among my favorite.

Well, we hit a bit of traffic on the motorway today.  We were delayed to our hotel by two hours.  The hotel maintains a dinner buffet and so, we were still able to eat a warm meal.  The options included a carving station with beef or turkey, fish, beef and gravy, a few sets of vegetables, and desserts.  I had had a filling lunch and didn't eat much, but I believe the kids ate well...but I am getting ahead of myself.

We had to wake up really early today.  Our departure time from the hotel was 6:20 and so, I called everyone at 5:30am to see if they were up.  They were.  We packed the bus and grabbed a bag breakfast from the hotel.  The drive to the ferry terminal was about 40 minutes long and we arrived on time.  We said goodbye to Sean and began our boarding process.  The ferry was nice in that there were plenty of open spaces, a cafe, a theater, and a quiet room.  We grabbed a corner for our stuff and hunkered down.  The ride was supposed to take 3 and half hours, but our trip was delayed a bit.  We had had some really bad weather the night before and the residuals were impacting the Irish Sea.  We expected some chop.  Most of the girls went right to sleep.

After a bit, Laura and I (the only ones awake at the time) decided to go out on the deck for some fresh air.  The seas were a bit rough and everyone was feeling the effects.  We departed on our adventure to high winds with a definite sea mist.  We walked up the stairs to go to the top deck, but it was locked...so we headed down two decks to check out what was being offered to the guests.  From our direction, we walked past the staging area for emergencies.  This part of the deck is open to the air from the port and starboard sides.  The wind was whipping through and we both had a hard time getting to the door.  When we tried the handle, it was locked.  I try not to panic, or show panic, on these trips, but I was a little nervous.  We went back to where we had come from and the door fortunately worked.

It was only after returning to our seats that we heard folks saying that the crew had made an announcement that the decks were closed, oops.

The rest of the journey passed and we disembarked the ship, collected our bags, and met Andrew our new bus driver.  Sean was so good, but we are keeping an open mind.  As we left the parking lot, we saw a sign for a restaurant/inn.  It reminded us of home.

About an hour after passing The Boston, we arrived at Beaumaris.  It is a small village on the coast of Wales.  It is also the location of a really nice castle.  We knew we were limited for time, but we scampered off for lunch.  The girls all ate at the Pier House Bistro.  Some had haddock and others pasta, but all seemed to enjoy their lunch.  I stopped off at a little restaurant.  I was looking specifically for Welsh Rarebit...pronounced, "Rabbit."  It was delicious...it is basically a grilled cheese, lol.

Welsh Rarebit with a side of Cheesy Chips

After lunch, I was going to meet the girls at the Castle.  I entered the grounds and started exploring.  After a few minutes, I began to wonder where they were...but I received a text letting me know that their restaurant experience was taking longer than anticipated.  These things happen, so I tried to grab a couple of pictures for them.

The moat

Between the perimeter wall and the castle.

One of the tower stairs

A murder hole...used to defend the Castle if attacked.

While the girls ended up missing the castle, they got a good sense of Welsh culture and cuisine.  Their restaurant experience was a nice one and we soon headed off.  Before departing for England, however, we had one more stop.

The world has a lot of interesting places with interesting names.  In Wales, one can find the longest city name on the planet.  If my memory serves me correct, Andrew said it has 68 syllables.  The train stop also has a gift store.  The girls looked around and we eventually boarded our bus.  I told them a quick story about my previous visit. [Author's note: I've tried not to compare these two trips too much...on this blog and in person, but this story includes both trips]  The night before our ferry ride five years ago was a very long night.  None of our group got more than a couple of hours of sleep.  Many tried to recover on the ferry, but I could not sleep.  When we arrived at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, I was pretty much out of it.  As many explored the gift store, I walked across the street.  There was a small fish and chip place.  I entered to find a little old woman. I ordered fish and chips (I don't like fish, lol) and ate quickly.  I don't remember if I liked it or not, but I know I felt some peace in the shop.  Today, I walked across the street too.  As I entered the same shop, I saw a young man working the fry basket.  I wasn't ordering food (I had just eaten), but I thought I'd buy a drink.  I waited a second for the fry guy to turn around, but a door opened, and the little old lady came walking out.  I politely asked for a diet coke and she obliged.  She then asked if I wanted anything else.  I declined, but told her that I had visited five years before.  I informed her that I ordered fish and chips and that I liked it very much (An expression of my overall visit to her shop...not an outright lie). I don't know why I like to return to places that I've visited before, but there was something special about walking through those doors today.  I hope the old woman felt it too.

We began the long ride to Coventry.  It wasn't supposed to take too long, but there was unexpected traffic along the route.  All of the kids were patient and understanding (well, mostly they were sleeping).  Eventually, we arrived at the hotel and had our buffet dinner.  The girls are all hanging about the lobby, as I type, ordering a late night snack, lol.  We eat well on these trips...and we make memories.

The girls in Wales.

One of the conversation pieces we just had was about Wales.  While we were only there for a bit, the girls all mentioned how cute it was. They all agreed that they'd like to go back.  Perhaps in a few years, when the girls are a bit older, they will find themselves walking the streets of Beaumaris finally getting to visit the castle.  Maybe they will even grab lunch at the Pier House Bistro.  Will the comfort of being somewhere familiar hit them the same way it hit me, I hope so.  That feeling is one of the reasons why I pack a suitcase and see the world.  I long ago realized that people all over are more alike than different.  Our languages and accents might be a bit off, but our lives are all impacted by things outside of our control...the death of a loved one, traffic on the motorway, or the choppy Irish sea, but humanity abounds on this pale blue dot.  I often explain why I think that one must travel to learn; this is my explanation.

Thanks for reading...good night from Coventry!