Today was castle day on the trip. We started with Conwy Castle, located just a few minutes away from where we are staying in the seaside resort of Colwyn Bay. The town of Conwy has its wall in tact and the castle was built by Edward I in the late 13th century as part of his plan to subdue Wales. We arrived just in time to take a guided tour. Neil, our tour guide, was fabulous! I learned more about defending castles than I had ever known. He also added to my knowledge of Welsh history and the rocky relationship of England and Wales.
We ate lunch across from the castle then strolled into the center of town to see the statue of Llewelyn the Great, who almost succeeded in uniting Wales against the English.
From Conwy, we crossed the Menai Strait to Anglesey to visit Beaumaris Castle, the last castle built by Edward I. It was never completed but offers fabulous views of the town and the straits. Our lessons from the morning helped us understand what we were seeing.
Again, we strolled into town, this time to find the sarcophagus of Joan, the wife of Llewelyn the Great, which is in the Beaumaris Parish Church. I found myself wandering through another lovely churchyard then looking at spectactular stained glass windows while the organist practiced inside the church.
We returned to Colwyn Bay and I took a walk along the water. We had a lovely dinner at the Rhos Harbour Bistro.
