Our children are Titanic obsessives. It started with an innocent trip to the Toronto Aquarium, which happened to have a temporary exhibit on shipwrecks. Since then it has moved on to cover shipwrecks of all kinds, with a special emphasis on ships sunk in battle. But Titanic is still their first love, and the Titanic Museum was the single stop they were most excited about on the whole trip. It did not disappoint. The museum is so well done: both comprehensive and moving with everything from whiz-bang interactives and like, a database of every ship Harland and Wolff ever built.
View from our window: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 8:59pm, 17 April 2023.
Having decided that an ascent of Mt. Snowdon was a bit more than little legs could handle (and possibly the big legs too), we set out on a crisp, clear Saturday for Llyn Idwal, one of the more popular hikes in Snowdonia. We were at the carpark by 8:45, but that proved to be not quite early enough to secure a spot, so our hike began and ended with a bit of a walk along the road from the next closest parking site. That aside, it was a terrific day from start to finish. The views were tremendous, and we
The "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd" are a UNESCO World Heritage Sight, and we made it our mission to visit all four during our stay in North Wales. Caernarfon is the largest of the four castles. It also boasts some extensive indoor exhibits on the castle's history. On the day we visited, it was blowing a gale, and you could really feel Caernarfon's proximity to the ocean. Looking back towards the town of Caenarfon from the Eagle Tower Conwy Castle is much more compact, and feels much more connected to the medieval town walls. It was windy at
Emboldened by our Bath Skyline hike and our climb up Hay Bluff, we wanted to do some proper hikes while we were in North Wales. On this particular day, the forecast was not so great for the mountains around Snowdonia, but much nicer out in Anglesey along the coast. We found a 7km hike, and set out while it was still raining back in Llanrug. Worryingly, it continued to rain as we drove across Anglesey. But then, like magic, as we arrived at Cemaes Bay, the clouds cleared, and we were rewarded with a glorious sunny day with calm winds.
Because of its mining history, Wales is dotted with narrow gauge railways. Nowadays, they are mostly built by charming steam engines for the benefit of tourists. We booked a ride up to Blaenau Ffestiniog, which was once a slate mining town. The trains have been really nicely restored, and it's a beautiful way to see the Snowdonia landscape. The train sets out from the harbour station in Porthmadog Sailboats at Porthmadog Some beautiful views as we depart Porthmadog
View from our window: Llanrug, Wales, United Kingdom. 7:47pm, 11 April 2023.
On one particularly glorious day, we set out to climb Hay Bluff. We did not take the super steep, direct route up the hill, instead opting to make our way more gradually by winding around the back. We met lots of sheep and ponies along the way, and it was such a clear day, we could see for miles. On our way up the hill. Small boys bringing up the rear Looking out over Glasbury from the top of Hay Bluff. The sheep enjoy the view too. An inquisitive pony came over to say hello When we set out we thought we might
Family visits brought us to Herefordshire. Sam's sister lives in this corner of the world, and the Easter school holidays were a good time to have a visit with her and her kids. This part of the English/Welsh borders can be a bit rainy and grey, but we were blessed with mostly glorious weather as we explored the countryside. It made for a blissful few days. Beautiful Herefordshire countryside. Hay-on-Wye was the closest town to our little cottage. It is particularly famous for its books and bookshops. Hay Castle, newly restored and opened to the public. Hay on market day Cousin Lara
View from our window: Clifford, Herefordshire, United Kingdom. 8:30am, 06 April 2023.