One Day in Wales

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Geo: 52.9014, -3.87611

This morning we said farewell to Ireland and boarded a ferry to sail across Irish Sea bound for Wales. It was a three hour journey aboard this cruise ship-like boat where students had lots of room to roam. Restaurants served croissants and breakfast sandwiches which were Egg McMuffins on steroids and lots of carpeted spaces invited comfy places to get some rest. Mostly we read and wrote and enjoyed the sunrise glittering on the chilly water.

Once we landed in Wales it was a smooth transition to collect our luggage and then we boarded the next bus (called a coach) and headed for Snowdonia National Park. We stopped in a quaint village for about a 30 minute walk around the city which contained a medieval castle and marina for sailboats. While the breeze was chilly coming off the water the colorful buildings from gold to lavender to lime green were as quaint and inviting as they could be. Locals gave us a welcoming smile and we all wished we could have had more time to spend there.

The countryside is just as green as Ireland but laced with slate rock fences and a dotted with more trees. We fell in love with the landscape immediately! Our stop in Snowdonia NP on the pass was brief but long enough to take pictures of the tallest mountain in Wales called Mount Snowdon at an elevation of 3000 feet. A few sheep as fuzzy as Pomeranians dotted the hillsides and rounded out the quintessential view of the British Isle.

We also stopped at a defunct slate mine where Andras took us to a "secret spot" which turned out to be a pond where scuba divers can view the dredging of the slate from below the water. It was a picturesque reflecting pool tucked away in the forest in a nook of the mountain above.

After a long few more hours on the bus we arrived in Birmingham England for our stay for the night. Although our visit in Wales was brief many of us are already making plans to return one day.

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Comments

[mike pepper]

love the story of the crossing - reminds me of the crossing in NZ.

[Caleb Hobbs]

I take it there was no hobo deck this time around?

[egatfield]

No hobo deck, but plenty of people laying on the floor and seats to catch some sleep!