Wales: Conwy

Our big overnight trip with Grandma Kay was to Wales. The first stop was at the coastal town of Conwy. Conwy is famous for its castle, which was built by English King Edward I in the late 1200s in an effort to tighten England's grip on Wales. The town is surrounded by one of the most intact medieval walls in all of Europe. The weather was unusually sunny and mild that day, which made our visit all the better. North Wales is one of my favorite places in Europe because there is such a wide variety of things to see in close proximity- medieval castles, gorgeous coastline, and Welsh mountains.

(Above) Check out the look on the boys' faces. I was giving the boys a stern lecture about safety since the upper levels of the castle were treacherous with inadequate railings. They hadn't been staying right by us as we asked them to and so they needed a serious talk.

(Above) Our handsome Knight Jack.

(Above) Looking up in a castle tower.

(L) Bridges leading to Conwy and its castle.

(Above) View of Conwy town.

(Above) Lucas got a buzz-cut because he won't hold still for Harmony during hair cuts.

(Above) Jack and I up in a tower.

(Above) The others waiting below.

(Above) Jack liked these doves resting high up in one of the towers.

(Above) We had a difficult time that day getting good family photos. It was too bright outside to get the kids to look at the camera.

As I mentioned, Conwy has an amazing medieval wall. We walked along most of it.

(Above) Grandma Kay and the boys with the Irish Sea in the background.

(Above) Harmony and Jack

(Above) Conwy Castle

(Above) Jack's favorite stop was probably at The Knight Shop, where they sold authentic and plastic knight attire. We had to say no to his request for a real, two-handed broadsword.

(L) Fish & Chips shops are ubiquitous here. (R) The Welsh and British flags.

(Above) "The Smallest House in Great Britain." You had to pay a pound to see it, and as advertised, there wasn't much to see inside. 

(Above) We stopped along the waterfront at a German bratwurst stand for lunch. 

London - May 2012

My mother watched the boys for a night to let Harmony and I take a much-needed getaway in London. Despite the cold and rainy English weather, it was a blast. Thanks Mom!

(Above) A view of Big Ben from Trafalgar Square.

(L) 10 Downing Street- The Prime Minister's official residence. (R) One of the best attractions in London are the Churchill War Rooms. No photography was allowed inside, so we don't have much to share here. This museum is situated in the old underground British cabinet war rooms that Winston Churchill and his advisors used throughout most of WWII. In addition to showing the restored cabinet rooms, there was an extensive museum about Churchill and WWII, which was underground and adjacent to the war rooms. It was very well-done.

(Above) The view of the Victoria Tower, which is attached to the British Parliament building, taken from the gardens at Westminster Abbey.

(L) Harmony in front of Westminster Abbey. The tour inside was fantastic, but as with so many sites in London, photography was not allowed inside. (R) We splurged on some non-nosebleed section seats to watch the musical "Wicked" at the Apollo Victoria Theater.

(Above and Below) St. Paul's Cathedral. After paying the steep entrance fee to get a look inside St. Paul's, we hiked to the top of the dome for a fantastic view of London.

(L) Shakespeare's globe theater across the River Thames.

(Above) One of the last places we visited was the Victoria and Albert Museum, which had all sorts of random but historic artifacts, many of which were acquired in the former colonies of the British Empire.