This past weekend (Easter weekend) we drove to North Wales to pick up my replacement van. It is almost identical to my previous van...except even better! It has 30,000 less miles, tinted windows, a hands-free kit for cell phones, a small refrigerator and it even comes with an umbrella! I guess I had a base model before :-) These Mercedes vans are difficult to find and are quickly sold when posted to the internet. Fortunately, Jeanne was able to locate it online and put a deposit quickly. We had to drive 3 1/2 hours to pick it up...but worth the while.Wales was fascinating! We crossed the border and didn't know it until all of the road signs changed to two languages...english being the second! Welsh words are very strangely spelled. They seem to have an overabundance of consonants (and sometimes vowels). Llandudno Junction is where my van was located and right next to it was Conwy Castle and the walled town of Conwy. It was beautiful. The first thing we noticed though was the low tide. It was amazing to see boats stranded on huge sandbars. Deep fissures formed in the sand from the retreating water. Almost the entire bay was left dry. It definitely made us wonder if a tsunami was coming because it seemed so
abnormal. But apparently it isn't. That is very normal for North Wales. I took a picture of what we thought was low tide and then later high tide. It was quite a difference. The first evening we walked around the town and had fish and chips at a highly recommended restaraunt.
On Sunday, we enjoyed a family Easter service and then went to explore the Castle and see the smallest house in the UK (wow!). There was only room for Scott and Bryce to sit down and another person to shimmy up the small ladder. Upstairs there was a tiny bed. Can you believe that a 6' 3" man lived there last?After that we officially paid for the van and drove through Snowdonia national park. Wales is definitely a place where we hope to go back and visit.
On the way home we even found some snow for the kids to have a snowball fight. Snow is one thing that Bryce particularly has missed from Illinois. Especially since this year has been a really snowy year back home and his friends have enjoyed teasing him for what he has missed. At least Madison was able to make a miniature snowman!
On our way home we stopped by Bolsover Castle. There was a square castle that sat high on a hill. It had lots of paneled rooms and winding walkways. The views from there were amazing. There also was a large castle ruins. I was surprised to find out this castle was only 1 1/2 hours from our home!
