Chapter 13 Sam’s favorite day

It is sad that our journey is coming to an end, but it has been a great time. Sam is constantly stating that he doesn’t want it to end. I am ready to go home and see all the ones I have missed.

The strike by the tube workers did happen. It was crazy the amount of people we saw leaving the train station this morning. The TV cameras were at the chained doors to the tube station. We were planning on buying train tickets on the normal train this morning, but we were told we had to buy the express train tickets. Of course, they were more expensive. We were just glad to have found a way to get to our new hotel near the airport. We took the express train and I have to say it was fast and the smoothest train I have ever been on. We got to the airport and found the shuttle to our hotel. In Europe, you must have to pay to these shuttles, but again we were at least able to get to our hotel. We checked in early and tried to get options to get to the place where the shuttle to the Harry Potter Studio. The hotel didn’t have any better ways, so we took the shuttle back to the airport and found another bus from there to the point of the shuttle pick up. Yes, that means we spent most of the day on buses, but this was so important to Sam it was worth it.

I have to say that I am not a Harry Potter super enthusiast. I have read the books and saw all the movies and really enjoyed both. Sam, however, has read all the books at least 6 times and seen the movies more. He is an ultimate fan and was so excited for this day. I was ready to watch him enjoy himself. I was pleasantly surprised at the day. I love seeing how things are made and created. This was all about the creation of the movies. We saw, walked on, touched, drank, and learned all about the making of the movies. These were the actual sets, costumes, and props used in the movies. The way the tour is set up, you get to spend as much time exploring the sets as you wanted. It was almost like being transported to Hogwarts yourself. You learned who was behind the scenes. These are the people who made the magic happen. From the animal trainers, to the graphic designers, every member of the staff poured their heart into these movies. They were together for years and became a family. The details they put into their work are phenomenal. The newspapers have actual articles, the paintings were real paintings, and the sets were made to last forever.  These movies were so special because of these details.

We even got to drink Butter beer. Apparently you can only do this in two places on earth and this was one of them. The entire experience was made more special just watching Sam. He was in total bliss. We saw Diagon Alley, Dumbledore office, and the actual Hogwarts they used for filming. It is a model and it is spectacular. The detail in this was breathtaking. I was in awe and Sam was almost crying he was so impressed. I can’t express how cool it was to see. I can only say I would highly recommend going to see this.

Tomorrow we are hoping to get to the airport on time and make our flights safely and our time.

Chapter 13 - Butterbeer & Boddingtons

Well as worried as I may have been for this strike and last day of our journey, everything seemed to have worked itself out just fine. The day started the very same as the rest of them, with showers and breakfast from the hotel. Then we gathered our belongings, checked out of the hotel, and walked to the train station to catch the Heathrow Express.

I could tell by the number of people on the streets as well as in Paddington Station that the strike was affecting the public. (If I haven't already, allow me to explain the strike. The tube workers are striking because the authority is wanting to install more electronic paying and charging machines and take out the teller machines in the underground. Because everyone in London has an Oyster Card, there is little need for the teller area's (according to the gov't), but the workers union is striking because the number of jobs will decrease dramatically if these new electronic machines are put in. That's what I understood of the situation in a nut shell.) Anyway, the station was packed with people trying to do their morning commute to work without the tubes. I was a little worried there would be no room on the train, but once we got to the platform, I realized there really wasn't that many people wanting to go to the airport. So we were fine for the first transport.

Once we reached the airport (only a 15 minute ride on the express), we made our way to the bus area, and waited for our bus to the airport hotel we have booked for the night. The bus came, and again there wasn't too many people, and the traffic wasn't too horrible. I didn't get on the wrong bus, and I didn't get off at the wrong station. It was shaping up to be a very nice day. Speaking of which, the weather for this entire trip has be outstanding! We not only had warm temperatures, but we only got slightly rained on twice the entire time, and that's saying something seeing as we are in some very rainy regions of Europe. We went into the hotel, got an early check in, put our belongings in our room, and went back out to wait for the same bus back to the terminals. You see, I had researched a route for us to take without the use of the tube to get to the Warner Bros Studio out in Watford. The best, and cheapest and fastest, route for us was to take a bus right from the airport. So we got back on the same bus, with the same bus driver, except this time without luggage, and headed back. From the terminal, we went back through the airport to the bus stop, and waited for our bus to arrive.

It was at this point that I was thinking we might actually be able to pull this off during the strike. But, of course, right away my relief was met with anxiety. The bus that we needed to catch, when it arrived, stated that it was out of service. Then, when the scheduled time of its arrival passed, I feared that the buses stopped for the afternoon and that we'd missed our chance. But then, 10 minutes late, our bus showed up. Relief once again. We sat through the 55 minute bus ride until we got to our stop in Watford, and then jumped off the bus and almost immediately got on a shuttle bus (that was completely decorated with Harry Potter scenes!) towards the studio.

Now because I have a long day of travel tomorrow and it's very late, I'll summarize the tour for you. IT WAS AMAZING! I got to try Butterbeer, which was everything I'd ever dreamed it would be and more (and it's only found one other place in the entire world). I got to see the actual sets, costumes, props and places that the series was filmed at. I could have spent hours there (which I did), but I mean hours more than I did. I know I'm a little nerdy for doing this, but I don't care! I bought several souvenirs, and took more pictures than I did the rest of the trip!

After we toured everywhere we could at the studio, we got back on the shuttle, back on the 55 minute bus ride, and then back on the other shuttle to the hotel. The nice thing about coming back to the hotel, they have Boddingtons! I have been looking for Boddingtons since I arrived in London, and it is just perfect that I found it on my last night here. It was a great way to end this vacation. I had a few pints and then decided that I should get some sleep before I fly for the entire day tomorrow. Back to reality I suppose, but there will of course be one last chapter about me coming home before I wrap this up permanently. Until then...

Chapter 12 Our own personal guide

Today was the day we were going to meet the man who was going to give us our own personal tour. We were waiting for him when he came into the hotel. He introduced himself and asked what we had done already in London. Right away we all could tell we were going to get along well.

We decided he would show us St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. So off we went to the tube station to get to our first destination. Mind you, we were heading out at 9 in the morning. We were hoping the rush hour commute would be over, but we caught the tail end of it. We were packed like sardines in the tube. I couldn’t believe they let that many in at one time. Our guides name was Peter and he was charming and very funny. He is not originally from London, turns out, he was born in Wales. As we were getting to the tube station, Peter told us that it is so weird how no one talks to anyone on the tube. He never could understand why and he is so full of energy and life, he always gets on and says Hi! He said everyone always looks at him like he’s lost his mind!

We got on the tube and talked the whole way between the three of us. We did get strange looks, but I agree with Peter, people should be nice and friendly. I guess I am opposite of the people in the big cities, I don’t trust those that can’t look you in the eye and say Hi! and the people in the cities don’t trust those that do look at you. Just another reason why I am probably not cut out for city life.

We got to our destination at St Paul’s Cathedral. I let Sam and Peter get to know each other better, as they may see each other again, and I most likely will not. They had the same sense of humor and got along famously. He took us all over the Cathedral and explained everything so well. He is very knowledgeable about London and its history. The Cathedral has a book of all the soldiers’ names from the USA that lost their lives in WW!!. They turn the page to a new one every day, so they could remember the soldiers that died saving their country.

This is also the Cathedral where Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married (I think, I’ve seen and learned so much that it all starts to run together and today I saw both Cathedral’s the royals use). This Cathedral has a dome and is much more colorful than most of their Cathedrals. It reminded me more of the Churches and Cathedrals of Italy.

We left that Cathedral and went for a walk along the river to the next destination. We crossed the Wobbly Bridge, so named because when it was first opened as the only pedestrian only bridge and the people started to cross it, it started wobbly so much, people fell off it. That was in the year 2000. They were going to name it the Millennium Bridge, but the Wobbly  Bridge stuck. Peter pointed out the theaters and showed Sam the hotel where the company uses.

We stopped for coffee and a chat and then continued on. The walk was beautiful and it was nice to have someone with us that could explain everything to us. We saw the Eye again and Big Ben and the Westminster Abbey. We just looked at the outside and did not go in. Peter was very knowledgeable in this as well.

He took us to our bus stop where we bid farewell to him and got on one of the double Decker buses. I sat in the top, just because I thought it would be cool. We got off at our stop and ate lunch at The Crypt. It’s kind of creepy how the English like to build café’s in the crypts. After lunch we went to Harrods of London. This is a very posh store. But it was fun to look in there. The whole neighborhood by it is very posh (ritzy and expensive).

After Harrods we decided to go to the V and A museum (Victoria and Albert). Inside we looked at the exhibits for awhile. There were a lot of marble statues from Italy and I really enjoyed that. We were trying to get everything done, as the strike was due to begin tonight and we wanted to get to our area before then.

We were pretty much tired and headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We went souvenir shopping and then came back and dropped everything off. We had to be selective as we don’t want to go over in weight for our luggage.

We went looking for a free house for Sam’s particular beer that we haven’t found yet. We tried one were told that we would only find it on the other side of the river, so we said we would just stay there and eat and had several pints of other local beers.

Tomorrow we will attempt to take the Express train to the airport and catch a shuttle bus to our next hotel. The strike is going to cause massive disruption and we have no idea how hard it will be to make this journey. We have tickets to go see The Harry Potter Studio, and this is going to be a long day spent on the transportation system of London. Wish us luck!

Chapter 12 - Another Country, Another Strike

I'm beginning to find patterns in my days abroad. I wake up every morning (thank goodness), and my mother jumps in the shower first. After she is finished, I shower and get ready. We go downstairs to breakfast, I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast (the hotels usually have the same thing they offer), and I drink a few cups of coffee. Then, when we're finished, we come back up to our room, get ready for the days events (planning, dressing for the occasions, what camera to bring, etc), and then head out the door for the tube. It has been the same every morning since we've left pretty much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I am a creature of habit, you see, and I think it makes me feel more comfortable to have these repetitions while I travel. Tomorrow, however, that is going to change. I will get to that in a bit, but first let me explain what we did today.

A quick side note: I have noticed a few things about this blog. 1) I have been typing less and less every night, and it seems that my mother is typing more and more. I am very excited to get back home and read her opinion and thoughts about our vacation. I just think that she must be putting a lot more detail into her chapters, and I think she must be doing a better job than me. 2) The format of the website has changed since my last blog, and with the new format it is possible to see how many views we've had. Now I want to say first and foremost that I am doing this blog for myself more than anything, so I can look back on this vacation whenever I want and remember everything about it. Having said that, it is amazing to see we've had almost 700 views since we left. I want to thank everyone for reading, I know you don't have to and it takes time out of your days, but it's nice to know your out there. Now having said that, I've also noticed (because it breaks it down by views per day) that our number of views each day has been dropping. I hope we're not boring anyone... are you still out there reading about our great adventures?

Anyway, I digress, so after our usual morning routine, we went down to the lobby to meet our guide for the morning. My work has utilized a guide here in London, Peter, for several years now, and because it would help me in my job, they had asked him to show my mother and I around for the morning (I know... my job is INCREDIBLY difficult). He was right on time, and he was fantastic. I know I say that about everything here, but it's always true. He was funny, witty, and extremely knowledgeable. He took us on an extremely fast tour of some major attractions here in London, explained them all in extensive detail, and all while making us laugh. He was a truly amazing guide and I can see why we continue to work with him.

He took us first to old London, explaining in detail that London used to only be 1 square mile just off of the Thames River, where the shale started. They couldn't lay foundation in medieval times, so they started the city of London on the river after the mud stopped and the shale started. From there, London expanded westward, which is why the further west your travel in London, the more modern the buildings become. So, we started off in old London at St Paul's Cathedral. He explained a great deal about the history of the cathedral, and took us inside and showed us the main areas. From there we crossed the 'Wobbly Bridge', which is the only bridge across the river that does not allow motorized vehicles. It's called the Wobbly Bridge because when it was built, it was so unstable it wobbled and many people were catapulted off of it before the city refortified it making it more sturdy.

From there we walked up the river and stopped off for some coffee. We continued onward until we reached Westminster Bridge, Peter pointing out different buildings and areas of London, explaining more history and architecture along the way. We then went over to Westminster Abby, where we were given a tour of the grounds and the outside of the building. Peter then led us to the bus stop and showed us the proper bus to get on to get to Trafalgar Square, we said our goodbyes and then went our separate ways. (I rode a city bus! A big red one! And we sat on the 2nd floor! And we didn't get lost or get off at the wrong stop! It makes me feel a little more comfortable for tomorrow, but I'll get to that in a moment.)

Once back in Trafalgar Square, my mother and I walked over to The Crypt. It is a cafe in the Church Saint Martin-in-the-Fields. It is located in an actual crypt and the tables and chairs are situated on centuries old tombstones. It was good food and not too expensive (which I finding in London is not that easy to come by). We finished eating and then made our way back to the tube station in the area and went to Harrods, a shopping complex and place to get High Tea while in London. Now, I didn't really know what to expect when going to Harrods, but I'm glad I went there. It is a little to ritzy for me in terms of shopping (we're talking Sacks 5th Ave types of shops) but it has great tea, and a nice dining area on the upper floor with a decent view.

From Harrods, we made our way down the street to the Victoria & Albert Museum. This museum is another that I think is on par with the British Museum. It is free of charge, and full of ancient artifacts from all over the world. They have changing exhibits that you can visit for a small fee, but the majority of the museum (ancient Rome, The Renaissance, ancient Asia, etc) is free and fascinating. After we looked around the museum a while we decided to head back to our hotel a little earlier than normal, due to the impending strike about to take place.

We decided it'd be best to get our train tickets for the airport today so they didn't sell out before tomorrow. The tube station by our hotel just happens to also be a train station which we were told would not also be affected by the strike, that it would just be the tubes. Well, when we went to buy our tickets, the train station (which charges 1/2 the price) told us they would not be operating tomorrow either, and that we would have to take the Heathrow Express (which is faster but more expensive). So we left that area, went to the Heathrow Express line, and asked the clerk for 2 tickets for tomorrow morning, to which she replied 'we are operating limited hours tomorrow due to the strike so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get there'. When we asked what hours are they operating, she said she had no idea! Perfect, just wonderful, the only good thing is that we don't have to be at the airport tomorrow, we're just going because we had DJ re-book our last night at a hotel closer to the airport due to the strikes. But now, it looks like we may miss an entire day of touring because of this mess. And for those of you that read my Chilean blog you'll recall they were all in strike when I was there also (I hope I'm not the start of all these riots!).

Then to make things a little more complicated, my mother and I have tickets tomorrow at 2:30 for the Warner Bros Studio Tour of the making of Harry Potter. So we have several buses to take now (because the tubes won't be operating) and the traffic is going to be horrible, and the train to get us to the airport (which will get us to the hotel to check in and which will get us to the bus to Warner Bros) doesn't have a certain time they are operating! Tomorrow is going to be interesting to say the least. We better not miss the tour because I've already paid for the tickets, and the Harry Potter tour is one of the things I was looking forward to the most (and I know this goes without saying, but I don't care if you think I'm weird or childish for wanting to tour Harry Potter Studios... Harry Potter is amazing!).

In order to prepare as much as possible, we bought all our last minute souvenirs tonight, and went to one last pub just in case. Now, even if it takes us all day tomorrow, at least we're ready to go. It is sad for me to think these grand adventures are coming to a close so quickly; it feels like yesterday I was planning this whole vacation. Well, we still have one more day, which will be an adventure in and of itself, and then the flights home (and airports are always an adventure). So, until then...

Chapter 11 Tower stairs and my aching feet

We got this morning and got ready to go on a private tour. We didn’t know what to expect and Sam wanted to check his email this morning and make sure nothing had changed. That’s when he noticed the day that the tour is supposed to take place, the 28^th. You have to understand, we have been traveling for many days and we lose track of the days. I heard Sam say, “Oh no!” I asked why, and he said that, and he said it is the 27^th today. I couldn’t figure out why that was bad. Then he explained that the tour is for the 28^th! So we got up and got ready for nothing! Oh well, if that is the worst thing that happens on this trip, then life is good!

Since we really didn’t have anything planned for the day, we quickly decided that we should go to the Tower of London today. Since the tube was working for the day and the Tower was a long ways from this hotel, we decided it was the perfect day to go see it. We got on the tube, which even though I can be claustrophobic and it is several hundred feet or more underground, I think it a rather ingenious method of transportation. We are pretty sure today I was standing right next to one of the main actors from Wicked on the first route we took this morning.

We had to switch routes to get to where we were going and on the last stretch saw that the route was going to end early, due to construction in that section of the tube. So we decided we would walk the rest of the way. We both really like to walk, and you see so much more, but we really didn’t realize the length of the walk. We are pretty sure it ended up being farther than we planned, due to all the detours we had to take because of construction.

We got to the Tower and got our tickets. I did not realize how big the place was. I heard Tower, as in singular, and it is so much more than a singular tower. I did not study up on any of this because I really liked to be surprised. I was pleasantly surprised. Every corner you turned, there was more to see. My poor feet were getting very sore and tired at that point. In fact, if I don’t see another curved staircase going up a tower again for a long time, I would be happy. Even my legs were starting to protest. But it was such a learning experience for me. I saw the Royal Crown Jewels. The largest cut diamond was in there and so many other precious gems. It is mind boggling to know that that was real and not fake. All the gold and gems in those crowns must make them very heavy to wear! It was amazing! We also saw a film of the Queen being crowned. That was cool.

We went through all the towers, including the White Tower where two Princes were murdered. We saw graffiti from hundreds of years ago. Who knew tagging isn’t a modern thing? It was fascinating to read about that. Prisoners in the towers left their marks on those castle walls.

We did see the Guards up closer, but I left them alone due to all the signs asking us to respect  them as they did their duties, and the fact that Sam forbid me from trying to make them smile. He is much more of a rule follower than I am. I am much more of a rebel!

After we went through all we could and my feet and legs were ready to divorce me, we decided to walk over the Tower Bridge. I know, more walking, right? But it was something I needed to do. We did opt to not do the tour of this, as both of us were starving and both our feet hurt. We found a pub across the Bridge and had lunch. After lunch, we found the nearest tube and headed to the British Museum.

We got to the Museum a little late, and knew we weren’t going to have long to see it. My first stop was the ladies loo. Why do people design buildings without thinking of how many women will be going in there?  It is a museum; did they not think women would ever go in there? The line for the loo was so long, I couldn’t even see the actual loo from my position. So if any of you reading this ever design a building, please make sure that you remember the women and put in more bathrooms!

We saw the Egyptian, Greece, and other ancient exhibits. We only had about 45 minutes until closing, so we really went thorough very fast. That and the fact our brains are so full of all the other history we have been reading about and seeing, we really just enjoyed at looking at the things, not reading about all of them. I would highly recommend going to this museum on a day you have lots of time.

We then came back to the hotel and have relaxed a little. Our feet are thanking us for that. Tomorrow we will hopefully get that tour. I can’t wait fChapter 11 Tower stairs and my aching feet.

We got this morning and got ready to go on a private tour. We didn’t know what to expect and Sam wanted to check his email this morning and make sure nothing had changed. That’s when he noticed the day that the tour is supposed to take place, the 28^th. You have to understand, we have been traveling for many days and we lose track of the days. I heard Sam say, “Oh no!” I asked why, and he said that, and he said it is the 27^th today. I couldn’t figure out why that was bad. Then he explained that the tour is for the 28^th! So we got up and got ready for nothing! Oh well, if that is the worst thing that happens on this trip, then life is good!

Since we really didn’t have anything planned for the day, we quickly decided that we should go to the Tower of London today. Since the tube was working for the day and the Tower was a long ways from this hotel, we decided it was the perfect day to go see it. We got on the tube, which even though I can be claustrophobic and it is several hundred feet or more underground, I think it a rather ingenious method of transportation. We are pretty sure today I was standing right next to one of the main actors from Wicked on the first route we took this morning.

We had to switch routes to get to where we were going and on the last stretch saw that the route was going to end early, due to construction in that section of the tube. So we decided we would walk the rest of the way. We both really like to walk, and you see so much more, but we really didn’t realize the length of the walk. We are pretty sure it ended up being farther than we planned, due to all the detours we had to take because of construction.

We got to the Tower and got our tickets. I did not realize how big the place was. I heard Tower, as in singular, and it is so much more than a singular tower. I did not study up on any of this because I really liked to be surprised. I was pleasantly surprised. Every corner you turned, there was more to see. My poor feet were getting very sore and tired at that point. In fact, if I don’t see another curved staircase going up a tower again for a long time, I would be happy. Even my legs were starting to protest. But it was such a learning experience for me. I saw the Royal Crown Jewels. The largest cut diamond was in there and so many other precious gems. It is mind boggling to know that that was real and not fake. All the gold and gems in those crowns must make them very heavy to wear! It was amazing! We also saw a film of the Queen being crowned. That was cool.

We went through all the towers, including the White Tower where two Princes were murdered. We saw graffiti from hundreds of years ago. Who knew tagging isn’t a modern thing? It was fascinating to read about that. Prisoners in the towers left their marks on those castle walls.

We did see the Guards up closer, but I left them alone due to all the signs asking us to respect  them as they did their duties, and the fact that Sam forbid me from trying to make them smile. He is much more of a rule follower than I am. I am much more of a rebel!

After we went through all we could and my feet and legs were ready to divorce me, we decided to walk over the Tower Bridge. I know, more walking, right? But it was something I needed to do. We did opt to not do the tour of this, as both of us were starving and both our feet hurt. We found a pub across the Bridge and had lunch. After lunch, we found the nearest tube and headed to the British Museum.

We got to the Museum a little late, and knew we weren’t going to have long to see it. My first stop was the ladies loo. Why do people design buildings without thinking of how many women will be going in there?  It is a museum; did they not think women would ever go in there? The line for the loo was so long, I couldn’t even see the actual loo from my position. So if any of you reading this ever design a building, please make sure that you remember the women and put in more bathrooms!

We saw the Egyptian, Greece, and other ancient exhibits. We only had about 45 minutes until closing, so we really went thorough very fast. That and the fact our brains are so full of all the other history we have been reading about and seeing, we really just enjoyed at looking at the things, not reading about all of them. I would highly recommend going to this museum on a day you have lots of time.

We then came back to the hotel and have relaxed a little. Our feet are thanking us for that. Tomorrow we will hopefully get that tour. I can’t wait fChapter 11 Tower stairs and my aching feet.

We got this morning and got ready to go on a private tour. We didn’t know what to expect and Sam wanted to check his email this morning and make sure nothing had changed. That’s when he noticed the day that the tour is supposed to take place, the 28^th. You have to understand, we have been traveling for many days and we lose track of the days. I heard Sam say, “Oh no!” I asked why, and he said that, and he said it is the 27^th today. I couldn’t figure out why that was bad. Then he explained that the tour is for the 28^th! So we got up and got ready for nothing! Oh well, if that is the worst thing that happens on this trip, then life is good!

Since we really didn’t have anything planned for the day, we quickly decided that we should go to the Tower of London today. Since the tube was working for the day and the Tower was a long ways from this hotel, we decided it was the perfect day to go see it. We got on the tube, which even though I can be claustrophobic and it is several hundred feet or more underground, I think it a rather ingenious method of transportation. We are pretty sure today I was standing right next to one of the main actors from Wicked on the first route we took this morning.

We had to switch routes to get to where we were going and on the last stretch saw that the route was going to end early, due to construction in that section of the tube. So we decided we would walk the rest of the way. We both really like to walk, and you see so much more, but we really didn’t realize the length of the walk. We are pretty sure it ended up being farther than we planned, due to all the detours we had to take because of construction.

We got to the Tower and got our tickets. I did not realize how big the place was. I heard Tower, as in singular, and it is so much more than a singular tower. I did not study up on any of this because I really liked to be surprised. I was pleasantly surprised. Every corner you turned, there was more to see. My poor feet were getting very sore and tired at that point. In fact, if I don’t see another curved staircase going up a tower again for a long time, I would be happy. Even my legs were starting to protest. But it was such a learning experience for me. I saw the Royal Crown Jewels. The largest cut diamond was in there and so many other precious gems. It is mind boggling to know that that was real and not fake. All the gold and gems in those crowns must make them very heavy to wear! It was amazing! We also saw a film of the Queen being crowned. That was cool.

We went through all the towers, including the White Tower where two Princes were murdered. We saw graffiti from hundreds of years ago. Who knew tagging isn’t a modern thing? It was fascinating to read about that. Prisoners in the towers left their marks on those castle walls.

We did see the Guards up closer, but I left them alone due to all the signs asking us to respect  them as they did their duties, and the fact that Sam forbid me from trying to make them smile. He is much more of a rule follower than I am. I am much more of a rebel!

After we went through all we could and my feet and legs were ready to divorce me, we decided to walk over the Tower Bridge. I know, more walking, right? But it was something I needed to do. We did opt to not do the tour of this, as both of us were starving and both our feet hurt. We found a pub across the Bridge and had lunch. After lunch, we found the nearest tube and headed to the British Museum.

We got to the Museum a little late, and knew we weren’t going to have long to see it. My first stop was the ladies loo. Why do people design buildings without thinking of how many women will be going in there?  It is a museum; did they not think women would ever go in there? The line for the loo was so long, I couldn’t even see the actual loo from my position. So if any of you reading this ever design a building, please make sure that you remember the women and put in more bathrooms!

We saw the Egyptian, Greece, and other ancient exhibits. We only had about 45 minutes until closing, so we really went thorough very fast. That and the fact our brains are so full of all the other history we have been reading about and seeing, we really just enjoyed at looking at the things, not reading about all of them. I would highly recommend going to this museum on a day you have lots of time.

We then came back to the hotel and have relaxed a little. Our feet are thanking us for that. Tomorrow we will hopefully get that tour. I can’t wait for the next adventure!

Chapter 11 - Ancient London

Another day down and only a few more to go. I have to amend something I wrote yesterday, I had thought I was meeting a guide this morning, but in actual fact he is meeting my mother and me tomorrow. I have been on the go so much that I seem to have lost track of the days. I guess its beginning to be like that old movie, 'If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'. Well, at any rate, I'm glad that I checked my e-mail and realized that I had the wrong date before I went down to the lobby and wasted half the morning waiting for someone that wasn't even coming!

So I had to sort of improvise today's itinerary. I decided to start the day with the Tower of London. The only problem was the Tube. I had a route selected and we made our way through the stations, only to find that the stations were closed where we needed to go. So improvising we decided to walk. It took us about an hour (because it was a little further than I thought) but we finally made it. It was well worth the walk. The Tower of London is quite impressive. There is so much to see and do there, that there is no way anyone could see everything in 1 day. So we put on our running shoes and got to work. We saw the Crown Jewels, the ravens, the White Tower, and walked through several other towers. There were many exhibits and many shops, and at the end of everything (about 2 hours) we were feeling pretty drained.

We walked across the Tower Bridge, and ate lunch at a small pub (I had sausages and mash for the first time). Afterwards, because we were now on the other side of the Thames River, we took the subway to the British Museum (there were 3 or 4 connections on the route but we handled them like champs!).

The British Museum is another attraction that could take weeks to tour the entire thing. Even though we were drained (which seems to be happening more and earlier the later into this adventure we get) we got to work. We basically sprinted through the rooms while absorbing as much as possible. We were there for about an hour, saw the mummies and the ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman exhibits. It was incredible, and a lot bigger than I ever expected. Hopefully I'll be able to get back and give it the time it deserves someday.

For the evening I've just been trying to prepare us for the impending strike. It is going to be very interesting for us to get around without the tube. I'm not looking forward to it. Well, I'm tired and tomorrow is another day, the day I actually thought we were going to have today. A tour of London awaits in the morning. Until then...

Chapter 10 We found Sam’s London

Last night I asked Sam if London was what he expected. He said it wasn’t the London he expected and that we needed to go looking for it. So today, we set out to find Sam’s London.

We had slept in a little this morning. I’m trying really hard to keep up with someone almost half my age, and he is doing well to try to slow down a little for me. I’m normally a fast walker, but he is a good foot taller than me, so it isn’t easy. That and I really like to look around at all the new sights and that is hard to do while I’m trying to keep up with Sam.

The first thing we did today was master “The Tube” system. There is reported to be a strike going to happen with the underground system while we are here. It seems that the government here has decided it would be better to only have automated ticket sales and no human ticket salesman in the stations. I certainly don’t agree with this, as today we used the human over the confusing automated system. If they do go on strike, it is going to cause massive disruptions in the commuters. Thousands of people use the underground daily, an all these people will have to use other forms of transportation. That leaves us tourists in kind of a tricky situation. I chose to look at it as maybe witnessing some history. I am always up for a new adventure. However, we will have to change hotels during this strike, and you all heard how much Sam loves my closet sized suitcase! Lol

Well, we got our tickets and hopped on the tube going to wear we want to go. I must say, it is a very easy transportation system to use. We figured it out in a short time and got to the place we wanted to. Charring Cross was our first stop and we went to Trafalgar Square. We walked around here and went in the National Gallery and looked at the paintings. Right before we went in, there is a huge blue chicken. This is as big as the other statues of lions and other famous people. I had to know what it stood for and why it was blue. We made our way over there to read the plaque. I’m trying to come up with what the chicken could stand for. Some kind of Calvary group in some war? Food that save the soldiers and blue for the royal family? We got there and I read the plaque. Talk about major let down. It stood for absolutely nothing. It was just art commissioned by the government. I told Sam that we had to go look at the paintings so I could have my faith in art restored again. So we went in and checked some out. We didn’t stay long, as this is the city Sam was looking for and he just found the London he was looking for, and it wasn’t in that building.

After that Sam just wanted to start walking and see what he could find. So we started walking. Sam is not into taking photos, and I had left one camera back at our hotel and my other one was getting low on battery life. My phone camera is being finicky. I sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. So though we saw tons of cool things, we didn’t take many photos. We happened to come across the Horse guards Parade. It happened to be at the time of the changing of the horse guard. That was awesome to watch and those horses are beautiful. Sam told me that if I touched them at all, I could be arrested. I decided I really didn’t want to test this out and meet a London cop up close and personal under those circumstances.

We then walked down to the river Thames (pronounced Tems, according to Sam). We could see the London Eye and we decided we would go on it today. For those of you that don’t know me, I am terrified of heights and really don’t like Ferris wheels. I was assured by some friends that this one was worth it and not scary like the others. We had to pass through a fair to get there. We saw a cute merry go round. It had a sign on it that told about the origin of the Ferris wheel. Apparently they were used to train the troops on and that America’s goes the opposite direction than the traditional ones. Interesting information.

We stood in line to buy the tickets. The lines were long, but moved quickly. Then we got in line for the Eye. Again long, but moves quickly due to the fact many people get in the car, and it doesn’t stop for people to get in and out.  Yes, you heard me; you get in and off while it is moving. Granted it goes slowly, it is still a little scary to get on and off a moving object. I managed to get on and even stand up and look around the city. We found Big Ben, The Parliament Building and Buckingham Palace from up there. I was so proud of myself. I walked all around the car and looked out. Sam wanted me to lean up against the glass, but I really didn’t like to do that. After we went around, I got off without any mishaps, and we headed off to the buildings we had seen. We heard Big Ben up close and personal and walked through St James Park to Buckingham Palace. It had beautiful tulips in the front, but the gates we closed to the palace and we could barely see the guard. I had wanted to try to make them smile, but at that distance, it wasn’t going to happen. Sam said that when the Queen is in residence, the gates are closed, so I choose to believe she was in there somewhere.

After that we needed to head back to the hotel to get ready for the Broadway show Wicked we were going to attend that evening. We dressed up nice and headed to the tube again. We got to the right station and found a place to eat. It was a very popular place and was very busy. We both tried several different beers and I even tried a pear cider. That was very good. We ate some pub food and on our last beer, one of the bar tenders came up and asked me if I would like to try some black current syrup in mine. I said yes and went and got some. It gave the beer a different taste and I decided I liked it. He came back and asked me several times if I liked it and I assured him I did. Sam decided I needed to find a London man so he would have someone here to stay with when he came back, but I told him that it gave a whole new term to long distance relationship and I wasn’t interested in anyone there anyhow.  We finished our food and beers and headed to the theater.

Being from Montana, I haven’t really been to many Broadway shows. I like good theater and really like musicals. Wicked was reported to be one of the best ones. Sam has seen it a couple of times and when he saw most of the cast was new at it, he was a little worried. But after the opening act, we both sat back and totally enjoyed it. He said some of these actors were better or as good as the ones he had seen. I have to admit, I really enjoyed it. I will buy the soundtrack to it. It was amazing watching it from the 3rd row. We also looked at the orchestra at the end. I hope to be able to attend some more shows sometime in the future.

After the show, we came back and wrote our blog. Tomorrow morning we are getting a private tour from the man who Sam’s company uses when they come to London. I have no idea where he will take us, but I will enjoy every moment of it. 

Chapter 10 - So if you care to find me... look towards the, well, eastern sky

Note to the Readers: Pictures may be late in coming, unfortunately the internet is incredibly slow and they take forever to upload, and seeing as we lose sleep to write and upkeep this blog, I've decided I don't want to lose THAT much sleep for the pictures. We'll upload them when we can... and thanks for your patience and understanding.

Today was amazing. No really, it was wickedly amazing! We started the day with an included breakfast at our hotel. Afterwards, we got ready for the day and disembarked on yet another adventure. Today's goal, master the London Underground, or the tube as they call it.

We are only a block from the Paddington Station Underground, so we made our way towards that. Once we got into the underground we had to get our tickets. It was a little bit of a chore, we stood in line at the kiosks and then, after about 10 minutes of waiting in line, and even less time spent trying to find out which ticket was the right ticket for us, we moved to a different line with a live person at the end. We got to the front and decided that we should get the 7 day pass for zones 1 and 2. Even though it sounds as if this underground strike is going to happen (which really puts a damper on London travel for us), our passes still work for the bus systems. Now if this strike happens, and we have to end up taking the bus, I hope beyond all hope that I won't have any chapters similar to my bus stories from south america. Some of you may already know, and for those of you that don't, check out my other blog for a good laugh.

Anyway, we got our passes and proceeded through the entrance and down to the tube. It was incredibly fast, efficient, relatively cheap, and extremely easy to use. Seriously, if anyone is looking to visit London, and you should really consider it, take the tube. If they aren't on strike it is the fastest way to get around London. Granted you don't see as much as you would if you had taken the bus, or walked, but you save valuable time for more sight seeing. Just remember to 'mind the gap'.

Our first stop today was Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. It is free admission (just remember to donate a little something to help maintain and upkeep their buildings!), so we walked into the Gallery and meandered through the rooms, looking at some very impressive 14-19th century artwork. After a little time, we decided to get out and walk. We walked up to Piccadilly Circus area, perused the shops and restaurants, people watched a little bit, and continued our walk. We made to an area where it looked like a movie was being filmed, then we walked across a square and made it to the Horse Guard Parade, just in time to see the changing of the horse guards. It was something else.

From there we made our way towards the Thames River (pronounced Tems). We got our first look at the London Eye, the Parliament Building and Big Ben's Clock! We decided we wanted to do the Eye first, perhaps get our bearings on this massive city. Now for those of you who don't know, there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of people that have done, are doing, and will do the London Eye. There is a building across from the Eye, that is where you get in a line (about 35 minutes or so) and purchase your ticket, just to go back across the street and get in the same line you just were in to get on the Eye! It seemed really odd to me to do it that way, but what do I really know about lines (well except that I seem to be in one a lot of the time). The long wait was well worth it. The views from the Eye are amazing, and the London Skyline is quite enormous. The rotation lasts about 30 minutes or so and from there we continued on towards Big Ben and the Parliament building. We didn't stop for too long, instead we made our way towards Buckingham Palace. We were to late for the changing of the guard (it's at 11:30 am or so) but we saw the queen's guards and the royal palace. Honestly (and don't tell the queen I said this), it wasn't SUPER impressive. It really was like seeing the white house for the first time. I just remember thinking, 'that is the White House?!? It's TINY'. And now I've gone and not only offending the Queen of England, but the President of the United States, if either of you are reading this, I'm sure the insides of your building are much more luxurious and full of history, and if you'd like to extend an invitation to either one, I'd be more than happy to change my opinion.

From Buckingham Palace, we went back to the Hotel to get dressed up for our evening. We got ready, got back on the underground, and went to Victoria Station. We went to a good ole pub for dinner and tried several different local brews, and then took off down the street to get ready for the main event of the evening. WICKED! I got my mother and I 3 row seats, center stage, tickets for Broadway's Wicked tonight. I've seen it a few times already, but never that close to the stage. It was, like all broadway shows I've seen so far, incredible. I was awe struck throughout the show. After that we came back to the hotel, and now I must get ready for bed. It's already almost midnight and my mother has to still write her chapter for the night. We have an early-ish start tomorrow, we're going on a tour of London, with a Londoner. Until then...

Chapter 9 our last country

Today was our last day in Wales. I can honestly say that I will miss Wales. The country is truly a beautiful place rich in history and culture. Maybe it was just the amazing tour guide we had, or maybe it is just a magical place. I will definitely want to return to the area and explore it some more.

We know we have many pictures of castles on our blog. I don’t think you can honestly appreciate the castles without being there. They are magical places where you can almost see the guards marching the parameter and the ladies of the court sitting in their chambers. These castles are so massive that just looking at them from a distance takes your breath away. We saw a few more on our train ride to London and wished we could explore those as well.

Today, we really didn’t explore the castles. We learned more about the real people of Wales. We started the day off with a tour of a slate mine. The slate from Wales was and still is considered the best in the world. This particular mine was where they slate came for the dais and the bench and chair used by the Queen Elizabeth when she crowned Charles the Prince of Wales. It was the last job the workers of the mine did. After that, the mine just closed down. The mine just didn’t have any more jobs to do and technology seemed to make the slate less needed. The workers just left everything and closed the mine down. Today it is a museum used to educate others about the mines. The mountain has a huge chunk out of it, the quarry has filled with water, and the buildings are now silent where their used to be the sound of workers performing all the tasks needed to run the mine. This mine was totally self sufficient. They made everything needed, from the buildings out of slate to the windows, the wheels for the railroad cars, and the tools to work on everything. It was all run by a huge water wheel and pulley system. There were mills to cut the trees to make the railroad ties and anything else made out of wood, there were blacksmiths to create any metal needed, there was even a hospital that had the capability to take X rays. This was one of the first in all of Europe to have this capability and it was all for the miners of the slate.

After the slate museum we drove through the Snowdonian Mountains on another path. On the way we stopped and had coffee at a little house known as the Ugly House. It was reputed to be made and had smoke coming out of the chimney in 24 hours. It was said that if you could do this task, the land would be yours, much like our homesteaders in America.

We then went and saw the Swallow waterfalls. They were beautiful, even though they weren’t at their fullest, due to the lack of rain recently.

After that we went to a working wool mill. We learned how they take the wool and turn it into beautiful creations. This particular mill still uses the Celtic patterns and you can only get this pattern from this mill. It was cool to see how the looms worked, and how the spindles created on ply and more. The entire mill also used water to operate, but used hydropower, not a water wheel. The colors used have changed throughout the times and they had a little garden to show what plants made the colors of yesteryear.

From there, we had to catch our train to London. Our guide took us to the train station and made sure we knew what terminal to use. My luggage was our biggest problem. Seems my closet sized suitcase is not easy to fit in the luggage carts! We had to switch trains on the way and that train had some sort of technical difficulties. It even stopped in the middle of nowhere for awhile. It managed to get us here after another stop at another station to repair whatever the problem was. We where about a half hour late getting here to London, but for us it was ok.

When we got here we had to figure out how to get to our hotel. I actually flagged sown my first taxi! Being from Montana, we really don’t have taxis just driving around. You have to call them, in Belgrade. I stuck up my arm and like magic, a taxi stops. He gave us a ride to our hotel and we checked in. I thing the universe wanted to punish me some more, so our room was on the top floor and the lift was broken, so I had to haul my suitcase up all the stairs. Well, I got it half way and Sam got it the other half.

After that we walked around a little bit, but it was dark, so we found a place to eat and came back here. This is Sam’s favorite place, so I will let him have the fun here. Good night all!

Chapter 9 – London Baby

Well I’ll have to keep this one a bit short as I’m very tired. We’ve made it to London! I’ll get to that in a moment, first is our last day in Wales.

For the last day, Irene took my mother and me up the mountainside in Snowdonia to a living slate museum. We got to learn about Welsh Slate (some of the best slate in the world), how they mined it, where they mined it, and what they did with it after it was mined. It was a beautiful area and the cliff full of giant slate slabs was incredible.

Afterwards, we went to Wales’ Ugly House. Its story was rather unique. Apparently in Wales, a few century ago, if you could build a house in 24 hours and have smoke coming out the chimney you could keep the land you built it on. This house, which wasn’t really that ugly, was one of such legend. If it is true, it’s impressive to look at the house and the huge stones that were used to make it and know it was possible to make in 24 hours without today’s modern advances in technology. There was a café in the house and a nice garden out back, and a bee farm on the premises.

From here we continued on to some waterfalls, a town called Betws Y Coed, and then toured a Welsh Woolen Mill. It was fun watching the process of making sheep’s wool into all different kinds of products; from gloves, to pillow covers, to boots, to scarves. Irene then dropped us off at the station and made sure we made our train safely.

The train ride to London was very nice. On the first connection we followed the beach with views of the sea on one side and with Welsh countrysides and old castle ruins on the other. We had a tight connection in Chester for our other train, but we made it with plenty of time to spare. Once we got on our other train, I’ll admit I was a little crabby. For the first time, my mother’s suitcase, which is the size of a small home (you seriously could fit a family of 5 and all their belongings in this suitcase) wouldn’t fit in any of the luggage areas. The train was too full and her case was too big! So we (meaning me) had to carry her case down four car lengths until we finally found a place where her bag sort of fit. I say ‘meaning me’ because I have to haul her bag around because it is bigger than she is! Anyway, that is my bit of complaints for the trip so far, so really no complaints!

Our train had a few complications, we were delayed on the tracks in the middle of the English countryside for about 20 minutes (so at least we had a great view!) and then we were charging full steam ahead into London.

Once we made it into London, it was a bit tricky getting to the hotel. My mother finally hailed a cab, we got in and a few minutes later we were here! It’s a weird sort of feeling, getting to do something you’ve wanted to do since you were a child. London is A LOT different than I’d pictured, and it was very cloudy and dark, but we checked into the hotel and went exploring anyway! (Funny side note: the lift at the hotel was broken when we arrived and we, of course, are on the top (4^th) floor, so guess who had to haul that giant, elephant sized suitcase up the stairs… OK she got it halfway up, but then it was too much so I brought it the rest of the way.) After we got everything situated in our room, we went exploring. The streets of London are gloriously and hopelessly confusing. I was able to find the main road that would lead us to the British Museum. And I was able to find Paddington Station and Hyde Park, and then able to make it back to the hotel, so it wasn’t all bad! It just may take me a while to get my bearings in this city.

Tomorrow we will use the tube as our main transportation, after that I believe it will be on strike for the remainder of our stay. That may complicate things a bit, because I’ll have to learn the bus schedules/routes, and then get us to the airport hotel we have booked for the last night, with that giant suitcase, all while using the bus! That’s something I’ll worry about when the time comes, for now I’m just going to enjoy this city. Tomorrow we have tickets to Wicked and we’re going to take the tube for the first time! Wish us luck! After that it sounds as though we have  a guided tour of London on Sunday! Until then…

Pictures from all chapters 6-8... Part 2

 The view from our B&B in Beaumaris.

 The view during the day from our B&B in Beaumaris.

 The outside of our B&B.

 Fun facts on Conwy Castle.

 If you want to learn some Welsh.

 The wall of Conwy Castle, it encompasses the majority of the town and you can walk along the entire thing. It has over 20 towers.

 Typical Welsh Village. (Conwy)

 Conwy Castle from the distance.

 On the steam engine.

 On the steam engine.

 Meeting the driver of our steam engine.

 Criccieth Castle.

 The dais where the Prince of Wales was introduced to the crown in 1969 (made from Welsh Slate). (Ignore the date, please.)

 View of Caernarfon from the Castle. (Ignore the date, please.)

 The first day of our Welsh Dragon tour with Rob and Irene. (Ignore the date, please.)

 A monument made in memory of Gelert of Beddgelert. (Ignore the date, please.)

 What the castle in Criccieth was thought to have looked like. (Ignore the date, please.)

 Criccieth Castle today. (Ignore the date, please.)

 Sitting on the ruins of Criccieth Castle with the sea and town in the background. (Ignore the date, please.)

 Sparrow Falls near Bewts Y Coed. (Ignore the date, please.)

In front of the lower part of the falls. (Ignore the date, please.)

Pictures from all chapters 6-8... Part 1

 View of Conwy from the Castle Wall.

 Gelert's Grave.

 Our B&B Hostess, Gill. (Pronounced Jill)

 Among the ruins of Conwy Castle.

 The Guard Tower in Conwy Castle.

 What the walkways looked like from many of the castles along the upper floors. (Beaumaris Castle)

 From the Eagle Tower in Caernarfon Castle.

 Typical Welsh Countryside.

 Wales' very own Stonehenge, burial site.

 Walkway to get to burial site. The hedges are used to keep sheep in, as well as stone walls and fences.

 First view of Caernarfon Castle from the kings gate.

 Inside of Beaumaris Castle. Looking from upper walkways.

 Castle Beaumaris' moat, the only castle in Wales with a moat!

Entrance to Castle Beaumaris.

 A typical Welsh Beer (Great Welsh).

 Caernarfon Castle lit up at night.

 Irene explaining the ruins of Castle Criccieth.

Another typical Welsh Beer (Celtica)

Chapter 8 Castles to Italian Villages

Today was a day that showed me that Wales is truly a hidden jewel of Europe. It seems that Wales has it all. I could easily see myself retiring in some of the towns we visited today. It has the mountains and the beaches here. The people are so nice and there is so much to see and do here.

Today we were picked up at 9 after our home cooked breakfast. We checked out of that B & B as we were moving to an 18^th century inn, called The Black Boy Inn. The Black Boy was a slave that gained his freedom and then donated a huge portion of his earnings back to the poor. He became a hero to the Welsh people. The Welsh did not believe in slavery.

After we had dropped off our luggage at the Inn, we were taken to the train station and Sam and I rode a steam engine train up the mountains. This was a beautiful ride in which we saw the green countryside, mountain lakes, rivers, and many sheep. It is easy to see why they say that there are 10,000 sheep to every person in Wales. There were many baby lambs and they are so cute to see bouncing around the fields. We also marveled at the rock walls that seemed to go straight up the mountainsides. We were told that the farmers were paid an allowance for maintaining some of these walls as they have been here for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Were we were met at the train stop at Beddgelert.

Beddgelert has some of the best ice cream of Northern Wales. We were treated to a cone of this homemade all natural ice cream and it was delicious. We then took a walk along a river to the grave of Gelert.  Sam has explained this legend to you in his chapter and I won’t go over it again. I found it touching that they pay homage to one of man’s best friends, but I also appreciate the morale of this tale. The morale is that if you jump to conclusions before you get all the information, you could be making a grave mistake. After visiting this grave site, we walked through a few of the towns shops selling the crafts from some of the locals.

After we were done in this town, we went to the town of Criccieth. I fell in love with this town. It is right on the coast and is a beautiful quiet little town. It is almost like stepping back in time, when life wasn’t such a rat race. There is a beautiful beach, fantastic views of the mountains and the water, colorful houses, and lovely little shops. We had lunch of sandwiches at a little tea shop in their little garden. We had walked through the castle on the hill overlooking the water earlier. It was one of the smaller castles we had seen.

After we were done in this town, we were taken to Portmeirion. This town was created by Sir Clough-Williams Ellis. He was an environmentalist before this was popular. He hated throwing things out. This town or village was created by using the various things that others were throwing away. For example, there are statues all over the place that other towns were getting rid of that he paid to have shipped to him. The whole village is done in sort of an Italian Village theme. There is a 5 star hotel many shops and café’s here. It is on the beach as well. It is sort of a surreal place, but the forest area is truly an amazing place. In it there is everything from American Redwoods to Japanese trees. It contained Azalea trees, jasmine, magnolia, and other flowering trees I cannot remember, but wish I could have in my yard. We are here early in the year and it was so colorful, I cannot imagine what it looks like in all its glory.

We were then brought back to Caernarfon, where our Inn is located. The Inn is actually within the outer walls of the castle. This was the first castle we visited and it is so breathtaking to see, even after seeing it before. We had dinner in the Inn’s restaurant and the food was delicious. We splurged and actually had dessert here. We ate so much we had to take a walk around the town again. The castle at night is just as impressive! Pictures really can’t do them justice, you need to stand in their presence to see how truly impressive they are. If you ever come to Wales, we happen to know some amazing guides who can take you to all these places.

Chapter 8 - Merlin Lives

Every day I am in Wales I seem to grow more and more fond of it, and today was no exception to that rule. This morning started off at the same B&B with an amazing sunrise, not a cloud to be seen! We got ready for the day and then went down for breakfast (the same as yesterday's breakfast). Irene picked us up at 9 am, we checked out of the B&B, said goodbye and thank you to Gill, and we started off toward Caernarfon. Our nights accommodation for tonight is at the Black Boy Inn, who was named after a slave that was freed in Wales in the 16th century (the Welsh didn't believe in slavery). After he was freed he became prominent enough that he could donate 8 pence a year, or something like that, to the slaves and poor of the area. This Inn was built originally in the 16th century and then refurbished recently into a pub and Inn. It is inside the ancient wall and down the street from the medieval castle here.

Anyway, after we dropped our bags off, we made our way down the hill towards the train depot. My mother and I had tickets to take a steam engine through the Welsh Countryside and the Mountains of Snowdonia to the small village of Beddgelert. It was my first time on a steam engine and was a great time. I got a locally brewed beer and enjoyed the scenery as we chugged along.

Once we arrived in Beddgelert (Irene met us there with the car), we were told the story of the town. Prince Llewelyn (the prince I was trying to remember yesterday (and he was the last Prince of Wales that was actually Welsh) (and his wife's name was Joan, and it was her sarcophagus that we saw!)) had a Palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, "the Faithful Hound", who was unaccountably absent. On Llewelyn's return, the truant stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. The Prince, alarmed, hastened to find his son and saw the Infant's cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood. The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound's side thinking it had killed his heir. The dog's dying yell was answered by a child's cry. Llewelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed, but nearby lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain. The Prince, filled with re-morse, is said never to have smiled again. He burried Gelert here. The spot is called Beddgelert. It is a beautiful town on the river, and the grave site of Gelert is a very sad site. There were many dogs in the town, all of whom were 'paying their respects' to Gelert, a god in the doggy world. On a lighter note, we stopped at an ice cream parlor here and had some of the most amazing ice cream I've ever had, and when I say that you can take it to the bank, I know good ice cream!

Now before I move on, I've finally reached the title of the chapter. Now anyone who knows me well, knows that I really like movies, stories, TV series (yes most of you are thinking of Merlin which will always be one of my favorites!) and anything else about the legends of Arthur and his knights. Well, it just so happens that I've found the home of the legend! While I was learning about the story of Beddgelert, there was another legend in the same book. A legend that discussed why the Red Dragon is the official image of Wales. It has to do with Merlin... "Two great fire-breathing dragons, one red, the other white, are said to have fout at Dinas Emrys at the time of Merlin. King Vortigen built a castle at Dinas Emrys, but as soon as its walls were built, they would fall down. the two feuding dragons were trapped in a pool beneath the castle foundations and as they fought, they shook the castle walls to the ground. With Merlin's help, Vortigen released the dragons and they fought a mighty battle among the mountain peaks filling the winter skies with fire. The battle was fierce, but the red dragon rallied and sent the white dragon reeling into the dark skies in a fiery balze, never to be seen again. Since then, the triumphant red dragon has been the emblem of Wales, often marking its struggle for recognition as an independent nation". That page was followed by, "Snowdonia abounds with stories about King Arthur. One of these tells of his death in a great battle above Dinas Emrys. Arthur and his men marched through the mountains to meet his enemies at Tregalan. the armies joined in bloody battle among the steep cliffs and jagged rocks. As Arthur drove them out of their mountain stronghold and pursued them down the mountain, he was caught in a hail of arrow andd was killed. The area is now called Bwlch y Saethau (Pass of the Arrows) in memory of this event. Now even though I didn't go to Dinas Emrys, I know I was close to it and its something that I will be sure to see next time I visit Wales!

Moving on, after Beddgelert, we drove to the seaside town of Criccieth and visited another castle there. It was up on a cliff and had views of the beach and surrounding area. We toured the ruins for a bit, and then continued on to Portmeirion, built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in 1925. It was extremely unique, and very hard to describe. There was about 70 acres full of every kind of tree from all over the world that we walked around for a while.

Afterwards, we returned to the Black Boy Inn and had some dinner (which was delicious). Then had a walk around Caernarfon and visited the outside of the castle again, this time at night while it was lit up with spot lights. It was the first castle I saw and still my favorite, although all of the castles I saw had something about them that is my 'favorite'.

Tomorrow marks the last day I have in Wales and I will be extremely sad to leave. This country completely took me by surprise and it seriously is the greatest kept secret of Europe. I will miss it until I return. But, with sadness also comes great excitement tomorrow; for tomorrow marks the day I fulfill a childhood dream. Tomorrow evening, I will be taking yet another train to one of the greatest cities in the world, London! Until then...