Wales

Our last trip was to Wales. Both DA and I believe our ancestors are Welsh, so we were glad to be able to visit there and let the kids see where their ancestors lived. Funny thing is that Wales is not really that far from where we had been living all that time, just needed to make ourselves get over there.
We stayed in a charming little pub/hotel called the Golden Pheasant. Unfortunately, it wasn't in a very convenient location to what we wanted to see, so we spent an hour or so each morning and evening driving to /from where we wanted to go.
We really enjoyed going to the top of Snowdon Mountain. One day we walked up part of it (too windy to go very far - nearly blew us off the mountain), and the next day we took a train from the bottom all the way to the summit. It was so cold at the top. We were not really dressed for that kind of weather. Also toured a slate mine. So sad that the slate industry has dried up. That little town had to basically fold up and move away.
Wales has more castles than any other country. They are everywhere you turn. The kids were really hoping we would just drive on by them all, but had to do one tour. Colwyn Castle and medieval village.
The kids enjoyed seeing the "smallest house in Britain". Cute little thing built in what looked like an alley between two buildings.
Our TomTom satnav decided we could handle all the tini-tiny roads in backwoods Wales, so it took us on some of the most remote routes. I noticed that Wales is sparsely populated - it's mainly open land with a few little towns along the way.(only saw about 2 gas stations the entire time - not too helpful when you are in the car an hour, need a drink or something to eat).
Pretty, pretty country, but not a lot to see.
One of the loveliest spots is Portmerion, Wales. It is associated with the pottery called Portmerion - and they sell it there, but I think the association is something about that the town was built or designed by the daughter of the pottery maker. We were there during the hydrangea blooming season. Oh, oh! gorgeous hydrangeas. Prettiest trees I've ever seen. I did buy 2 Portmerion pieces that had flowers on them to remind me of the gardens in Portmerion, however the pottery was made in my beloved Stoke on Trent in England.
By the end of the week, we were ready to get back to Cobham to wrap up the last details. It's hard to be focused on traveling when you are trying to move internationally. Enjoyed it, but I don't know if we did justice to Wales - our thoughts were too scattered.