Holyhead, Wales

Another "misty isle".

Over a mile long sea break.

As we approached Holyhead (pronounced Holly Head), we had some concerns.  The foggy welcome was a bit fore-boding.  Water was still rough, winds hit and miss, and we took a while to get along the jetty and tied down.  So, we had a late start.  But we had breakfast in the room so we could watch the progress as it unfolded and still have a decent start.

Looks like a candle on a (lumpy) B-Day Cake.

Anyone going to Ireland?

The merry Welsh ladies welcoming us to Wales!

We boarded our bus and headed about an hour to Conwy.  Holyhead is on Holy Island, so we crossed a causeway to Anglesey Island (the second largest British Island (not counting the main island I guess?)), and then crossed another causeway onto “mainland” Wales.  It was a picturesque drive.

This little island has two houses.  But no one lives there anymore.

Conwy Castle.

Once in Conwy, we pulled up to Conwy Castle which was built in four years about 1263+/-.  You know how sometimes you get a great tour guide, who shares their knowledge, anecdotes, wit or charm, and engages all of the group in their unique way?  This wasn’t one of those times.  Our tour guide seemed to be rushing us through everything so that we could make up time and hurry back to the ship (because we were late).  So, as soon as HE got to a spot, he started talking about it, even though 60-80% of the group were on stairs waiting to get up to the platform and didn’t arrive until he was done and ready to move on.  But the castle was awesome and we enjoyed that.  It was grey and drizzly most of the time, but that sort of added to the mystique and mood of this monument of English subjugation of the Welsh.  (Not taking sides here, but the Welsh weren’t happy with the English, so just immersing myself in their POV.)
Note:  This was a big castle, so there are a lot of pictures.  We hope that doesn't "ruin" it for you! :-)

Ominous wall!

Overlooking the town of Conwy.

This seems to have all of the elements of a classic castle.  Towers, battlements, arches, arrow slots...

Part of the window casing remains.

This was a draw bridge (before being a fixed bridge).

Interesting vantage?

The apartments seem small.

Inside the fortress.

A remaining arch which suggests what it used to be.

An arrow slit window.

A multistory tower.  You can tell where the floors were,
and the huge fireplace on the primary floor.

An impressive bridge (but not built in 1263 with the rest of the castle).

Overlooking the sea from a high point on the castle.
(we see you coming!)

The gussets at the top would have supported
planks for the defenders to stand on and drop 
"not nice things" down (acid, boiling oil, rocks, arrows).

An interior wall minus floors.

So many stairs...so so soooo many steps!

Guessing this was a chapel?

From the top of one of the eight towers (equal to the two in view).

Most of the castle in one shot.

The town and sea to one side.

That side roof is slate and sloped down.  To capture rain?  
Or just to not be something to hit?

Tourists.

Someone trying to get that model pose/shot.  Good luck!

I think this is a cool shot.  Hope you do too!

The castle through the doorway.

The city wall (1260s).  And the city parking lot (not 1260s).

Conwy town.

A great view of how the floor structure used to be!

A one lane tunnel through the city wall.

After the allotted time, we had about 4 minutes in the gift shop before it was time to be on the bus to hurry back.  We found a few quick items, and then learned (after earlier learning half of our coins were ‘expired’) that our paper notes were no good.  What is with these people canceling their money every so often??

A row of homes from the 1800s.

Anyway, the bus ride was longish, made longer by the growing traffic.  We got back to port, and luckily, they did not choose to “inspect” our bus.  That was the last bit of luck.  We pulled up and waited to be cleared to go out on the jetty.  We did not know that they shut it down to move the gang plank from the 5^th deck to the 6^th deck.  We waited some 30 minutes, as the passengers started getting annoyed and restless.  But the bus needed to be ready for the next tour, so no one was in a good position.

Once on the ship, we ran to lunch in the restaurant, got some much-desired Guinness (cans from Dublin) and had a really good lunch.  Then some naptime.

We learned more about the supplies we were supposed to pick up in Belfast.  There were 180 pallets of supplies, in addition to several entertainment staff that were to be dropped of and/or picked up.  Well, missing the pier stop, and then the tender stop, by the time we made it to Dublin, things were getting bleak!  The Food & Beverage department went out and bought things they were out of, like flour (for EVERYTHING that gets baked (bread, pastries, pies, cakes, etc)), Diet Coke, and Guinness.  Yes, they ran out of Guinness as we arrived in Dublin.  

We enjoyed a little down time for the afternoon, and then for dinner we met up with our trivia team at a table for six.  We had fun and closed the place 3 hours later.  Theresa wanted to do something "fun", so we went to the dance party and got a couple of drinks, and then hit the floor for the last dance (ABBA Dancing Queen..."You can dance..." No.  No I can't!).  We finished our drinks over two brutal backgammon games and then called it a night!!