North Wales and London!

On the ferry, leaving Ireland

After about a three hour ferry ride across the Irish Sea, we met the coast of North Wales. It was hard to part with the beautiful, scenic Ireland, but I was excited to see what was next to come. Immediately, North Wales looked very different from Ireland. There was much larger of a population and more buildings, but there still were little white specks of sheep scattered everywhere! Also, in the distance were the Snowdonia Mountains:
We then drove through a little town in North Wales with a name that I don't ever think I will be able to pronounce. Our tour guide pronounced the name, and I wrote down how I thought it would be spelled:

Slan-fair-porch-quin-gill-schwin-thop-frill-stanti-silli-oh-gah-gah

Here's how it ACTUALLY is spelled:

llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysillogogogoch

I think my spelling was slightly off! It was a quaint little town, and we had a nice lunch there. I ate shepherd's pie, which I have been eating every chance that I get. By the way, the food here is quite bland, but the dishes are still quite tasty. I've been eating a lot of potatoes, beef, and chicken, and they are not really prepared with a lot of seasonings. The desserts usually comes with some sort of cream, and the cream is very rich but lacks sweetness. All of the food was a different taste to me, but I could definitely get used to it! Delicious Shepherd's Pie

Fruit Pavlova: Fruit on top of creme and meringue

We had a nice drive through the countryside of Wales, and we then arrived at Conwy castle. This castle, by far, has been my absolute favorite castle. Have a look for yourself:

View from atop the castle

After the castle visit we had some free-time so my sister and I decided to walk around the town of Conwy. We found a little tea place where we enjoyed some tea and scones which is a popular afternoon treat in the UK. We then spent the night in North Wales, and ventured on to London the next day.

Afternoon snack

On the way to London, we stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon which is Shakespeare's birthplace. We visited the house of Anne Hathaway, the wife of Shakespeare. We also got to walk around the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the streets were lined with little shops. There was also an open-air market taking place which was similar to a flea market.

Anne Hathaway's house

In the same day we also saw Oxford, one of the leading universities in the world. You could tell that just by looking at the buildings. The architecture was magnificent, and even though I was left behind for a little, I couldn't help but stand there for a few minutes to take it all in.

Oxford

The next and last day in the UK consisted of a tour around the city of London. I absolutely loved the buildings. There were not too many shops, but instead there were large Parliament buildings, churches and cathedrals, and historic buildings all beautifully designed, once again. I rode the London Eye which is the second largest Ferris Wheel in the world. It takes 35 minutes for one rotation, but the purpose of the Ferris Wheel is to give a breathtaking view of the city of London:

And indeed a view it was.

In London we also saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey was awesome. It is a Gothic monastery working church owned by the royal family. Kings, queens, statesmen, soldiers, poets, and heroes in British history are all buried inside the church. It was really neat to see. The church was huge, but there no longer is anymore room for anyone to be buried there.

I had a wonderful time in London, and it was the last place to visit on the itinerary before our flight carried us back home the next day. This trip has truly been the most amazing experience in my life. I was never able to travel outside of the country, but I am so grateful to have been given that opportunity. My experiences with this trip have given me a new perspective of the outside world and have also helped me to see how unique the United States is from other countries. I would highly encourage everyone to travel outside of the country at least once in their lifetime because I know their eyes will be opened, as mine have been.

Between the three countries that I visited, I must say that Ireland was my favorite. It definitely had simplicity to it which I liked. I LOVED the scenery and everywhere I looked there was beauty to admire. This is exactly what I expected, and I know I will be returning to Ireland someday when it is in its blossoming season. I think its beauty might capture me there forever though!

I almost forgot to mention, strangely, but luckily enough, we did not have any encounters with rain during the trip. We had beautiful weather each day which is rare for Ireland and the UK. I think my angel in the sky had something to do with this, and he must have been with me all along on this trip...

This trip was really a blessing, and I hope you enjoyed reading my adventures as much as I enjoyed sharing them!

-Michelle