A quick note: The water pressure in North Wales is amazing. I mean, I need a Welsh plummber to come to Maryland and perform their magic in our home.
Accomodations in Conwy:
We checked into our accomodations in Conwy the afternoon of Day 2. What a nice place! Besides it being on the narrowest street with bi-directional traffic and cars parked on the left side of the road, it's really awesome. You enter into the family room with a fireplace and comfy couch and chairs. The eat-in kitchen is pretty spacious and has everything a family of 4 needs to feed itself. And it has an electrtic kettle for me and B-Koog to make our morning tea. Going up the very narrow, winding and steep staircase is the master bedroom. Perfectly appointed for me and Mrs. Koog and the bathroom. Again with superior water pressure and radiant heat floors. The only downside, it is the only bathroom. Going up the most narrow staircase you find the loft with 2 twin beds for the boy koogs.
Morning at the Conwy house:
I woke up to the smell of bacon rashers and eggs. Mrs. Koog and B-Koog had made breakfast! After traversing the narrow, winding and steep staircase, I safely made it to the kitchen where a cup of my favorite (Glenngettie) tea was hot and ready for me to sip. Mrs. Koog and B-Koog had already eaten so they made my dish of bacon and eggs and yogurt. The Welsh really know their dairy, by the way. Dragon Cheese and Villiage Dairy Llaeth Y Llan yogurt are the bomb. At this point E-Koog woke up and traversed both sets of stairs and housed his eggs and bacon. After breakfast, each of us had yesterday's dirt and grime blasted off of our skin in the most glorious fashion, packed our day bag headed out to Blaenau Ffestiniog for a day on the rails.
The drive to Blaenau Ffestiniog:
The drive there from our home base in Conwy was amazing. Sunny skies and views like we've never seen before. I've always imagined the beauty of North Wales but the reality in this case was far better than the imagined. We were so enchanted by the vista I'm not sure we even had the presence of mind to take a picture. The only thing that snapped us out of our enchantment was the single track roads with blind curves taken at high speeds. There was one particular curve that was so close we all audibly gasped. Mind you, this is not a comment on Mrs. Koog's driving ability. She's done fantastic, especially considering I refuse to get behind the wheel for the safety and security of our family and my general love for the Welsh people.
As we collected ourselves from the near miss, we saw THOUSANDS of sheep in the fields lining the narrow, winding roads. E-Koog said he wished he could pet the sheep. This reminded me, when originally coming up with the plan for North Wales, the first thing on my list was a day at Gareth Wyn Jones' farm. I mentioned this to the family and Mrs. Koog said "Isn't that the Welsh farmer guy"? What? Farmer guy? I was insulted on behalf of Mr. Wyn Jones. I told her about the conservation and techniques he's responsible for but she was not really getting his importance in the Welsh Agricultural world. "Gareth Wyn Jones is the Beyonce of Welsh Agriculture" I said completely seriously (and I meant it). Mrs. Koog erupted in laughter. I was not laughing then nor am I laughing as I write this. Not nice, Mrs. Koog. Next time you are eating that delicious Welsh Beef or dairy, wearing a Welsh woolen sweater, I hope you can hear Gareth Wyn Jones singing an agricultural adaptation of "Single Ladies".
Anyway, as we arrived in Blaenau Ffestiniog, guess what we did? We got lost. Our SatNav, whom we've named Carys, has started to punk us. She navigated us beautifully to Blaenau Ffestiniog, but decided to stop with specific directions as soon as we entered the town! Mrs. Koog, trying to turn around going the wrong way on a one way street, completely stopped traffic by backing up and completely blocking both lanes of traffic. Then, with a spectacular 75 point turn across the High Street continued to hold up the locals. The Welsh people, ever gracious, just waved at her nicely to finish her turning spectical and get out of the way. Seriously, not a single middle finger was thrown our way. #caruCymru
We decide to engage Gareth, our secondary SatNav (aka WAZE). Gareth confidently led us to the car park at the train station. Upon parking, we pried Mrs. Koog's white knuckles off the steering wheel and gave her a breather for getting us to there safely and with a bit of drama and suspense!
Train to Porthmadog:
As we awaited for our train, we checked in and grabbed our boxed lunches for the journey to Porthmadog. This was the day E-Koog has been waiting for! He's too cool to admit it publicly, but E-Koog is a dyed-in-the-wool train man. This particular railroad was an inspiration for Sodor, the railway that is home to Thomas the Tank Engine. E-Koog was a big fan of Thomas back in the day.
Anyway, as the train approached E-Koog could hardly contain his excitement. For a 12 year old boy this translates into complete silence. He silently took photos of "Blanche" our steam engine. He watched the coal shoveling guy shovel the coal into the boiler. I loved watching him take in every detail. I loved watching the things he chose to photograph; the wheels, the badge with the Blaenau Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railroad crest. He was so excited, his silence broke and he could not stop talking to me about the train.
The scenery of Snowdonia was indescribable. Mountains, Lakes, waterfalls, SHEEP, quaint towns, cliffs, valleys. It really had it all.
About mid-way to Porthmadog, the clouds gave in to rain.
Porthmadog:
I should mention that all the stations look like the stations in Sodor, it was like we were extras in a Thomas the Tank Engine episode.
When we arrived in Porthmadog, we really encountered Welsh weather. It was raining buckets! While prepping for this month long adventure, we spent time and money on getting the right clothes and shoes for the UK's variable climate. Our day in Porthmadog proved this investment worthwhile. Each of us wore waterproof/windproof pants, hiking boots and raincoat and each of us stayed warm and dry. Without the right gear, the entire day would have been miserable and wasted.
Anyway, as we walked the short distance from the train station to the town, the wind whipped us with rain. We crossed this small bridge over the water and Mrs. Koog spotted the Porthmadog Maritime Museum. Being a sailor, we had to stop. It was a super cool place that showed off it's maritime heritage with pride. Honestly, it reminded me of the Beaver Island Maritime Museum, but without any exhibits on Mrs. Koog or her famous sailing family. We really enjoyed the time there.
Upon leaving there, the wind turned up and the rain got heavier. We continued to stay dry. We walked into the town and did a little souvienir shopping for a christmas ornament and Draig Coch coasters. Then headed to the most universally available store in any beach town, the ice cream shop. Cadwaladers Ice Cream didn't disappoint. According to E-Koog, who loves ice cream as much as trains, it was the best ice cream he's ever had. See, the Welsh dairy expertise expands to ice cream, too!
After a few hours of exploring in the driving rain, we got on our train and headed back to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The ride back was foggy, but still offered an intersting glimpse of the terrain and the beautiful scenery. We arrived back at the Blaenau Ffestiniog station, thanked the conductor and headed to the car. We were headed to Beddgelert to meet some new friends.
Drive to Beddgelert:
Those that know us, understand we are rarely late. Timeliness is a virtue to both me and Mrs. Koog. But it was apparent we were going to be late to meet our friends in Beddgelert. We had more than enough time to make the drive, if there were appropriately sized roads, with appropriate speed limits, guardrails and no rain. This drive again fortified Mrs. Koog's lady-balls-of-steel. Hairpin turns, switchbacks, single track roads, fog, rain and wind. The trip had it all.
I tried to text our friends to keep them out of the rain, but they had no cell service. I'm sorry Rach and Wills!
Beddgelert: We arrived, parked and speed walked to find out friends. When I was planning this part trip, I did a lot of research about North Wales and wanted to do all the things. During that research, I stumbled upon this travel Vlog on YouTube called Postcard and a Pint If you have any plans to visit Wales or the UK, I highly encourage you to watch. If you just like to watch 2 people explore and have fun, I also encourage you to watch. Rach and Wills gave us so much information in their vlog and seemed approachable, so I sent an email and got a response. After a few helpful notes, we wanted to thank them for their help and we decided to meet up for a pint. B-Koog watched their video about the legend of Beddgelert and said it was a place we were not skipping. So, appropriately that was the place we ended up meeting. We went to a church that was prepping for a flower festival. The church was built in the 9th Century and was beautiful and elegant. We met some nice ladies of the church that were friendly and cute.
We then walked in the driving rain to Beddgelert's grave. In Welsh, the word for grave is Bedd and Gelert was the dog at the heart of the story, hence the name Beddgelert or Gelert's grave. Use the google machine or, better yet, find Rach and Wills video on the legend. We took some pics then headed to the pub.
We had great conversations and felt like we've know them forever. E-Koog and B-Koog were also engaged in the conversation. After enjoying a few pints, chips and food we said a fond farewell. The whole Koog family are thankful for the vlogs and the friendship. The boys think they are proper YouTube celebrities and said that their meeting was the highlight of the day. (and they loved their little sheep!)
Returning back to Conwy:
We got in the car for another beautiful but harrowing drive back to our house. The closer we got to Conwy, the lighter the rain and wind. By the time we arrived back to our house, it had stopped raining.
Everyone was so tired, so we quickly changed into pjs and headed to bed, all happy and fulfilled with a day full of adventure, experiences and friendship.
Cariad Gogledd Cymru (I love North Wales)
Accomodations in Conwy:
We checked into our accomodations in Conwy the afternoon of Day 2. What a nice place! Besides it being on the narrowest street with bi-directional traffic and cars parked on the left side of the road, it's really awesome. You enter into the family room with a fireplace and comfy couch and chairs. The eat-in kitchen is pretty spacious and has everything a family of 4 needs to feed itself. And it has an electrtic kettle for me and B-Koog to make our morning tea. Going up the very narrow, winding and steep staircase is the master bedroom. Perfectly appointed for me and Mrs. Koog and the bathroom. Again with superior water pressure and radiant heat floors. The only downside, it is the only bathroom. Going up the most narrow staircase you find the loft with 2 twin beds for the boy koogs.
Morning at the Conwy house:
I woke up to the smell of bacon rashers and eggs. Mrs. Koog and B-Koog had made breakfast! After traversing the narrow, winding and steep staircase, I safely made it to the kitchen where a cup of my favorite (Glenngettie) tea was hot and ready for me to sip. Mrs. Koog and B-Koog had already eaten so they made my dish of bacon and eggs and yogurt. The Welsh really know their dairy, by the way. Dragon Cheese and Villiage Dairy Llaeth Y Llan yogurt are the bomb. At this point E-Koog woke up and traversed both sets of stairs and housed his eggs and bacon. After breakfast, each of us had yesterday's dirt and grime blasted off of our skin in the most glorious fashion, packed our day bag headed out to Blaenau Ffestiniog for a day on the rails.
The drive to Blaenau Ffestiniog:
The drive there from our home base in Conwy was amazing. Sunny skies and views like we've never seen before. I've always imagined the beauty of North Wales but the reality in this case was far better than the imagined. We were so enchanted by the vista I'm not sure we even had the presence of mind to take a picture. The only thing that snapped us out of our enchantment was the single track roads with blind curves taken at high speeds. There was one particular curve that was so close we all audibly gasped. Mind you, this is not a comment on Mrs. Koog's driving ability. She's done fantastic, especially considering I refuse to get behind the wheel for the safety and security of our family and my general love for the Welsh people.
As we collected ourselves from the near miss, we saw THOUSANDS of sheep in the fields lining the narrow, winding roads. E-Koog said he wished he could pet the sheep. This reminded me, when originally coming up with the plan for North Wales, the first thing on my list was a day at Gareth Wyn Jones' farm. I mentioned this to the family and Mrs. Koog said "Isn't that the Welsh farmer guy"? What? Farmer guy? I was insulted on behalf of Mr. Wyn Jones. I told her about the conservation and techniques he's responsible for but she was not really getting his importance in the Welsh Agricultural world. "Gareth Wyn Jones is the Beyonce of Welsh Agriculture" I said completely seriously (and I meant it). Mrs. Koog erupted in laughter. I was not laughing then nor am I laughing as I write this. Not nice, Mrs. Koog. Next time you are eating that delicious Welsh Beef or dairy, wearing a Welsh woolen sweater, I hope you can hear Gareth Wyn Jones singing an agricultural adaptation of "Single Ladies".
Anyway, as we arrived in Blaenau Ffestiniog, guess what we did? We got lost. Our SatNav, whom we've named Carys, has started to punk us. She navigated us beautifully to Blaenau Ffestiniog, but decided to stop with specific directions as soon as we entered the town! Mrs. Koog, trying to turn around going the wrong way on a one way street, completely stopped traffic by backing up and completely blocking both lanes of traffic. Then, with a spectacular 75 point turn across the High Street continued to hold up the locals. The Welsh people, ever gracious, just waved at her nicely to finish her turning spectical and get out of the way. Seriously, not a single middle finger was thrown our way. #caruCymru
We decide to engage Gareth, our secondary SatNav (aka WAZE). Gareth confidently led us to the car park at the train station. Upon parking, we pried Mrs. Koog's white knuckles off the steering wheel and gave her a breather for getting us to there safely and with a bit of drama and suspense!
Train to Porthmadog:
As we awaited for our train, we checked in and grabbed our boxed lunches for the journey to Porthmadog. This was the day E-Koog has been waiting for! He's too cool to admit it publicly, but E-Koog is a dyed-in-the-wool train man. This particular railroad was an inspiration for Sodor, the railway that is home to Thomas the Tank Engine. E-Koog was a big fan of Thomas back in the day.
Anyway, as the train approached E-Koog could hardly contain his excitement. For a 12 year old boy this translates into complete silence. He silently took photos of "Blanche" our steam engine. He watched the coal shoveling guy shovel the coal into the boiler. I loved watching him take in every detail. I loved watching the things he chose to photograph; the wheels, the badge with the Blaenau Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railroad crest. He was so excited, his silence broke and he could not stop talking to me about the train.
The scenery of Snowdonia was indescribable. Mountains, Lakes, waterfalls, SHEEP, quaint towns, cliffs, valleys. It really had it all.
About mid-way to Porthmadog, the clouds gave in to rain.
Porthmadog:
I should mention that all the stations look like the stations in Sodor, it was like we were extras in a Thomas the Tank Engine episode.
When we arrived in Porthmadog, we really encountered Welsh weather. It was raining buckets! While prepping for this month long adventure, we spent time and money on getting the right clothes and shoes for the UK's variable climate. Our day in Porthmadog proved this investment worthwhile. Each of us wore waterproof/windproof pants, hiking boots and raincoat and each of us stayed warm and dry. Without the right gear, the entire day would have been miserable and wasted.
Anyway, as we walked the short distance from the train station to the town, the wind whipped us with rain. We crossed this small bridge over the water and Mrs. Koog spotted the Porthmadog Maritime Museum. Being a sailor, we had to stop. It was a super cool place that showed off it's maritime heritage with pride. Honestly, it reminded me of the Beaver Island Maritime Museum, but without any exhibits on Mrs. Koog or her famous sailing family. We really enjoyed the time there.
Upon leaving there, the wind turned up and the rain got heavier. We continued to stay dry. We walked into the town and did a little souvienir shopping for a christmas ornament and Draig Coch coasters. Then headed to the most universally available store in any beach town, the ice cream shop. Cadwaladers Ice Cream didn't disappoint. According to E-Koog, who loves ice cream as much as trains, it was the best ice cream he's ever had. See, the Welsh dairy expertise expands to ice cream, too!
After a few hours of exploring in the driving rain, we got on our train and headed back to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The ride back was foggy, but still offered an intersting glimpse of the terrain and the beautiful scenery. We arrived back at the Blaenau Ffestiniog station, thanked the conductor and headed to the car. We were headed to Beddgelert to meet some new friends.
Drive to Beddgelert:
Those that know us, understand we are rarely late. Timeliness is a virtue to both me and Mrs. Koog. But it was apparent we were going to be late to meet our friends in Beddgelert. We had more than enough time to make the drive, if there were appropriately sized roads, with appropriate speed limits, guardrails and no rain. This drive again fortified Mrs. Koog's lady-balls-of-steel. Hairpin turns, switchbacks, single track roads, fog, rain and wind. The trip had it all.
I tried to text our friends to keep them out of the rain, but they had no cell service. I'm sorry Rach and Wills!
Beddgelert: We arrived, parked and speed walked to find out friends. When I was planning this part trip, I did a lot of research about North Wales and wanted to do all the things. During that research, I stumbled upon this travel Vlog on YouTube called Postcard and a Pint If you have any plans to visit Wales or the UK, I highly encourage you to watch. If you just like to watch 2 people explore and have fun, I also encourage you to watch. Rach and Wills gave us so much information in their vlog and seemed approachable, so I sent an email and got a response. After a few helpful notes, we wanted to thank them for their help and we decided to meet up for a pint. B-Koog watched their video about the legend of Beddgelert and said it was a place we were not skipping. So, appropriately that was the place we ended up meeting. We went to a church that was prepping for a flower festival. The church was built in the 9th Century and was beautiful and elegant. We met some nice ladies of the church that were friendly and cute.
We then walked in the driving rain to Beddgelert's grave. In Welsh, the word for grave is Bedd and Gelert was the dog at the heart of the story, hence the name Beddgelert or Gelert's grave. Use the google machine or, better yet, find Rach and Wills video on the legend. We took some pics then headed to the pub.
We had great conversations and felt like we've know them forever. E-Koog and B-Koog were also engaged in the conversation. After enjoying a few pints, chips and food we said a fond farewell. The whole Koog family are thankful for the vlogs and the friendship. The boys think they are proper YouTube celebrities and said that their meeting was the highlight of the day. (and they loved their little sheep!)
Returning back to Conwy:
We got in the car for another beautiful but harrowing drive back to our house. The closer we got to Conwy, the lighter the rain and wind. By the time we arrived back to our house, it had stopped raining.
Everyone was so tired, so we quickly changed into pjs and headed to bed, all happy and fulfilled with a day full of adventure, experiences and friendship.
Cariad Gogledd Cymru (I love North Wales)
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