EIS – To Wrexham (Day 19)

EIS – To Wrexham (Day 19)

(9/5/2010) We leave Dublin, Ireland today and head to Wales. We start our journey with a 4 hour ferry ride from Ireland to Wales. The weather is mostly calm along with the seas. We stay on the bus to get onto the ferry, and then we disembark the coach. Carmen and I sat in recliner chairs and slept for over 2 hours, only waking up when some kid started screaming.

After arriving in Wales, we leave the boat and we just drove through customs. On our way to Wrexham, we stopped in a town with the nick name of Llanfair P G. I say nick name because the town’s real name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwilliantysiliogogogoch which means, in English, “The church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Tysilio by the red cave”.  Say that in one breath.  At least you can say Llanfair and people know the town you mean. Luckily, we are only here for a comfort stop and we didn’t have to say the full name.

Back on the coach, we soon are in the Snowdonia National Park and crossing the mountains via the Llanberis Pass. The mountains here are like driving through the mountains in Switzerland, the Rockies in either the US or Canada.

A mist hangs over the mountains and we get some rain on the windshield. Also, in these mountains a number of slate quarries can be seen.

Later for lunch and another comfort break, we stop in Llangollen. Or I should say Ysiopfachgardiauwrthybontdrosyrafonddyfrdwyynllangollen. Sorry, this one I did not find the English version of the name.

Here is the Llangollen steam train that makes tourist rides into the mountains and around the horseshoe trail.

We leave Llangollen and head to an optional trip that some people will take. Today’s trip is on the Llangollen canal in a canal boat. Now the canal boat is about 55-65 feet long and about 8 feet wide. Carmen and I did not go on the canal ride so we do not have pictures. Everyone though said they had a good time.

While in town we saw an old fort ruins dating back to the Celts, around 300-500 AD.  While the others were on the canal, Carmen and I went to the hotel in Wrexham about 6 miles away. On the way, we missed the picture opportunity of the aqueduct.

Until later, Bob and Carmen – EIS.