Ticking items off the list.

 May 6th.  Yikes!  A chilly morning and a grey sky.  But what a comfortable bed.  Had an excellent sleep last night.

Today was a Welsh Cooked Breakfast!   If this is normal then why are all Welsh people not morbidly obese?   Black pudding was an item crossed off my list this morning. Um…..a strange texture and taste but not unpalatable.

Next a visit to Conwy Castle.   We paid for our ticket at reception manned by an American named David - although the name was Welsh I was inwardly a little shocked not to have the expected Welsh lilting accent.  Dating from the 1300’s much of the castle structure remains preserved.   I now understand what is meant by castle town as from the ramparts I could see just how much of the current town would have been enclosed by the strong castle walls.   

High walls with marvellous views of the valleys one way and the sea the other.   But the stone steps winding up the towers were hazardous.  The high arch in the roof of the great hall is still intact.   I loved the views of the green fields and the woods so different from home.

Watched a truck come through this narrow gate and momentarily stop to readjust the cab’s wing mirrors.   My this is a narrow entry.   There’s at least three of these gates in the remaining castle walls.

Lady Satnav guided us to Llandudno and The Great Orme Tramway.   A car park merely a minutes walk away from the entrance.   Opened in 1902, it is a funicular  ascent of a mile at a nearly 10 degree incline up the limestone mass that is the Great Orme,   I was amazed to see some people walking down - we sensibly bought return tickets.   

Amazing to see so many people had brought their dogs.   The lady in the seat across from us had a giant bulldog which she lifted off and on the tramcar.   Our tram had five dogs as well as around 40 passengers!   Nobody but me seemed to think this a strange phenomenon.  Very cold at the summit so we went inside a visitor centre and watched a documentary video on the flora and fauna.  It was interesting to see strangely different colours of sheep and Kashmir Goats roaming around.   Also lambs!   A reminder that it is actually Spring here.  ( On our return home we saw Kashmir goats eating the shrubs in front of Llandudno Hospice so they must roam off the Orme at will).

Then it was time to walk briskly to Llandudno town centre and join the Victorian Extravaganza.   The town centre was shut to traffic and instead filled with a rich variety of carnival side shows, carousel, helter skelter, ghost train etc etc.  And an endless supply of candy floss, ice cream and other sweets.   A red double decker bus had been converted into a shop for The Great British Fudge Company.   At the centre of all this, right by the main stage was a display of traction engines - all operational and puffing steam.   

Our main aim was to listen to the Cor Meibion Maelgwn Male Voice Choir.    A delightful half hour of singing finished with the Welsh National Anthem and although I of course recognised the tune I couldn’t join in and felt very conspicuous standing there silent as the whole crowd joined in the rousing and spine tingling song.   What an experience.  We introduced ourselves to the kindly secretary-gentleman of the choir, who had emailed me with details of this performance and expressed our thanks for his invitation.   He was delightful and smiled broadly when teased by a friend that he was adding more ladies to his list!   

After the choir there was a performance by the George Formby Society and I joined in with many elderly singing a couple of the songs.   Mother gave me a CD of George Formby years ago in my Christmas Stocking so this too was familiar.

As we strolled along we found two of the statues forming the Alice in Wonderland Trail.   Apparently the Alice for whom the book is named spent her holidays in this beach resort town so we said hello to the White Rabbit and to the Mad Hatter but couldn’t find Alice herself.   There were little plaques in the pavement at various places with rabbit foot prints which were probably the trail itself.   We were too taken up with all the other distractions - oops attractions.

And then it was to the promenade and the pier where to my delight I found there was a traditional Punch and Judy.   

The gentleman operating it all told us that he was fifth generation and so the pressure was on to ensure it would continue.   Started in 1860 and has been on the Llandudno Pier ever since.   Of course we had to attend.   I shouted loudly with all the rest, “yes you did, no you didn’t” etc until I thought I’d lose my voice!   It was just like I’d read in books and another tick off my list.

A surprise on the pier was to finally understand that there could be some meaning to that tongue twister “She sells seashells on the seashore” because halfway along the pier there was shop doing just that!  

So tired but weary I said goodbye to my new (until tomorrow) favourite place, Llandudno