Castels and Slate and so much more!

Today we had our first field trip of many that we are going on as a program group this semester. First we headed to Caernarfon Castle which is one of the largest Norman Castles in Wales and was built by King Edward 1st. Tecwyn told us that there are many Welsh people who won't set foot inside the walls of Caernarfon because they feel that it is a sign of oppression because it was at this castle where King Edward I presented his son Edward II as the "new" Prince of Wales after Edward I killed off the last Welsh born prince. At that time, and still to this day for some, the Welsh saw this as a huge slap in the face. Also at that time the only people who were allowed inside the castle and the walled city of Caernarfon were the English. The Welsh had to live outside of the walls and were not allowed to enter. With all of that being said the castle was gorgeous and although it was cool and windy today, especially once we got to the top of some of the towers, the view was amazing!

                                                             inside the castle

                                           view from one of the Eagle towers, the tallest tower of all the Norman Castles

The second castle we went to today was Criccieth Castle. Structurally this castle is nowhere near the beauty of Caernarfon however the view from atop Criccieth is simply amazing! We did not spend a whole lot of time up there but I got to see so much. The castle is at the top of a cliff essentially and right on the shore line. It feels like you can see to the ends of the earth from it. It was absolutely breathtaking! Tecwyn brought us down and took us to the Cadwaladers ice cream shop and bought us all an ice cream. The are world known for their vanilla ice cream, although I got the toffee, which should also probably be world known because it was fabulous.

After the two castles we headed more into the mountains and went to the Llechwedd Slate Mine where we got to go on a tour of one of the mines and were told all about how slate was mined in a Victorian style mine. It was very interesting and definitely was not an easy life for the gents who spent their years in the mines.

We headed back to Bangor through a mountain pass that left me absolutely speachless. The countryside of Wales is so amazingly beautiful. The mountain sides are covered with lush green and purple colors and dotted with sheep. There are little mountain rivers that cascade down the sides of the mountains ending occasionally in some small waterfalls and rapids. I don't think I have ever seen pastures and grasses as green as they are here. It's just so amazing. Every day I have been here has been more eye opening and I feel like I see someone more beautiful every day. I'm completely head over heals in love with Wales at this point!