Conwy Castle, Wales

The next day while I was teaching (so this is back on Sunday March 5th) Chris took the kids all the way to Conwy Castle in Wales! I didn't really believe him when I kept asking him what he was going to do with the kids and he said he was going to Wales. But, lo and behold, he did!

The weather didn't really cooperate for them (#europe), but they were troopers and pushed on anyway.

Their first stop was Conwy Castle.

Built in 1280, the castle gave the English King Edward I a toehold in Wales.

The entire structure was finished in just four years complete with a water gate that allowed safe entry for the English boats in the land of hostile Welsh subjects. The town's fortifications also include Britain's best maintained medieval walls surrounding the town.

Our Welsh kids in Wales.

King Edward spent 20 years building or rebuilding 17 great castles to consolidate his English foothold. These castles were English islands in the middle of the Welsh populace.

The greatest of these castles, such as Conwy, were masterpieces of medieval engineering with round towers that were tough to undermine, castle within a castle with layers of defenses and sea access allowing them to safely restock from England.

What remains today is incredibly impressive. It must have made a powerful statement to the native Welsh.

Chris selfie.

Three bridges cross the nearby river at the foot to the castle side-by-side. The bridge to the left is a modern highway from 1958. In the center is the gorgeous and historic 1826 Telford suspension bridge which was an engineering marvel in its day. On the right is the 1848 tube bridge for the train line. I've never seen anything like this!

Panoramic from the top of one of the towers.

How cool is this place? #i'msojelly

I know the rain probably wasn't very fun to walk around in, but it sure made for some atmospheric pictures!

I spy Jane.

Attached to the castle is a charming medieval town. Lancaster square honor's the town's founder, the Welsh prince Llywelyn, with a statue in the center.

Uber cute.

Looking up towards the medieval walls and the Upper Gate.

For lunch they stopped at a local chips shop and enjoyed one of Britain's finest offerings: fries with salt and vinegar. Yum.

Since I wasn't able to go to Wales, Chris took some great video footage so it felt like I was there:

Fox and Jane in Wales on Sunday March 5th 2017.

The next day we explored a castle together in the quaint town of Warwick - photos and recap coming up!