Wales, Lake District, Edinburgh...Where Are We?

Since we left Dublin, it's been a much quicker pace. We ferried over to Holyhead, Wales aboard the Ulysses (an enormous floating hotel-like ship, cleverly named for Joyce's famous work) and made our way through Wales. We visited the medieval walled town of Conwy and walked the castle walls for great views and had fish and chips on the quay (fending off the hungry predatory seagulls) before driving through more of the dramatic countryside. We caught some breathtaking glimpses of Snowdonia National Park and the surrounding region, and more sheep than we could ever count! We spent the night in Mold, Wales -- a foreboding name, I know -- and some of us enjoyed the film Waking Ned Divine in the lobby while others organized suitcases to accommodate new purchases and others got some much-needed rest.

The next day we drove a couple hours into the Lake District of England where we visited Grasmere and Dove Cottage, home of William Wordsworth, England's poet laureate of the late 19th century. We sampled some Kendal Mint Cake (some of us too much...) which has been traditionally used as a pick-me-up for hikers in the region. Essentially,  it's pure sugar. Imagine the center of a peppermint patty in bar form. There was a burst of energy after that but then there was a group nap on the bus as we drove to Edinburgh. Also on that drive we had an accent competition and a quiz on all of the sights we've seen and things we've learned.

Upon our arrival to Edinburgh we had some great pizza (how very Scottish, right?) and then had a walking ghost tour of the old town that was more a bawdy comedy show than it was a spooky haunted crawl through the dungeons and crypts. The next day Divina, our Edinburgh tour guide showed us around and brought us to the castle. Some fellas spent their afternoons selecting the perfect kilt and as far as I know, no one tried any haggis...perhaps next time.

Now we're in London and we're utterly exhausted. We arrived via the night train from Glasgow (not too far from Edinburgh)just before 7am and have been going ever since. More on that later.