Premier Inn  Caerrnafon Wales

So I woke up before Marilynn this am and slept in.   Once Marilynn was up and in the shower, I started to come slowly alive and gather up my stuff for a shower and clothes hand-washing.  We attended to our chores and then it was time to go out and get some breakfast.  We ended up down the street and I got Welsh rarebit - which is a thick slab of bread toasted with Welsh cheese on it.  It was pretty good but the crispy bits made my throat go into a fit of coughing.

Then Marilynn led us to the bus stop where we would catch the bus to Beddgelert - the picturesque town.  We rode about 20 minutes on the bus through hedgerow-lined  roads which were barely wide enough for one vehicle so the the bus had to stop and let other buses and bigger vehicles drive past.  There were high hills or mountains almost bare of trees - some with stone fences or sheep on them.  We passed pastures with shorn and unshorn sheep; cows were either standing or lying down - usually all were doing the same thing.  There were some houses along the way - houses or farms mostly.  It was all superbly scenic.  

Then we arrived at the town of Beddgelert which is not very large - a few intersecting streets surrounding a few major roads with several bridges crossing a river or several different rivers because it seems the trails followed them in several different directions.  We set out on one path  , came to an intersection and chose a path along the river, then we crossed the bridge and came down the other side.  We had an elderflower cold drink and then went out again to find the grave of the famous dog who saved the prince Llewelyn....or something like that.  We took another path and walked on that until we got to another bridge, crossed the bridge, found a field and finally found the legendary dog's memorial.  After that we came back into town looking for lunch but couldn't find anything that we wanted.  We found the tourist info office and got some information on hikes and a few brochures and set off again.  Marilynn opted for putting off lunch and having an early dinner and we sought the path that would take us to the copper mine (the eastern Aberglaslyn trail).   We had started out on it but then turned back.  This time we walked farther - we saw lots of spots where people were picnicking, or getting into the water, or sending their dogs into the water.  There were hundreds of dogs in this town.  Everyone seemed to have at least one dog.  After a certain point we got to a rocky bit on the path and Marilynn decided to stop but said I could go on.  I checked it out and it went back to just being a stone paved path but Marilynn was done with it at this point.  I had thought about putting my feet in the river, but then the idea lost its charm and we pretty much started back.  We then tried to find a place to eat our early dinner but there was no restaurant that really met our needs.  We then decided to go back to Caernarfon for our dinner.  We both bought water and I got a strawberry Ben & Jerry's ice cream to tide me over.

We waited a short time for the bus back.  We had bought a daily pass at the bus driver's suggestion. We took the scenic bus ride back to Caernarfon center.  We searched a bit for a restaurant and went down the Hole-in-the-Wall street where Marilynn found an Italian restaurant that met our needs.   I had strips of hake even though I had ordered the poached salmon I think - it didn't matter - the fish was good and I had a little salad and some not so tasty rice.  We shared a jug of cab Sauv.  Now we are back at the hotel quite early.  The TV is on with some mystery and it is not even 8 pm - the usual staring time for the mystery series.  I have sent Kara a whatsapp and an email to the rest of my list.  Kara liked my pics of Beddgelert.  I hope I have some good photos on my camera but I didn't have that many photos on my phone.  I wish I had taken more since it was such a lovely place.

I had bought 2 more postcards and thought I should write some up and send them out while I am still in Wales.  I will upload my camera photos and then maybe quit and watch the TV mysteries until bedtime.  It is a vacation after all....