Rich found a castle for us to explore which was located near Snowdonia National Park. The landscape here in northern Wales is just beautiful--so lush and green, with trees and hills, all dotted with sheep and cows. So very peaceful!
We made it to the castle and were wowed by how HUGE it was!! Keep in mind, this isn't our first one and they've all been pretty massive, but this one just kept going! Rich had to do a panoramic photo just to even attempt to get it all in on one shot.
We were hoping to take an early bird tour, which was supposed to begin at 10:30, but the guide was a no-show. The castle didn't open until noon, so we wandered around a fraction of the gardens, which were also enormous and gorgeous, then visited a train museum that's on site. The kitchens of the castle were also open, so we got to have a look around there. They weren't anywhere as elaborate as the kitchens we saw at Lanhydrock, but still impressive. There was a copy of a census report for the castle and it showed 48 workers for 8 residents!! Crazy!!
We had lunch in the restaurant, tomato and red pepper risotto for me, baked potato and salad for Rich, then went to view the castle.
OMG!! It is ugly as can be outside, which maybe makes the interior all the more stunning. From the moment you step in through the front doors, you are left with your mouth hanging open at the view--from the soaring gothic style ceilings, to the massive wooden carved doors, the paintings, furnishings--it's a visual overload. The best part is it's all original belongings, not replicas. I took a picture of the poster which showed the rooms we could see--we got turned around several times, it was like a maze in there. So many more rooms were closed off, thank goodness, otherwise, we would've been completely lost!!
We read that Queen Elizabeth was a guest there a few years ago, so everything is in perfect condition. Most of these older places have a musty smell, but this one has had its temperature controlled apparently, so nothing is moldy or dusty. Simply amazing!
We checked into taking a guided tour, but the next available one wasn't until 2:30 and we were already getting tired (it was 1:15 then), so we blew it off. I'm sure we would've learned a lot more of the history of the place on the tour.
We drove back by the Conwy suspension bridge and learned that Llandudno is a big tourist town, they even have a Hop on & Off Bus! Can't imagine what all there is to see there, but may have to check it out. :)