Conwy, North Wales

A change of weather and location

Shipwreck! #onthewaytoConwy

Ever wanted to run away from your problems even if it was just for a single measly day? I have. It helps to clear my mind if I enter a new atmosphere, and I always manage to go back with a solution to my problem. The aggravating feeling of incapable of determining the precise answer was exactly how I felt on a gloomy, rainy Sunday several weeks back. I don’t usually mind wet days but it gets a bit intimidating if it occurs in a cyclical pattern; the weather inevitably left me pondering about what I could do instead of what I had plan to carry out initially. Rather than whining about the storm in my lonely flat, I decided to search online for a sunnier spot elsewhere in the UK.

A breathtaking sight of the sea & sky

Conwy bound!

Conwy Castle!

Hmm…Conwy in Northern Wales looks promising, I thought. Why not go for that?

The mussels sculpture

Pirates!

Commencing the voyage

The difficulty in beginning an unplanned trip comes mainly in the form of timing. It’s good to think on the spur of the moment, but it does become troublesome when one has little time to prepare for the train (20 minutes precisely). Fortunately, adrenaline had started to flow, and I managed to take the earliest carriage to Conwy AND have my breakfast (in record time indeed). My camera immediately sprung to action to capture the incredible scenery which I passed when I was transported across multiple bridges and tunnels.

Popular place for fish and chips at Conwy

I wasn’t the only one that was headed towards this little coastal town. The reason for this became crystal clear immediately after I stepped onto the tiny, two track platform. I gaped in blissful surprise at the stunning combination of medieval and seaside-inspired buildings, with a touch of religious icons. It was undoubtedly a truly aesthetically pleasing sight.

Conwy station

The little train station.

First glimpse of Conwy Castle!

Oh and there were plenty of birds, especially seagulls and pigeons (see below for evidence)

Peek-a-boo, the pigeon sees you!

(Sea)Gull guards on the watch

One word: YOLO

Pathway towards fun and fascination

The popular motto, “you only live once”, is a perfect way of describing how I exactly I ended spending my day at Conwy. Although I only had 6.5 hours there, I daresay I truly made the most of it by going to all its finest attractions! From the Castle’s walls to its mighty towers, the first bit of my day involved roaming the interiors and exteriors of this magnificent medieval fortification. Although the steps were step and plentiful, I highly recommend exploring the majority, if not all, of the towers at Conwy Castle. The views you get from the top are unbelievably outstanding, especially if you go there on an incredibly sunny day like I did.

Little red flag

Complete awestruck, that's how I felt

The couple says hello from up here!

He was feeling really bored...

Thereafter it was a quick lunch and compulsory ice-cream break. I tried a plate of Welsh Rarebit (or "rabbit") and thought it was alright – mustard has never been one of my favorite condiments but it seemed to go alright in this dish! Oh, and if you do fancy a creamy sweet treat, you HAVE to go to Parisella D & Sons (they literally had the best blue, bubblegum ice cream I’ve had in a very longtime).

Capturing perfection in a cone

Welsh Rarebit for lunch

Three little fish

I then skipped merrily over to explore Plas Mawr, a grand Elizabethan Townhouse. I’d totally recommend saving this for the middle part of your day-out in Conwy, rather than last. Why? Simply because looks (or in this case, the building!) can be deceiving. There was a lot more to see than I expected when I first glanced at its front door. I thoroughly enjoyed the guide’s explanation on the daily routines of past lives at Plas Mawr (definitely a huge contrast to how people choose to spend their leisure and entertainment time nowadays!). 

Arriving at Plas Mawr

Playtime at Plas Mawr - how it was in the past

Past-time trinkets at Plas Mawr

Another historical house I visited was Aberconwy House, a 14^th century merchant house and official National Trust property. I enjoyed my time there but have to admit that Plas Mawr definitely shone brighter and satisfied me more than this particular building.

Found the hidden signature at Aberconwy House!

If you manage to find the time to do so, then I would highly recommend taking a boat cruise. Its running times are quite frequent, and you get a chance to admire the splendid seaside and castle views (as well as capturing them in film and photo of course!). 

Boarding the cruise!

My new boat cruise pal Poochie the doggie

Three bridges, Three transport methods (L-R: Car, foot, train)

Spectacularly sunny weather for a day out at sea

Conwy Castle from our cruise

Perfect name for a boat

After arriving back on shore, you can stroll down the beach towards the little red house, aka. the “smallest house in Great Britain”, for a quick nosey. Note: there are two tiny floors to admire.

I was taller than its door

Living room on the first floor

The bedroom - second floor

Of course no trip is complete without a couple of souvenirs – the Welsh dragon plush toy and Welsh cakes were perfect mementos to remind me of my incredibly fun and educational day-out in Conwy.

But if the above are not of your liking, there are PLENTY more quirky shops to purchase items from (trust me, I had a REALLY good look at each of them)

Sheep!

There was no doubt that I came back to my lonely little apartment feeling with elevated spirits and a look of true satisfaction. What started out as a gray and rainy day eventually turned into a golden day of sunshine with a little bit of flexibility and travelling.

Don't forget to signal for the train

Constellations (theater review)

My kind of Friday night entertainment

When it comes to Friday evening, most people I know tend to head out to the pub for a drink or two with friends. I think it’s important to socialize, but it’s not an alcohol-based atmosphere that I personally desire. I’d much rather go out for a casual dinner or movie. So, I think that the topic of this particular blog post will be of no surprise to any of you. Out of all the shows available last week, Constellations was the one that stood out to me the most. The combination of quantum physics and romance in a play sounded intriguing. I was keen to find out if this was the reason behind the countless amount of stellar reviews critics had offered.

Plus it was raining horridly outside so an indoor form of entertainment was a definite must.

The sweet shop

Parallel universes

The acting and backdrop were both nothing short of phenomenal. However, what fascinated me the most was the theme the plot brought up. From start till finish, the story tended to be made up of a series of repeated scenes, although there was a slight difference in emotion, attitude and atmosphere in each one. If I recall correctly, this setting was based on the concept of parallel universes. It’s essentially the idea of having another one of you in an alternative realm, only he/she experiences the situation you have in an alternative way (positive or negative). It kinda got the anthropologist in me thinking about whether this phenomenon is applicable to people living in contrasting cultures.

Snacks galore

For a boy-meets-girl based performance, the use of the parallel universes concept meant a mixture of sweet and sour, hot and cold scenes. The amount of emotions radiating from the two actors was utterly indescribable. It was truly amazing how only two performers managed to captivate an audience of over 350 for longer than an hour, especially since there was very little music. I also recall them mentioning something about time, which got me thinking about the essay I wrote back in my first year at university concerning the culturally different understandings and experiences of time.

Arriving at the studio

An enjoyable evening treat suitable for those that enjoy a bit of humor, dancing, and thinking after work.

Oh and I also had a nice chat to the viewer next to me – Friday night socializing complete.