A very Conwy Christmas...

After my glorious five days in France, I stopped in London for a couple of days before heading to Wales. As usual I stayed with Laura and her sister, Kate, and as always it was lovely to see both girls.

But this time I also met up with two more Adelaide friends- Jack and Stefan! It was nice to see some familiar aussie faces! Both of them are currently living in London, but before arriving they did a lot of travelling, so it was awesome to check out their travel pics and swap some stories over a beer or two...or five...

Stefan, myself, and Jack

Jack and I telling Santa what we wanted for Christmas... Just kidding, we only did this so
we could get our free shot of vodka!

After a big night out with the boys, it was time for yet another looooooonnngggg bus ride. This time, to Wales!

I went to Wales because Beth's family kindly invited me for Christmas. But if I had known how cool a place it was going to be, perhaps I would have come here sooner! Beth's Auntie and Uncle (Val and Rod) live in Conwy, which is a place that honestly resembles a fairytale! The little town has by far the BEST castle I have seen so far- including better than the one I saw in Edinburgh, and that's saying something! It's walls are all crumbled, but the original design is still clear and it truly is surreal to look at. It's walls also stretch around the whole town centre, which made me feel like I had gone back in time. The building of the castle began in about 1281 (according to Uncle Rod, who is very knowledgable when it comes to the area- he has been like our personal tour guide!)

I love this photo! One of my favourites of my entire trip- good photography by Beth!

Beth and I in front of the smallest house in Britain! 

On our first day in Conwy, Beth and I woke up to find that the weather outside was absolutely horrid, but we were actually quite happy about this because it gave us an excuse to have a chill-out day! We actually sat on the couch and did not go outside all day! But we didn't mind, we had the house (and the TV) to ourselves while Rod and Val were at work! It was nice to stop and relax after being on the go for over a week. 

Welsh Rarebit (not rabbit, as we first thought! Actually a type of grilled sandwich with mushrooms, bacon and mustard! Yummmm...

The next day, Beth and I walked into the town centre, where we had a look around and had a nice Welsh Lunch!

Followed by scones with jam and cream!

Since it was Christmas Eve, we wore our Christmas jumpers- Thanks to Sophie back in Adelaide for sending me mine for a present!

The scenery in Conwy is breathtaking! There is not a scrap of ugliness to be found it seems! Everything looks like the pages of a fairytale picture book...

Then it was time for Christmas day! Not that I could believe it was Christmas already! 

We began with a champagne breakfast, with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon- a fancy start to the day!

Then it was prawn cocktails and a roast turkey lunch!

Rod and Val are so friendly. Not only did they give me a Christmas and take me in as if I were their new adopted niece, they have also fed me, let me take over their TV, given me guided tours of the town and taken Beth and I out for some good times at the pubs! I was a very lucky girl this Christmas. Plus, I was happy to spend my time away from Sunderland with Beth who has come to be like a sister to me this year. So, although I was away from my family for the first time this year, my Christmas was not a lonely one and thanks to everyone around me it almost felt like a family Christmas!

After lunch we watched the Queen's speech, which Beth and I thought was very exciting because
it is probably the most traditional English thing we could have done! 

My stay in Conwy has been a beautiful, relaxing and happy one! I was so lucky to be given a Christmas this year by my new adopted family! Rod and Val have been so generous to me and I am really grateful. I didn't feel like I missed out on Christmas at all! But I did miss my family and friends back home, as I knew I would especially at this time of year... but on that note, it is crazy to think I will be home in seven weeks! Eeeeek!