Day Six started out EXTREMELY EARLY! We had to leave The Generator by 5:45am to get down to the docks and prepare to load onto the "ferry" boat to cross over into the United Kingdom. Thankfully, we decided to skip the morning shower that day since it was such as early departure and when we got onto the bus we were very happy we did. Apparently in hostels the warm water is not turned on until after 6am in order to reduce energy cost and keep the hostel cost efficient. Great plan, not so great for 30 or so people in our group who tried to get showers at 5am! I still completely recommend the Generator and look at those rooms, they were so cute!
We arrived down by the docks around 7am and quickly went through baggage check and goto comfortable on board. I really wish I had snapped some pictures on board, because this was no ordinary "ferry" boat rather a miniature cruise ship. I travelled on one very similar to this the last time I was in Europe and they have areas for short journey passengers and private rooms with beds and showers for those who will be on the ship for a little longer. I was so sleepy and still feeling very nauseated, so I grabbed some chairs, stretched out and took a solid two hour nap. When I awoke, I bought Sea Bands (designed to help with motion sickness) and perched myself next to the window just in time to see out arrival into Wales. We had to go through customs and get our passport checked, load the coach, and we were off to the Lake District of England with an overnight stop planned for Manchester.
We had a long drive that day, but we did take the time to stop at Beaumaris Castle, built by Edward I (aka Edward Longshanks) in the 13th Century. This was the largest of a series of castles built by the king throughout Wales in an effort to conquer the area. Beaumaris is not used today as a residency of the royal family, because of its Medieval structure which is not fit for people to live in. However, it is a historical site and museum that is worth a visit. It was honestly one of my favorite places that we visited, because I think it really captures the feeling of Medieval Europe and the mind set that so many of the monarchs had during this time period. Luxury was not a concern when constructing castles like they were much later in history, rather they were fort like structures designed to protect the king from invasion. The castle is very open and you can explore for hours on end and there is a good amount of wildlife and livestock in the area to admire such as swans and sheep. I even got to wear my Hunter boots that day, because it was one of the few days with "rain like conditions even though it never rained (thankfully!).
After exploring the castle we headed into the town of Beaumaris, located on the Isle of Anglesey (the same area William and Kate lived after their wedding). It was a quaint town with small shops and restaurants. It was a good chance to hit an ATM for some Pounds now that we were out of Euro territory and we also grabbed some lunch. We ate lunch at the Triple 8 Coffee Shop which was a small used bookstore with some seating for customers to have lunch as well. I decided on the ham, cheese, and pineapple panini and it was amazing! We had a good laugh at lunch, because the menu said that crisps (chips) came with the panini and when our plates arrived we had 3 whole Pringles on the plate! Not exactly what we expected, but the sandwich and hot chocolate that I had was a great choice. After strolling through the town and grabbing a Beaumaris Castle magnet it was time to hit the road again. Next stop: Manchester, England.
We arrived in Manchester late in the afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Britannia. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen the picture below which had a capture that read "Best. Hotel. Ever!" It was an extremely nice hotel and I will be staying there again! We had two large and luxurious beds and were bummed when we realized that we were only staying one night. They had a lounge singer, in-house pizzeria, full service buffet, and numerous other amenities.
After an early dinner we hung out in the lobby of the hotel, enjoying free Wi-Fi and pizza. I think the amount of Americana that was oozing out of us at the end of each day was ridiculous. Pizza and Wi-Fi were like gold in our minds. That was one of the things that made travelling abroad for two-weeks without my family bearable though. Being able to spend time with the group each evening and relax took our minds off of home and having Wi-Fi and my IPad made it so that I talked to and saw my husband and family almost everyday of the trip. My travel advice is do not waste hundreds of dollars (trust me I have done it) on international cell phones. The vast majority of hotels have Wi-Fi (mostly for free) and if you have any type of electronic device you can FaceTime or Skype for free.
So fellow travelers, what is your favorite travel tip?
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