The Final Hoorah: Wales

Before saying goodbye to Jolly Old England, Rob and I figured we could still fit in one more quick trip.  We rented a car, convinced our friend Verlan that he needed to come with us, and drove out for the weekend.

We left rainy, cloudy Cambridge on Friday morning and arrived a few hours later at sunny, quaint Snowdonia National Park in Wales.  After some friendly advice from Wales' best tourist office employee (and possible relative?) Anne Ellis, we decided to do a little warm up hike, watch some World Cup football, and then go find our hostel.

The view from our hostel at the top of the steepest driveway I've ever seen.  Our little 2-hamster engine almost didn't make it!

Saturday morning we woke up early and got started hiking up Mount Snowdon, the tallest mountain in England and Wales (a staggering 3,560 ft above sea level).  

The weather was absolutely perfect, and the hike to the summit was challenging but fun.  I fell in love with my trusty Crocs all over again...they totally make up for what they lack in looks with sheer usefulness!

We also saw a lot of sheep that looked like they had been somebody's paintball targets.  But it turns out that all of those paint splotches are actually a legitimate way to keep track of which ewe is the most popular; more paint splotches=more baby-daddies.  You learn something new everyday!

The view from the top was spectacular.   

And we had just enough time to stop and see Conwy Castle on the way home.  We've definitely become more and more efficient trip takers this year!