On Friday early in the morning we loaded up on coach buses to head to Liverpool. We had an 8 hour ride, with one stop along the way for lunch. We stopped at McDonald’s and got some chicken nuggets. They were way different than the ones in the States, and I guess the UK doesn’t have ranch (very sad for us Midwesterners). Once we arrived at Liverpool, we stopped at Albert Dock for a few hours. While there, we visited the Museum of Liverpool where they had a John and Yoko exhibit. It was very cool and talked all about their lives together. After the museum, we walked around the dock, it was very cute. We then boarded the coaches and drove to the hostel we would be staying at for the weekend. Our bus driver decided to take a detour, and by detour I mean he got lost. We were 30 minutes late to our hostel.

After unpacking, we were all so hungry so we wandered around until we found a restaurant that served more than just alcohol (night life in Liverpool is crazy, we did not partake in it because we were in bed before midnight). We found a bar called Mojos that was rock ‘n roll themed. We all had a lot of fun and the food was amazing. We were the only ones at the bar because it was so early (7pm), so the bartender brought us all free pina colada shots (so good). After dinner we went back to the hostel and got Woo Woos, a drink served in the lobby. We were all so tired we finished our drinks and were in bed by 11.

The next morning (Saturday) we had breakfast in the hostel. For an included hot breakfast it was pretty good. At 9:45am we boarded the coach and headed off to North Wales. Our first stop was Conwy Castle. It was a journey getting there, our bus driver, once again, did not follow the other buses and we were 30 minutes late. Thankfully, the Program Assistants gave us all extra time to explore the castle. The castle was absolutely beautiful. We climbed all the way to the top of the King’s tower. It was very high up and the stairs were very small and steep. The climb was worth it though because the view was incredible. Once we had fully explored the castle (including the dungeon) we head off to the cute little town to find lunch. We ended up at a fish and chips shop. We got chicken and chips with salt and vinegar. We took the food and ate on a really cute street with a beautiful garden behind us. The food and the view were amazing. Then, sadly, we boarded the coach again and we headed off to one of my favorite places I have ever been.

We, thankfully, did not get lost this time and made it to the city of Llandudno. We walked on the pebble beach and went down the pier. It was picturesque and perfect. Once we were done exploring the beach and the pier (and eating some ice cream) we met up with the rest of the group to ride a tram up to the top of the Great Orme. The ride up was so cool. There were a bunch of cute little homes, goats, and beautiful flowers. After we got off the tram we just stood at the top of the mountain in absolute awe. I have never seen anything so beautiful. Everything was so green and peaceful. On one side of the mountain there were a ton of sheep. We all ran down the hill to the sheep while playing the Sound Of Music. It was a movie moment and one that I will remember forever. On the other side of the mountain you could see the town below and all the water surrounding it. Our heads were constantly scanning our surroundings. We took plenty of pictures but made sure to stay in the moment. The pictures are good for the memories but they definitely do not do it justice. We almost cried when we had to leave. Hands down one of the best experiences of my life. I would live up on that mountain. Once again we boarded the coach, very sadly this time. We headed back to the hostel after the long and wonderful day (arguably one of the best of our lives).

Back at the hostel we all gathered, by all I mean our little group of eight, and headed out for some dinner. We googled the best Italian place in the area and we ended up at Amalia. The food was delicious and we all had a great time talking about our day. We also joked about how many times our bus driver got lost and how bad of a driver he was (he almost drove us into the lake). After dinner, we went back to the hostel and had another woo woo. We played ping pong and jenga until about 11 and then we all called it a night. We knew we had to leave early to head home.

On our last day there, we had another breakfast in the lobby before packing up to head back to London. On our way back we stopped at a cute little town called Chester. We had a few hours to explore and eat lunch. We walked along a Medieval Roman wall. We also went to a bookstore, thrift shop, and an antique store. For lunch, we ate at a pub called Watergates where we had amazing food. The pub was designed like the inside of a beer barrel and also a wine cellar. It was like a maze in there. Then we walked the streets, it was such a cute town. On our way out we stopped at a chocolate shop and got chocolate covered strawberries (delicious!). After a long bus ride home, we made it back to London, unpacked, and went to bed right away. It was a long, but incredible weekend! -SYD & SAM