30 March   Thursday Evening  Llandudno    

Llandudno is everything Aberystwyth wishes it could be.  It’s beautiful and there is blue sky.  The bay faces north and the crescent beach with wide sand/stones stretches for over two miles—from Great Orme on the west to Little Orme in the east.  The elegant Victorian Llandudno Pier stretches about 2,300 feet out into the Irish Sea from the base of Great Orme.  There are rides, many shops, food and ice cream stalls and separate pier-end Arcade, bar and cafe. The promenade is wide and thin strips of manicured lawns and planters all the way along.  The Parade (A5115) is a broad two-way street with parking and sidewalks on both side of the street. Tall and thin graceful street lamps dot the seaside sidewalks.  The beautiful promenade features the block after block, white (or pale blue or yellow) row houses/hotels that face the water.  Some are three stories and others are four or five.  Larger hotels take up whole blocks the more west you go.  All are proper and well maintained.  Every building has a front garden or paved space with a painted stone fence with railings and balusters.    It’s clean and orderly. 

We are staying at the Marine Hotel.  Renovated and redecorated in its century plus history, it has a small lobby area, but the spacious lounge with a fireplace spills up to an annexed porch—converted to four seasons use.  There are several dinning, meeting, and entertainment rooms-- even a ballroom.  There are at least two major stairways and a generous lobby lift, but it only goes up to the third floor and it is out of order.  Many of our older members and those with mobility issues are up on the 4^th and 5^th levels.  There actually is a service elevator (tiny) past the ballroom.  So we have to roll our luggage a good distance and wait for the elevator as only a few people and bags can ride at one time. 

My room, back down the hall towards the main part of the building is more spacious than last night, but the bath is extra small. I try to use the bath-space and have to maneuver around the square shower stall (with and open corner and curtain), to find the toilet—a back in job. The fan is operated by a pull chord that goes way up to the tall ceiling--it doesn’t always work.  Yay.   I have a twin bed that is parallel to the street side wall with one small window.   The heat, which I can find no controls for, is overpowering and I rush to open the window.  I sit down on the bed and look out at the ocean view—beautiful.  Suddenly a gull (big) lands on the narrow window sill (4 floors up) and I shoo it away.  I have to get out of the room. I take a stairway down and end up near the video/entertainment room.  I walk down a hall, towards the lobby and yet another set of doors and beyond that a full set of stairs down to the lobby--a bit of a maze.  From there I know how to get out to The Parade.

I meet up with Pete and Faye.  I have my raincoat today, but never need it.  We cross to the promenade.  It is an amazing wide space, at least 30 feet, and stretches from the pier in the west all the way east to Craig-y-Don Paddling Pool--paved with red cement and steps leading down to the beach--built in 1884.  I can imagine that it the place to see and be seen when Llandudno is open for business.  We stroll gracefully west towards the pier a quarter of a mile away.  Immediately we pass the Mad Hatter Statue--part of The Alice in Wonderland Town Trail. 

 In 1861 Reverend Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) first summered in Llandudno with Christ Church, Oxford Dean, H. G. Liddell and family--that included three daughters, the youngest, Alice (the real 'Alice' in Wonderland.  Lewis spent many summer holidays here at the Liddell's holiday home ‘Penmorfa’, which is on the west-shore hillside along with several other big homes.  Carroll was inspired to write a story based on Alice’s adventures (1865) in Llandudno.  There is even a rock formation called “The Walrus and the Carpenter” on the west end.  

 The White Rabbit was the first statue to appear in 1933. The Alice in Wonderland Town Trail and statuary, grew exponentially from there and is now a 5.4 mile-long walk all over town with dozens of statues and carved figures.  It has become a town treasure since then.  Jason and Debra (aka like

the White Rabbit) pass us on their power-walk to the pier.  We walk leisurely and finally reach Gloddaeth Street (A546), really a boulevard, with beautifully planted roundabouts at every intersection.  We look back and see Jason/Debra heading out on the pier.  We take Mostyn Street, with lovely wrought iron awnings--heading back east.  It’s is that time of evening when cafes are closed and shops are closing.  On the third block we find Barnacles Fish and Chips is still open (closing soon). 

I have Cod and Chips with tea.  Faye has Scampi (breaded shrimp) and Pete gets Fish Fingers.  The walls have great old pictures of the city and its fishing industry.   After, I cross to North Western Gardens, a tiny park, to get a picture of the White Rabbit statue and miss the March Hare completely.  We are right around the corner from the Marine Hotel so we cross the street to get to its Vaughn Street main entrance.

Pete and Faye go up to their room.  It have a peek into the dining room--fancy--and then head to the lounge.  Grant, John and Ginny’s daughter, Alicia, are up in the porch area.  The couple has found a sponge-like rock and want to take it back home.  Grant tells them to soak it in bleach, ‘cos there could be bugs and creatures (worms and maggots) inside.  He talks to her so low-keyed and in earnest that she doesn’t know if he’s fooling with her or sincere.  I think it is the latter. 

Grant tells us about his life and coach driving.  This is his first 11 day tour.  He usually does five and drives back to London on the sixth day—six hours from Manchester--Sunday free.  He has lived all his life in the west end of the city.  He did not have a military career, like I thought.  He has grown kids, a mum, sister and brother.  He thinks cell phone are the death of society and I see he has tattoos ‘sleeves’ on both arms.  He says he cannot see a life of sitting at home, watching matches on the ‘tel-lee’.  Pete joins us and we have a whiskey.  I retire and climb the 4 floors to a hot room.  I pack, knowing it will be a quick transition tomorrow when we get to Chester, and journal.  I leave the window wide open. The traffic is as gentle as the waves on the beach.