Oh my gosh, you guys!

Wales was cold. Wild, wet, and windy. Honestly, not the best day for a garden tour — even by Ketchikan standards.

Every single garden we’ve visited on this trip has been completely different, and I truly did not know what to expect from Wales. In my mind, “great garden country” belonged to southern England.

But oh. My. Goodness.

Bodnant Garden absolutely took my breath away. Hands down, my favorite garden we have toured on this entire trip — and considering what we’ve seen, that is saying a LOT.

There is just nothing else like it. The way the garden is woven into the hillside — wandering paths, streams, terraces, woodland, and impossible explosions of color.

And strangely enough, of all the gardens we’ve seen, this one felt the most like Ketchikan.

So many familiar plants were growing there — I swear there was devils club!

We were in Wales, so of course we wanted to see a castle. And apparently, in North Wales, that is not a difficult thing to accomplish.

What was difficult was narrowing down which castle to visit. There are so many! I finally threw the question into ChatGPT and asked which of the three castles on our list was the best. It picked Conwy Castle — a choice backed up by Rick Steves — so after our morning at Bodnant Garden, we headed there next.

And yes… it was VERY much a real castle. Complete with Game of Thrones vibes.

Massive stone walls. Towers. Battlements. Dark staircases. Wind whipping off the harbor. It loomed over the adorable town of Conwy.

I felt a little like a kid the entire time. “We’re in a REAL CASTLE!”

We walked the ramparts, and I may or may not have made Scott say, “Murder! Murder most foul!” at least once.

I also may or may not have climbed about 85 steps up one of the towers before chickening out completely when the staircase got narrower, darker, and impossible to see.

Darn it! I’ve been doing so well with towers this trip!

Scott finished the climb and later informed me that the deteriorating edge at the top wasn’t much higher than his waist and the wind was intense, so honestly I’m calling that self-preservation!

After exploring the castle, we wandered down into the harbor village, split a treat, and watched people coming and going along the waterfront while the weather finally began to clear. It wasn’t lost on us that this little harbor village was exactly like the setting of many of the British UK murder mystery series. We love to watch. It was one of those simple travel moments that ends up feeling perfect.

I should also mention that on our way into Wales yesterday, we made a pilgrimage stop in Wrexham because we are HUGE fans of Welcome to Wrexham.

There wasn’t a lot happening -The Racecourse was under construction so we couldn’t tour it, but we did manage burgers from the burger stand and drinks at The Turf, so we felt like we had properly checked the box. We may or may not have bought souvenirs for the grandkids… and Scott may or may not have purchased himself a Wrexham football jersey.

Wrexham was every bit as gritty and soccer-obsessed as we imagined, and honestly, that made us love it even more.

Wandering well was easy in Wales. It provided some surprise moments such as a lush and beautiful garden, and the giddy sensation I got seeing an actual Castle.