For anyone who loves the medieval times and has ever wanted to get a break from his or her country, Whales is a superb vacation choice. My trip to Whales left me in complete awe of the beauty and difference of this foreign land. With its beautiful sights and abundance of history it could take anyone’s breath away. England’s natural beauty, its classy cities, and its looming castles were the highlights of my trip, and of all things present have the biggest impact on the tourists that see them.

A major factor in the beauty of Whales is the Welsh countryside. There were moments of my trip where my family was driving down a single two-lane road for miles with nothing else at all in sight. The rolling hills that seemed to go on forever were a thing of wonderful natural beauty. Its wonders of nature would be enough to sell this particular vacation spot for certain nature lovers.

Another wonderful part that stands out in memory was visiting certain cities in the area. Just seeing the authentic Welsh architecture and the stone and brick roadways can send a person back years into the past. I remember it being like a whole different world because the place was so dissimilar to what I’ve grown up with. The citizens acted and dressed very differently from how they do in America, and even the major stores were different. Everything had a different name, different contents, and seemed to be pronounced differently too. Well, it is true that not every store is different from what we see here. I will admit that my family ate at a McDonald’s while in Whales, but only once. We also visited a very neat little port town while we were overseas. There, we ate seafood at a fancy restaurant and checked out a couple of cool, small, souvenir stores. I walked away with a plastic sword and a full plastic suit of armor to go with it. The experiences I had in the towns and cities of England were unlike any that I could ever have had without leaving America.

While the settlements were nice, the best part by far was the castles. Yes, those big, old fortresses made of stone and ruled by a king and queen hundreds of years ago still stand today. Most of them have tumbled to ruins since the last time they were inhabited, however some were restored to their original glory. Exploring these towering ruins, for me, was just like being placed in an old middle-ages adventure story like those of King Arthur. What made it even more exciting was the complete absence of a guided tour. Visitors to the sites could, for the most part, go about the castles however they willed and discover it on their own. There was an informational plaque every here and there, but apart from that the fallen rocks of those aged walls went unaltered. Those stone giants rising from the expansive fields were almost surreal in their nature.

All that I can say is that the experience was very cool. My family did visit a few castles that had been restored. While it was fun to see how they may have looked years ago, it was a little less exciting due to the loss of freedom and adventure. For anyone who is fascinated with anything medieval, these castles are something that cannot be passed up.

All in all, between the natural and man-made wonders, my Whales trip was the quintessential European vacation. It is a great choice for a family vacation because there is so much to do everywhere you go. Besides, what kid doesn’t love stories of castles and knights? I would also suggest this trip for anyone who loves the middle-ages or even anyone who would like to explore the more recent history of England. If you choose to take a trip to Whales, you will not regret your crazy adventurous blast from the past.