After two planes (Newark to Heathrow, Heathrow to Manchester) and three trains (Manchester to Newton-Le-Willows, Newton-Le-Willows to Chester, Chester to Llandudno Junction), I finally arrived this afternoon in Llandudno, Wales. Incredibly, all of my connections were on time and went smoothly. However, I was completely exhausted by the time I got to my hotel so I took a long nap after a quick look at my beautiful surroundings of blue skies and sea, greenery and rock. The paved promenade is flanked by a rocky coast on one side and Victorian architecture on the other, and the whole effect is a picture-perfect seaside as you can see above.

Before I knew it, it was time for dinner. There are plenty of restaurants in town and I wasn’t sure where to go. My first choice was a charming pub called Cottage Loaf, but alas they had stopped serving food at 6 PM. Two locals pointed me toward the British chain Fat Cat, which I had never heard of but decided to try. In an area that tends to offer traditional establishments for an older crowd, Fat Cat stood out as a hip restaurant/bar/lounge with a modern menu. I had the Fat Cat Chicken Bati, which was their spin on an Indian dish with rice, naan and mango chutney. I’ll try for something more authentic tomorrow, but this was certainly an enjoyable first meal.