Blogs from Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

Today caught the train to Cardiff Bay. We walked to Mermaid Quay which is part of Cardiff Bay for a coffee. It was graduation day at the local university so we watched the graduates and their parents. The women not used to heels and dads in suits that only come out for weddings and funerals. We then went for a little bit of a walk to check out the Quay, stopped at The Mount Stuart pub where we met up with Paul and Jules for lunch.After lunch went for a walk around Cardiff Bay. Some things I learnt today: 1. The site where the Dr Who Experience is has been sold and they want to pull it down to build flats. Whovarians everywhere need to protest about this. 2. There is a Wales Coast Path 1400km ... read more

We were yet again reminded why we really were missing Suzy as we spent a night in a travel lodge. It was difficult to book, the room was cold until we found the heater switches, we were stuck in single beds. Not the fantastic Hypnos beds they advertise but older ones not so comfy. The carpets were functional but faded, the desk old fashioned and the shower cubicle utilitarian. There was even a door way boarded up between our room and the next . Obviously the room had been a joint family one in some dim and distant time and now had wallpaper covering it and the locks punched out. Our evening meal was at the Toby Carvery next door. Busy and functional was about all we could say. Not the best carvery meal we have ... read more

D Day minus 49 - it is quite incredible how time flies when you are having fun. A week away has brought us ever closer to our Greek odyssey. We have enjoyed being away, sitting watching the waves rolling in to the beach and warming our toes in front of the wood burner. Oddly overnight though we started to think where else we could go to. We have missed Suzy and the fact that in a motorhome we can move when we feel like it. It has felt distinctly odd not having our belongings with us or to hand and even odder being hunkered down. We could stay another two days. We even thought about the money we had paid for our idylic cottage but in the end we got the wanderlust feeling and it was ... read more

Geo: 51.4813, -3.1805Breakfast in Birmingham on the steps of the cathedral then some shoe shopping. Some people collect tea towels or magnets on holiday. Without meaning to, I am collecting shoes. My sandals I bought in Croatia to replace a broken pair had to be replaced in Birmingham.The train trip was uneventful through some picturesque countryside and our hotel was again conveniently close to the railway station. Unfortunately I might have overdone the search for cheap hotels though. The best I can say is it is close to everything.Cardiff Castle was redecorated extensively in the 1880s in grand style but dates back to Roman times. It was a pleasant hour or so with good audio commentary and a few photos taken. It was interesting to see they had owls and falcons to keep the rodents under ... read more

Well I finally got to take a ferry across the Mersey in Liverpool even if it meant listening to Gerry and the Pacemaker’s famous song “Ferry cross the Mersey” over the ferry’s loudspeaker 3 times. Very cheesy but I have to admit that I do like the song and know all the words!! Pete and I are finding it fascinating listening to the different accents as we travel the UK, from the broad sound of the Yorkshire men to the Liverpuddlians who all sound either like the Beatles or Lulu (depending on their gender of course)! We are now in Wales and last night at our pub stop we just sat and listened to the locals conversing in Welsh with the occasional English word thrown in here and there presumably because it was quicker to say. ... read more