Today we're touring southern Wales. We spent time last night figuring out where we wanted to go since there were several options in the area. Well, silly us, our driver had different ideas and he made it quite clear we were going with his plan not ours. So, off we go!
Did I mention it rains a lot in Wales??? We again had soggy weather to deal with today. We were determined not to let it dampen our spirits however. Our first stop was at the second largest castle (behind Windsor) in the UK, Caerphilly Castle. While not totally restored, there are many interior rooms that are still intact. The displays were a little different than some, but it was still a castle. And we were wet. Very wet.
Earlier this morning, our driver had mentioned an outdoor folk museum that we could visit. I don't know if you've ever visited one of these, but they bring in buildings from all over the country and set them up in a large area where you can walk from building to building and learn a little about the culture. They can be interesting, but if you've visited one you really don't need to visit another. We decided that this might not be something we wanted to do in the rain, so we got up the nerve to tell Derrick that we were taking it off our list of places to visit. He did not take this well, telling us how nice it was and that it was free. We finally told him we might consider it if it stopped raining (and we were knocked unconscious and abducted by aliens). Just kidding about the last part. Well, not really.
Our next stop was the capital city of Wales, Cardiff. While Wales is part of the UK, they do have their own assembly where they handle matters that pertain to their citizens. The city is on the ocean which also makes it an important city too. We wondered around the shops, attempting to stay in the arcades to keep from getting WET. We were able to purchase the much desired dragon t-shirts but passed on the much pushed "love spoons".
Did I mention it rains a lot in Wales??? We again had soggy weather to deal with today. We were determined not to let it dampen our spirits however. Our first stop was at the second largest castle (behind Windsor) in the UK, Caerphilly Castle. While not totally restored, there are many interior rooms that are still intact. The displays were a little different than some, but it was still a castle. And we were wet. Very wet.
Earlier this morning, our driver had mentioned an outdoor folk museum that we could visit. I don't know if you've ever visited one of these, but they bring in buildings from all over the country and set them up in a large area where you can walk from building to building and learn a little about the culture. They can be interesting, but if you've visited one you really don't need to visit another. We decided that this might not be something we wanted to do in the rain, so we got up the nerve to tell Derrick that we were taking it off our list of places to visit. He did not take this well, telling us how nice it was and that it was free. We finally told him we might consider it if it stopped raining (and we were knocked unconscious and abducted by aliens). Just kidding about the last part. Well, not really.
Our next stop was the capital city of Wales, Cardiff. While Wales is part of the UK, they do have their own assembly where they handle matters that pertain to their citizens. The city is on the ocean which also makes it an important city too. We wondered around the shops, attempting to stay in the arcades to keep from getting WET. We were able to purchase the much desired dragon t-shirts but passed on the much pushed "love spoons".
With time to kill and the threat of sunshine, we gave one more castle a go, this one Cardiff Castle. This one decided to throw in a WWII twist with bomb shelters in the lower part of the castle walls. The older part of the castle was built on a mound which gave it an interesting feel.
Afraid that if we returned to the car too soon we would be forced to visit the folk museum, we decided to take a pub break. Brains is the local brew in southern Wales, so we tried a pint. I was very disappointed that they had just sold out of the bacon chocolate ale. They really have some interesting flavors here! Feeling safe to start our journey back, we called our guide to pick us up. Well, he brought up the folk museum again! We again insisted that we were passing it up on this trip. Derrick was crestfallen, certain we were missing the highlight of our trip, and it was FREE. I think at this point, he wrote us off as typical tourist, not really appreciating the finer stops along the way. So be it, we held firm and returned to our manor house.
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