Uplands Hotel St. Helier

... a huge wall of water. I ducked back into the tank bag in time, but everyone else got drenched from head to foot. When we stopped at the next lights everybody was in fits of laughter, except David & Colin who had escaped up ahead & had no idea what we were laughing at.

Going back to today, we are now very comfy in Steve's luxurious static caravan & eating a Chinese take-away.

Well - being in Cardiff was good since it is the closest airport, being on a 2-hr drive to the hotel. But had to wait about an hour for the rental car place to open up.

At least I got to go through the visitor information brochures and grab a bite at Burger King.

... up to the rest of the art on the second floor. Not a bad collection. Good Impressionist paintings, including some Monets I remembered seeing in my art history textbook senior year, and Rodin's The Kiss.

I nearly had to run to Cardiff Castle afterwards to get in before the last entry time of the day. I wound up getting a premium tour ticket so I could get into more rooms. The castle was really decorated under this coal mining mogul Lord Bute, I ...

... doesn't live onsite - so we have an entire hostel to ourselves! Wandered across the road to the pub (naturally!) where we discovered beer, fish and chips and internet access! The people of Wales are just amazing, so kind, generous and genuine. We've had people ask us if we need directions, if we're enjoying wales, and the bar maid at the pub is giving Josh multiple free beers so he can sample them all !!

... sitting!

So after we unloaded our bags (which have gotten considerably heavier after a few days of retail therapy in London!) we headed off into the city. We're staying pretty much in the middle of the city centre, with a massive shopping strip just up the street. We also checked out Cardiff Castle which is a great example of a castle that has been modified by various conquerors over the years, and has amazing examples ...

... but quickly found out that the rate had been 100 rupees per area that was henna’d – so the new total was 300 rupees. This seemed fairly steep and my suspicions were confirmed when a boy in the crowd shouted out that the going rate for locals was only 50 rupees – after he announced this he was scolded by some of the other men in the crowd who informed him to keep his mouth shut as British people ‘deserve to pay higher prices’ after their ruling in India ...

... country pub to have dinner. We found the Honey Cafe and their TexMex menu. Dean had meatballs and spaghetti, I had enchiladas with rice and salad and a side order of refried beans. We even squeezed in dessert - a home-made blueberry pie. Monday 29th May we got up early, packed up our tent and headed south to Cardiff. We didn't need to get up early because nothing opened until 9:30 anyway. Except a coffee stall and a sports shoe shop where I very nearly got a pair of ...

... site of Wales’ largest castle built in the thirteenth century. Even now its monstrous size still conveyed a foreboding air of impenetrability to two would-be marauders brandishing cameras, and the grey, drizzly conditions and lack of other visitors only added to the haunting atmosphere.

I very much enjoyed the afternoon, driving along rural roads through the very heart of Wales. The narrow by-ways, wet ...

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... don't give detailed route information. As a result, I had to rely on the kindness of the bus drivers to tell me where my stops were. Fortunately, they were very helpful. As for which ticket to buy, we looked into getting individual day passes. But, Cardiff Bus also offered a party of four day pass that was just slightly more expensive than the individual day pass. The party of four day pass is good for two adults and two children. So, if you're traveling with ...