UK again March 2010
Next up: March 2010. The weekend after Iff’s birthday, we went back down to England. On our way we had a night in Edinburgh, including lovely food at our favourite veggie restaurants. Then we got the train to London for a visit with Nick, Sarah and Wills. Wills is not so wee anymore! And he’s walking!!! We loved seeing all of them. We then spent a night in Cambridge, where we got to see Lib and James. We managed a wee trip to a local RSPB area, where we saw some birds (sorry, James, can’t remember which ones!) and deer. Then it was back to London, where we didn’t manage to meet up with Mary but did manage to catch a bus to Cardiff. Never again! It was a lot cheaper than the train to Cardiff, but the bus broke down when we were so close to Cardiff we could smell the daffs. A strip of metal was hanging off the bus, and the driver couldn’t do anything with it. We had to wait for about an hour on the side of the highway for a mechanic to come and saw the strip off. We were awfully relieved when we finally arrived in Cardiff.
Cardiff was lovely; we really enjoyed it. The hostel wasn’t the greatest experience, but we spent as little time in it as possible. We explored the whole city, taking in the castle and even a bus tour. (They have the second largest John Lewis in the UK, second only to London! And don’t you forget it!) We ate more than once at an amazing vegetarian restaurant with the most extensive menu I’ve ever seen. And we caught up on movies, taking advantage of the huge cinemas there. Loved it.
We took a day trip to Lydney Park, an estate not far away from Cardiff. It boasts some Roman ruins of a temple dedicated to the god Nodens. Chris (being a Noden) and I (having married a Noden) had been curious about this place for quite some time, and it was great to go there at last. It’s a large estate full of beautiful gardens and the ruins themselves. We went straight to the ruins and checked out the remains of the temple, bath house and guest house. The ruins aren’t built up at all, but there are signs to tell a bit about them. The thinking is that Nodens was revered as a god of healing in this place, and it’s believed that many visitors made pilgrimage to the temple for that reason.
We then wandered through the gardens, having been told that most of the flowers weren’t yet in bloom but we could see “the rhododendron”. (Only one?) We were pleasantly surprised to find more than just one rhododendron in bloom. There were various flowers in bloom and lots of bright colours to enjoy. We soaked it all up. We then explored the wee museum full of interesting bits and pieces from the ruins and elsewhere, and we had some tea and cake in the estate’s tearoom. We also had a nice walk to and from the estate and the train station in Lydney. All in all, it was an excellent day.
The next day we went from Cardiff to Bath, one of our favourite spots. We had lunch at Demuths, one of our favourite vegetarian restaurants, and wandered around absorbing the wonderful Bath atmosphere. Iff drank the nasty Bath water, as he always does. We then headed back to London. We only had the one night left there, but we managed to fit in a play, the very entertaining “The Little Dog Laughed”. As we left the theatre, someone famous was getting photographed as she got into a fancy car, but we still don’t know who it was!
The next day we got a train back to Aberdeen. We got back in time for Easter weekend, which we spent at the Hill. Lovely!
Cardiff was lovely; we really enjoyed it. The hostel wasn’t the greatest experience, but we spent as little time in it as possible. We explored the whole city, taking in the castle and even a bus tour. (They have the second largest John Lewis in the UK, second only to London! And don’t you forget it!) We ate more than once at an amazing vegetarian restaurant with the most extensive menu I’ve ever seen. And we caught up on movies, taking advantage of the huge cinemas there. Loved it.
We took a day trip to Lydney Park, an estate not far away from Cardiff. It boasts some Roman ruins of a temple dedicated to the god Nodens. Chris (being a Noden) and I (having married a Noden) had been curious about this place for quite some time, and it was great to go there at last. It’s a large estate full of beautiful gardens and the ruins themselves. We went straight to the ruins and checked out the remains of the temple, bath house and guest house. The ruins aren’t built up at all, but there are signs to tell a bit about them. The thinking is that Nodens was revered as a god of healing in this place, and it’s believed that many visitors made pilgrimage to the temple for that reason.
We then wandered through the gardens, having been told that most of the flowers weren’t yet in bloom but we could see “the rhododendron”. (Only one?) We were pleasantly surprised to find more than just one rhododendron in bloom. There were various flowers in bloom and lots of bright colours to enjoy. We soaked it all up. We then explored the wee museum full of interesting bits and pieces from the ruins and elsewhere, and we had some tea and cake in the estate’s tearoom. We also had a nice walk to and from the estate and the train station in Lydney. All in all, it was an excellent day.
The next day we went from Cardiff to Bath, one of our favourite spots. We had lunch at Demuths, one of our favourite vegetarian restaurants, and wandered around absorbing the wonderful Bath atmosphere. Iff drank the nasty Bath water, as he always does. We then headed back to London. We only had the one night left there, but we managed to fit in a play, the very entertaining “The Little Dog Laughed”. As we left the theatre, someone famous was getting photographed as she got into a fancy car, but we still don’t know who it was!
The next day we got a train back to Aberdeen. We got back in time for Easter weekend, which we spent at the Hill. Lovely!
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