Friday, August 27, 2010

Wales – “See I told you they talk funny over here!”

First of all, let me explain this quote... Bee heard some people talking what she thought was Welsh but it was in fact Japanese. Easy mistake – could happen to anyone!
We arrived in Cardiff ready for a huge day of sightseeing. Fair to say there wasn’t an abundance of tourist attractions to keep us occupied, however we enjoyed strolling along the Marina and river, sipping cocktails while eating dim sum and laughing our heads off at a comedy show.
And then it was time to donne the lycra and hydration packs (yes, Bee laughed at the time when Gerard wanted to buy them in Aus, but they actually did come in handy. Mind you, we still haven’t used the compass!!) and embark on the 100km Taff Trail bicycle trail. The trail spans from Cardiff city centre through small villages and parklands until Brecon, at the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park. After a full day of riding, behinds began to ache, Gerard’s handle bars slowly twisting (making it dangerously hard to break) and Bee was a tad cold.... Despite this, the ride was extremely enjoyable and scenic, and we reached our first night stopover in the small town of Merthyr Vale relatively unscathed. A beer and a pub meal at a typical Welsh pub were a must (mind you, couldn’t understand a word of what the locals were saying – were they speaking English or Welsh? Or Japanese?), the owners of the attached B&B were so friendly and welcoming.
On ya bike the next day and what does it do. Rain. Lots. Oh Bee wasn’t sure if it was tears or raindrops falling down those cheeks... Gerard – very encouraging though!!! Again after some scenic views of mountains and lakes, we finally arrived in Brecon and could not wait for a hot shower! Fair to say we also slept well that night too.
The aching legs couldn’t take anymore riding so we had to figure out how to get our rented bikes back to Cardiff without having to ride them. After much sweet talking from Gerard, we were allowed to manoeuvre them on to both a public bus and train – back to the city of dreams....


Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Right on in Brighton & Bathing in Bath

We took the opportunity (at the advice of Gerard’s wise cousin) to spend some time seeing the sights of the UK for the remainder of the sunny weather on offer – ‘otherwise we would never see it’. The seaside town of Brighton was the first day venture, bringing us pebbled beaches, a carnival pier (where we felt like 5 year olds again placing pennies in machines next to grandmas) and a nice bike ride that wasn’t too nice when the wind and clouds decided to make their way over and against us... Unfortunately Bee has stuck to her guns and it seems like her feet will remain firmly planted on the floor – but I’ll still try to get her on at least one ride in our time here! Into the laneways and markets we headed for a shop and a nice little peek at some of the lovely graffiti on offer.

The older town of Bath was a delight to visit, taking in the old Roman ruins and some blue green algae. In all historical seriousness, it was quite a sight and astonishing that they still remain as remains. Similar to this was the visit to Stonehenge (bizarre that this formation is in the middle of nowhere!). We did our best to make it Brickhenge but unfortunately it doesn’t have the same ring to it... Highlight of the trip had to be the comedy tour at night that took us through some of the unknown streets and had us in drowning in tears!