By the time we got from Cardiff airport to the hotel it was quite late so we didn't get to appreciate it until the next morning, and appreciate it we did. The city centre has real charm and I even purchased a grey bowler hat.
I should mention a curious fact about bathroom showers in the UK - no two have ever had the same tap arrangement. This may not sound much, but honestly they can be totally different and it regularly took some nipple-stiffening moments before the mechanics could be figured out. The low point of the journey so far came in Cardiff when I found myself googling up instructions. Will we ever find two the same? Only time will tell.
From Cardiff we headed out for two nights in Bath. This would prove to be one of the highlights of the trip so far. Bath has to be one of the most amazing cities in the world for architecture and character - and we saw all this in weather so balmy we were regularly hot. We did bus tours, we wandered around, we visited the baths (far more interesting than I expected to honest) and were gobsmacked by the cathedral. Oh, and we drank plenty of pints.
Not only is Bath brilliant, it's not far from Stonehenge and Salisbury and both are worth a visit, so we did just that. Stonehenge has an awe and aura of such a different time, and Salisbury cathedral has to be one of the greatest churches in the world. Words fall short - awesome will have to do. And Salisbury itself is a really amazing city - sort of like Bath, but sort of not at all, if that makes any sense.
To top it all off we've stayed at this charming old village pub in a charming old village called Hinton Charterhouse. The Rose and Crown - http://roseandcrown.butcombe.com - brilliant.
One thing you really notice about England is the strangely disturbing names they give to their towns and villages. When we were in London our tube line went to Cockfosters ... Made me smile every time they announced it. We'll probably visit Upper Slaughter in the Cotswolds, and we're currently staying near Limpley Stoke - and yes there is a Lower and an Upper Limpley Stoke - the latter sounds distinctly painful. I'm expecting that on one of our trips we'll be driving along and find ourselves entering somewhere called Upper Bottom, Nipplestoke or Fondler's Knob.
Oh, and one last feature of driving around rural England ... If you're not in a narrow winding lane stuck behind a tractor or truck then you're not really in England - you're probably at home, still asleep dreaming about wonderfully empty country lanes.
Tomorrow back into Wales, where the surname Jones isn't as rare as it is in Australia.
I should mention a curious fact about bathroom showers in the UK - no two have ever had the same tap arrangement. This may not sound much, but honestly they can be totally different and it regularly took some nipple-stiffening moments before the mechanics could be figured out. The low point of the journey so far came in Cardiff when I found myself googling up instructions. Will we ever find two the same? Only time will tell.
From Cardiff we headed out for two nights in Bath. This would prove to be one of the highlights of the trip so far. Bath has to be one of the most amazing cities in the world for architecture and character - and we saw all this in weather so balmy we were regularly hot. We did bus tours, we wandered around, we visited the baths (far more interesting than I expected to honest) and were gobsmacked by the cathedral. Oh, and we drank plenty of pints.
Not only is Bath brilliant, it's not far from Stonehenge and Salisbury and both are worth a visit, so we did just that. Stonehenge has an awe and aura of such a different time, and Salisbury cathedral has to be one of the greatest churches in the world. Words fall short - awesome will have to do. And Salisbury itself is a really amazing city - sort of like Bath, but sort of not at all, if that makes any sense.
To top it all off we've stayed at this charming old village pub in a charming old village called Hinton Charterhouse. The Rose and Crown - http://roseandcrown.butcombe.com - brilliant.
One thing you really notice about England is the strangely disturbing names they give to their towns and villages. When we were in London our tube line went to Cockfosters ... Made me smile every time they announced it. We'll probably visit Upper Slaughter in the Cotswolds, and we're currently staying near Limpley Stoke - and yes there is a Lower and an Upper Limpley Stoke - the latter sounds distinctly painful. I'm expecting that on one of our trips we'll be driving along and find ourselves entering somewhere called Upper Bottom, Nipplestoke or Fondler's Knob.
Oh, and one last feature of driving around rural England ... If you're not in a narrow winding lane stuck behind a tractor or truck then you're not really in England - you're probably at home, still asleep dreaming about wonderfully empty country lanes.
Tomorrow back into Wales, where the surname Jones isn't as rare as it is in Australia.
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