Exploring Cardiff and Bristol

Today we ventured to Wales to explore Cardiff, and back into England to explore Bristol.

We started our day with coffee in our hotel room, and then immediately hit the road to Cardiff. The drive to Wales was uneventful, and we secured parking in a garage in the center of town once we arrived in Cardiff.

To start our exploration of the city we checked out the High Street Arcade and Castle Arcade, which are really cool indoor shopping areas that are essentially streets covered with a glass roof. The shops in the arcades were very boutique, with unique stores covering everything from food, collectibles, to barbers and tattoo shops.

After the Arcades we headed to Cardiff Castle, which is a centerpiece of the town. Once there we checked out the ruins of an old Roman wall(the Roman’s once subjugated Wales), and a system of tunnels in the walls of Cardiff castle where civilians had hidden during world war 2 bombing raids. Next we explored the mansion on the property where the last owner of the castle had lived; there were some very ornate and interesting rooms, that were decked out with splendid tile and statue work. Finally, we explored the castle keep, which was a tower in the center of the complex that gave us a great view of our surroundings.

After the castle we grabbed food and tea/coffee at a tea house in the downtown, and then walked to Cardiff Market to check out the many food vendors in this covered marketplace. We bought Welsh cakes which are essentially biscuit cookies that have a very thick consistency, and loved them!

After Cardiff market we hopped on a water taxi to Cardiff bay, where we walked around and checked out the local architecture and the nice views. From the bay we walked back to our car park through town to get more of a feel for the city.

We headed next to Bristol where we explored the old town, which was very lively and filled with bars and restaurants. We walked through the bulk of the area, checking out the local park(queen square), the waterfront, and Bristol Cathedral and City Hall. After we found a welcoming local pub to grab dinner, and then headed home for the night. Tomorrow we have a long travel day to link up with the rest of the Warmerdam clan!Read more