City and County of Swansea

We had mixed feelings on awakening in Cardiff this morning.

On the one hand we were pleased that it was a fine day, which we had sort of expected as we had checked the weather forecast the evening before and it stated “Friday will start off with possible showers, fog but then will become hot, at a maximum of 18 degrees. Stay hydrated and be sun-safe” 😳
On the other hand we were a little disappointed because the accommodation I had booked was not just the most economically priced room we had had so far - it was also a Weight Loss Centre - and even though I had ticked all the available options being offered on the booking form including Personal Training, Non-Invasive Liposuction and Oxygen Therapy, we hadn’t lost any noticeable weight in the 11.5 hours we had spent there. I was considering approaching the manager requesting a fee reduction.

We had a reasonably leisurely start, as once again nothing of interest opens here until 10am.

We walked down past Cardiff Castle through Bute Park and found that we had arrived at our first destination (The Museum of Cardiff) at exactly 9.48am. The doors were not open yet of course, but there were market stalls in the street outside which were starting to open up. This was perfect, as Loss had been complaining bitterly that I had given her no time in the itinerary for any shopping, markets etc. - which of course was simply not true. I had (on several occasions) allowed her ‘market time’ late in the afternoon after they were all shuttered up - but apparently this wasn’t good enough. So now I allowed her exactly 12 minutes of REAL market time this morning to peruse untold treasures of junk jewellery, scented candles and imitation designer sunglasses.
I don’t think she is as grateful of this as I feel she should be - sometimes she can be quite difficult to please.

The museum of Cardiff was interesting and we discovered that the street (and building) we had stayed in last night was quite historic.
From here it was a short walk back to Cardiff Castle which has origins stretching back to Roman occupation. We decided not to take the extensive (and expensive) tour of the innards of the Castle as we knew we would encounter many more castles on our journey, so we walked on to our final Cardiff destination which was the National Museum of Cardiff. Of particular interest here were some famous original artworks by Monet (Water Lillies).
‘We don’t know much about art, but we know what we like’

It was midday by the time we walked back to our weight-loss accommodation and drove off towards ‘The Gower’. This little peninsula is indeed a very scenic part of Wales and is where John and Sarah Owen live (Southgate). First stop was beyond their home at a place walled ‘Worm’s Head’. This was a particularly attractive part of the coastline and we enjoyed the walk out to the viewing point from the car park.

Next we visited ‘Three Cliffs Bay’ which is also a delightful beach tucked in between - you guessed it - three cliffs.
Finally, we backtracked a little to Oxwich Beach. The stinginess in me came to the fore here again. Faced with a £4 parking fee, or 1 hour of free parking at the shops a few meters away IF you bought something - we chose the latter. A £3 serve of hot chips allowed us to saunter down to the beach and enjoy our purchase and the view at the same time with an extra £1 in my pocket.
It was now a short drive back to John and Sarah’s house and it was absolutely wonderful to see them again and we were made to feel very welcome.

A coffee and extensive chatter in the gazebo in the back garden which was delightful - it was a hot day after all - then dinner out at a lovely local restaurant by the beach, was followed by a visit back to John’s mother and father and sister (Michael, Rishmal and Amy).
We spent a really enjoyable time with them at their home over coffee and tea before returning back to John and Sarah’s home.

All in all a great day was had.

We are now hoping that there will be a delayed effect from the ‘Weight Loss’ accommodation from last night and we’ll wake up slimmer and fitter in the morning.Read more