Gower Bay, Swansea and Random Wales Locations

I realized we had more pictures from our Wales trip (the second half where we rented a seaside cottage at the end of the line, literally). A beautiful, cold place, but lots of fun. Mason was absolutely not available to pose for photos since he was rather mud-covered, like everyone else, after the quad adventure and NOT in the mood! We also went in an all-terrain vehicle called an Argocat. This way, Mom and Emma were able to enjoy the 4X4 experience as well. Later, the older kids had some quality archery time with a bit of instruction given by the Guiness Book of World Records' holder of most arrows shot in 5 hours--something like that :)














Emma, Marina, & Nico brave the chilly coast of Gower Bay

Pretty seaside cottages

Les trois petites étoiles de mer

This is Marina after faceplanting earlier in the day on her quad--she decided it wasn't worth cleaning up until she had some more muddy fun on the beach.

Nico man strikes a pose.

The three freezing, muddy musketeers. Quad mission accomplished!

Nico takes a spin on the kiddie track (he later graduated to the adult course).

Mason makes it look easy in slow mo.

Marina with very cold hands begging for my gloves . . . one minute later, my gloves are soaked in mud from her "crash." No injuries sustained.

Marina and Dad/Mark on the course.

Pretty gardens on the grounds of St. Fagans National Museum, the Welsh way of life village.

Swansea's cool performing arts venue at night.

The Swedish Church, a former church where Wales' Swedish fishermen used to gather back in the day. I think it's now a Roald Dahl museum?

Cardiff, How We Love Thee

Mark is pretending to hold up Caerphilly castle's leaning tower that is unfortunately not visible in this photo. We'll humor him, though.

The great hall (set for a Halloween wedding reception)

Watch your step . . . good for awkward tourists with children.

The glory of Caerphilly, 2nd largest castle in the UK (1st is Windsor) and still standing from the late 12 century.

Mark, Emma and the Daleks

Marina & Mason visit props from the "Dr. Who" set. That Versailles clown is downright disturbing.

Cardiff Town Hall and Ferris Wheel

We had a fun mid-term break (for the kids from school, that is) in the lovely country of Wales. The luckiest part was that it didn't rain, however, it was very nippy. We visited the sights in Cardiff and nearby (Cardiff Castle; Museum of Art-free!, Caerphilly Castle; St. Fagan's Welch Museum of Life-weird, a ghostown; the Dr. Who exhibit; the children's museum, Techniquest, and the town itself).

Cardiff Castle was right across the street from our glamorous Holiday Inn hotel and the rugby stadium, Millenium Stadium.

First Celebrity Sighting

So, it's probably not the first celebrity sighting (that I know of here in the UK), but we were in Cardiff, Wales recently.  As we awaited our seats in the fine eating establishment known as Pizza Express, I swear this man walks slowly out the door, incognito sunglasses, scruffy hair, skinny jeans, scarf and all--Welsh actor Rhys Ifans.  Rhys, it was you, yes?  The flatmate from Notting Hill and many other memorable character roles?  Please say it was because I know what I saw even though my husband thinks I'm crazy . . . 

Bath Time

Check out the bald, middle-aged thong dudes with sparklers between their buttcheeks! This was the first sight we came upon entering Bath--it pretty much knocked Mason out of his adolescent brooding and put him in a better mood. Nothing says wholesome family entertainment on the Sabbath like these guys, yes?

The abbey was lovely but we missed seeing the interior since it was only open a short while during our afternoon there. Instead we enjoyed a riverside picnic with our traveling companions, the Crane family. They are new to the area as well, and Mike just so happens to work for Cisco, too.

The Roman baths were cool. It's neat to be in this quintessential English town that just so happens to have ancient ruins in its centre. Or as my friend, Holly correctly pointed out, "You mean that the ruins were there first and the city was built around it?" Yes, my thoughts exactly :) Emma was a little tired--no strollers allowed--but it was an informative and interesting tour. Those Romans were pretty crafty for their day.

Mike & Holly Crane (7 months pregnant) with Mark and I (not pregnant but looking like I am!)

Cute Crane & Hamberlin kids

Stonehenge & Longleat

Way past due, this post! I haven't been able to catch up lately after returning from our weekend in the Bath area, but I'm getting there. We had the opportunity to travel to Stonehenge and to Longleat. Everyone knows the former, and it was cool to finally see it and mark it off the list of things to do. Nico was thrilled to listen to his audioguide and learn all about the background of this landmark--I love that kid. He's a little history nerd after my heart!

Our next stop was Longleat. Mark met up with us after flying in from Barcelona for work, so it was nice to be reunited. We also enjoyed the day with the Crane Family, a new family in the area like us, who coincidentally are with Cisco, too (and LDS). They have four kids around our children's ages and another on the way. Longleat is a safari park, chateau, and play area owned by the Marquis of Bath and his family. Just one of the perks of nobility. The safari was a drive through park, and the kids loved the monkeys jumping on cars and eating random debris. It was cool to see so many animals up close, including camels and rhinoceros. Later we explored the play area that had a huge hedge maze, a little boat ride with sea lions and a silverback guerrilla, and the lovely castle. Mark and Mike accompanied the kids to the playground while Holly and I took the more relaxing home tour. I then realized that after living all that time in France and seeing a gazilllion chateaux, I had never been inside one without my children. No, "don't touch that," or holding a screaming or wiggly child, no running past countless historical treasures while catching an escape artist. I could actually read the information posted and not rush through the tour. This realization almost brought tears to my eyes! Just the small pleasures in life, right? with dinner at a local pub (that initially refused our party of 12). I guess if we had been three men looking for some strong drink we would have been welcomed with open arms. It was, however, a wonderful meal with wonderful friends.