Wales Weekend

For Easter weekend we went to the Gower peninsula in Wales with 5 other Americans who live in London.  We stayed at the Blas Gwyer in Llangennith, Wales.  I can't find the official population, but to give you an idea the town has a church, a pub, a surf shop, a couple of B&Bs and about 30 houses.  Definitely the smallest village that I have ever spent a night in and a drastic change in pace from London. We went four whole days with no TV or Internet.  We were not roughing it as we were staying in a boutique B&B that was quite nice.  It actually had  a flat screen TV and Internet, but our TV had some issues and the wireless was down so decided it would be a good 'break'.

Our first full day in Llangennith I decided to give surfing a try.  Even in a full wet suit it was still pretty chilly.  I had envisioned my first surfing experience being in a warmer climate, but how many people can say that they surfed for the first time in Wales?  Brady and Cory enjoyed playing in the sand watching.  I wouldn't say that I was good, but I did get up so I'm calling it a success.  I am ready to book a trip to Hawaii so I can practice some more.

That evening we called Bill the Bus, our transportation for the weekend, and had him take us to the Brittania in Llanmadoc.  We had a wonderful meal.  Highlights were the lamb steak and sticky toffee pudding.  Brady enjoyed playing outside in their garden which had a slide, rabbits & birds. 

Saturday we ventured into Swansea for the day.  We hung out in the city centre and had a picnic.  Brady had fun on the carousel and insisted that he ride more than once.  He picked out a bus to ride on the first go round and when he was done he said he needed to go on the motorbike.  After the motorbike go round he thought he should try out another vehicle, but we decided to put a stop to it as it could have been an all afternoon activity and at £1.50 per 2 minute ride it could have gotten pretty expensive.  While we were in Swansea we also sampled local Welsh cakes from the market.  I think they taste a lot like a shortbread cookie, but have a softer texture.

On Sunday we hiked to Rhossili, which is another village on the Gower peninsula.  It is set up high on the cliffs and overlooks the beach.   Rhossili is near Worm's Head which is one of the most recongizable landscapes in Wales.  When the tide is high Worm's Head is an island, but at low tides you can cross over the rocks.

 

Highlights of our trip to the Gower Peninsula:

• Brady's view - Digging in the sand, throwing rocks, jumping off the rocks, lots of sheep and llamas, his new Toy Story Mr. Potato Head, hanging out with his new 'friends'.
• Cory's favorites - Full Hot Welsh Breakfast each morning, eating some of the world's best lamb, beautiful scenery, relaxing with the family, Brew Dog at the King's Head.
• Kari's favorites - disconnecting from the world (although this was difficult), taking in the sites, surfing for the first time.