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UK Vacation Day 4 Recap

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: animals, aqua bus, cardiff, pictures, seagulls, train, travel, uk, water bus

13 October 2013

On our fourth day in the UK, we wrapped up our time in Cardiff by checking out the castle and taking an AquaBus down to the bay. I decided to give the seagulls by the bus stop my buttercream frosting on a whim, not thinking they’d completely devour it. We got a chance to shop around Mermaid Quay down at the bay and grabbed some yummy lunch before walking back to the hotel. I found the coolest set of hooks to put by the door at our new condo while there. Along the way back, we stopped to get me a cool purse and some Welsh stuff (I chose a set of coasters). Then it was off to the train station to make our way to York!

[Need to catch up? Read Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 recaps.]

collage of breakfast items offered at executive lounge at hilton cardiff

We started off our day with breakfast in the executive lounge.

panoramic view of living room space in suite at hilton cardiff

We got a suite this time, with a large living room.

collage of room and bathroom at hilton cardiff

The bedroom had a post in the middle, which made it feel like a smaller cozier space. The bathroom came with separate bathtub and shower!

view of multiple floors of hilton cardiff hotel from inside glass elevator

The glass elevators offered a view of a lobby area and many floors.

Off we went towards Cardiff Castle across the street!

pausing to eat cupcake in middle of street in cardiff

I took a moment to eat the celebration cupcake.

typical welsh road in cardiff with buildings close together and welsh flags everywhere

Tons of Welsh flags flying in Cardiff.

butte park entrance path with sign in cardiff

We kept going to Butte Park, where the nearest Aqua Bus stop was located.

collage of seagull eating buttercream frosting

As we sat waiting for the bus, I put out the buttercream I hadn’t eaten. Little did I know the seagull would gobble it up.

seagull pecking at ground very close to person's feet outstretched on the rocks

These seagulls were pretty bold.

aqua bus water bus arriving at bus stop dock in cardiff

Here comes our Aqua Bus!

swan with butt sticking up and head submerged in water seeking food

On the way down to Cardiff Bay, we caught this swan sticking its butt up as it dove for food.

bevy of swans gathered at driveway that slopes down to the water

So many swans out here!

view of mermaid quay at cardiff bay from south side

Arriving at Cardiff Bay, ready to explore.

mallard duck with large swollen cheeks the size of ping pong balls

Aww, look at the duck with its giant swollen cheeks!

street at mermaid quay, with gbk visible on right side

Time to do some shopping. The gbk is where we ended up getting lunch.

standing on sidewalk near wifi signal, looking at phone

I often found myself stopping to access wifi to save on data.

I’m so glad I found this moustache hook thing. My first purchase for the new condo!

collage of gourmet burger fish burger, cheeseburger, and fries

At gourmet burger kitchen, I got the Captain Cook (fish burger with rocket salad), which was a completely new and DELICIOUS taste for me. Panda got a cheeseburger and we shared shoestring fries. The ketchup container is so cute!

panoramic of wales milliennium centre at mermaid quay cardiff bay

As we left, we passed this giant building – the Wales Millennium Centre.

cluster of black and red wild berries on bush

We came across some berries that I was tempted to pick, but who knows if they were ok to eat…

What cute rows of houses!

marks & spencer teriyaki beef salad bites in mooli ribbons

At the train station, we browsed food and I wanted to try these but still had plenty of food.

wifi signals at cardiff train station with italian-inspired names

What’s up with all these Italian-inspired wifi names at the train station?

collage of cardiff train station and train arriving

Waiting for our train to take us from Cardiff up to York!

collage of yelp notice of queen status and new gold theme

Woo hoo, I became the Queen of Cardiff on Yelp while I was out there!

long watering pole for reaching plants up high

At one stop, I noticed how easily this guy was watering the flowers. Cool tool!

We got to York after dark so that’s all the pictures for the day!

UK Vacation Day 3 Recap

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: cardiff, castles, experiences, food, gifts, hotels, london, panda, pictures, trains, travel, uk, united kingdom, wales

26 September 2013

Check out my UK Day 1 recap and UK Day 2 recap, then read on for Day 3! We spent about half the day prepping for and traveling to Cardiff, then got a chance to explore the city in the afternoon and evening. It was a nice quiet, yet active time together in this beautiful place. 🙂

view of victoria station in london from nearby hotel

From our hotel, we could see Victoria Station, so it was very easy to get to the train!

interior of victoria station in london with skylights and british flags

The interior of Victoria Station is nice and airy, with plenty of natural sunlight.

bike parking area with dozens of bikes inside victoria station in london

There were a ton of bikes parked there.

delice de france baguette display at victoria station in london

Before boarding the train, I browsed the selection at Delice de France for my lunch.

chicken chorizo baguette sandwich from delice de france bakery

I ended up getting the chicken chorizo baguette to eat on the train and it was delicious!!

pink and blue striped circus tents beyond railroad tracks

Along the way, we saw the circus in a town.

Hello Cardiff! I’m finally in Wales!

dog standing with large piece of tree branch in mouth

What an ambitious dog, carrying around a giant tree branch.

The flowers make the street all pretty.

congratulations message written in chocolate on plate with vanilla buttercream cupcake

Yay, celebration!

heavy cloud coverage over buildings in cardiff

It’s sunny but it’s gloomy ’round these parts.

view of cardiff castle from nearby hotel

Got a view of the Cardiff Castle from the hotel lounge.

small garden with maze-like design in cardiff

A fun little garden area across the street.

collage of executive lounge snacks including fruits, desserts, condiments, cookies, and sugar

The executive lounge provided a variety of snacks!

pink gumdrop station in cardiff for recycling gum

Haha, can’t say this is what I imagine when I hear “gumdrop” but it’s a nice way to discourage gum where you don’t want it.

We walked through an industrial zone that was intimidating, but at least there were pretty flowers!

swan on picturesque river in cardiff wales

We tried walking to this Cardiff Bay we heard about, but couldn’t quite figure out what there was to see. It was pretty along the way at least!

So many swans around here! I love it.

As we were walking along the river, we heard a splash and saw some movement out of the corner of our eyes. We thought it was a bird diving into the water to get a fish, so we watched and waited for it to come up. A few minutes later, what did we see? A GINORMOUS FLYING FISH! I mean, it was like a foot and a half long and propelled itself out of water better than salmon swimming upstream. I tried to get a video of it but we never saw it again. Sad times.