Wales!

This morning we got a bit of a late start. Ethan said he needed to lay down and Chris wasn't feeling so hot either. Ethan seemed to feel better after lying down for a bit (and was not sick-thank goodness). Chris was moving slow and didn't feel great but was okay. Headed out at 11 and stopped for lunch in Bradford On Avon (cute town near Bath that winds along the sides of the Avon River) at the Barge Inn. Had fish cakes with hollandaise sauce and poached eggs and sweet corn and potato chowder. Turns out we had way too much food. Check out Hailey putting down the peas with a big spoon:

Part of Bradford on Avon:

We realized about a half hour after we left the restaurant that we had forgotten Hailey's lemon rain jacket but it was too late to turn around so we called and had them set it aside. Hailey is quite attached-don't want to lose it!

We passed over into Wales and paid the hefty bridge toll and immediately started seeing the signs with English and Welsh underneath. The language looks so funny-the words are so long and have lots of multiple letters. We looked it up and apparently only 16% of the people in Wales speak Welsh fluently. Hedd says that once you know the letters it is a very phonetic language. Hedd's girlfriend Lowri teaches 7 and 8yr. Olds I believe in a Welsh school. We reached Hedd's house in Port Talbot (very popular for mountain biking-one of the top spots in the world apparently) around 4:30pm and hung out for a bit and then went to dinner. Chris wasn't feeling well so he stayed back and had a nap and Hedd and the kids and I went to Afan Lodge for dinner. Poor Hedd, he had a near death experience when I pulled out a little bit and a semi truck was coming and I froze for a bit when I didn't know which side of the road to turn onto. Then we put the kids to bed and had some drinks (except for Chris who was having stomach issues) and played some poker and reminisced about our travels 10yrs ago and told stories. Hedd had traveled to pretty much all of the same places seperately so it was fun to compare stories/experiences. Hedd is a very animated storyteller-his story about the Sharks was a crackup! I ended up winning at poker, it's always fun to beat Chris. :)

Then on Saturday we headed around the Swansea Bay Area and then parked and walked around the Mumbles area. 

First thing first, we headed to Verdi's for gelato and Tirimisu. It tasted just like it does in Italy. Sooo good! Apparently Joe's is the other famed gelato place but Hedd said he liked Verdi's better.

Strolling happily after gelato at Verdi's:

Checking out the traditional Welsh Love Spoons. They have different shapes and symbols that mean different things. Some of them are super intricate with wood links and little balls that symbolise how many kids you'll have. All are handmade out of one piece of wood. Apparently they are a popular wedding present as well. We got one to hang in our kitchen that has interlocking swirls and a key hole and some other things.

Then we headed around the beautiful Gower Peninsula and parked and hiked down to this beach (rated top ten beaches in the world for watching the sunset):

See the castle at the top in the middle? We found out that Wales has the most castles per square mile out of anywhere in the world. I believe it! Anywhere you turn in Wales, there are castles!

Hailey ate a little sand of course. Part of a well-balanced diet. :)

Ethan and Hailey in a little cave they found:

Ethan managed to get wet of course so he had to sit in wet shoes, socks and jeans for awhile. Then we stopped for lunch at King Arthur's. Hedd bought some lemon scampi fries for Chris and I to try. They are crunchy and unique and quite tasty! And Dandelion and Burdock drink which was also very unique. Chris said it settled his stomach as well. 

We were about 5/10min away from the beach that was voted top 10 in the world (which apparently pissed off Australians for some reason). But the kids were in rare form and it was apparent that it was nap time so we needed to get back.

Chris and Ethan took a long nap. Hedd let Hailey smell all the different candles-she loved it! She has a little crush on him and would go up and hug his legs. We had a little dance party and started making cocktails. 

That night after we put the kids to bed, Hedd continued making different cocktails (and Chris felt well enough to have some drinks as well) and we had a late pulled pork dinner and more poker. It was great to spend some more time getting to know Lowri (she had some relatives visiting and a baby shower so we hadn't gotten to spend as much time with her). She's really nice! Hedd told a hilarious story about when his family was in France as a kid and they went to pick up his dad at the train station that stood right in front of Disneyland France, which had just opened. Young Hedd really wanted to go to Disneyland but his family said there was no time and that he could take his pic in front of the gates and pretend like he went. And then they accidentally left him in the car twice in a row (with little Hedd running after the car). So he still needs to go to Dismeyland France. :)

Sunday we went to Caerphilly Castle--a proper castle with a moat and drawbridge. Seriously the best castle we'd been to! Hedd was like a little tour guide, he said his family used to go to a different castle every weekend growing up. He showed us the slots that were meant for bows and arrows and the different lines of defense. This one also had a leaning partial tower (damage from one of the many raids). 

Our tour guide Hedd pointing stuff out at the main door:

Hedd and Lowri got Ethan a little foam sword and shield and Hailey a damsel cap and Chris and I a book about famous Welsh Americans to remember our trip to Wales. So nice of them! They totally gave up their bed for us (and slept in guest room) and were such great hosts-we were really spoiled by their generosity and had such a fun weekend!

Here is Ethan defeating Hedd:

Finally "inside" the main part of the castle with the princess and knight:

I'm surprised by how much Hailey likes her princess cap (usually she wants to take hats off straightaway). Maybe because she likes being a princess. :)

Main Hall:

Moat:

Trebuchets:

Cross bow:

We had to get the Caerphilly Cheese of course! And try out these crisps:

Our little damsel (not in distress):

When we got home, it was sunny and nice so Chris got the double bike trailer up and running (it took a little Jerry rigging) and we took our first bike ride of the season down the quay path. We saw some kite boarders in the park which was interesting to watch. And got some super greasy fish and chips nearby (we determined that Lakeside Fish and Chips is way better). 

Chris thinks that Hailey looks like a storm trooper in her bike helmet--it's her first time wearing it actually (it is the double bike trailer's maiden voyage-we needed a connection part for a long time): 

We had a great time in Wales and recently found out from Chris' parents that Shult is actually Welsh. We knew Chris had Welsh heritage but we didn't know that that's where his last name came from. Kind of interesting! Hedd told us all sorts of tidbits about Welsh history. Man, they were not treated very nicely (they used to occupy England and got pushed into Wales and there are still all of these laws in parts of England stating things like "if you spot a Welshman, you can shoot him with a bow and arrow."!? Hedd said we are welcome to come back another weekend and we might just do that. :)