There is an outdoor ice skating area set up in Cardiff over the holidays but due to rain we decided to go skating at the indoor rink - planet ice instead. This was Abbie's first time on skates! She did awesome!
My first rugby game at Millennium stadium in Cardiff! Wales vs Argentina in the fall friendlies games. Notice the ball between the uprights in one photo.
Between our house and Cardiff there is the Museum of Welsh history on the grounds of St Fagan's Castle - a 16th century manor house. Its an open air museum that covers about 500 years of welsh history. There are over 40 original structures transported and re-erected from different historic periods. What great about this attraction is that its FREE via support from the Welsh government. This weekend the weather was good on Saturday so we packed up a picnic and headed to St. Fagans for a few hours.
Here is a video of the boys riding a hand cranked amusment ride:
Here is another video of the smithy. The boys were enamored with the blacksmith and I had to pry them out of there. Hunter says he wants to be a blacksmith so he can make swords. He's about 500 years too late.
Before we left, we wandered over to the Castle and Gardens. A great spot for a picnic next time we visit!
Wednesday was my birthday and also my dads last day in before heading back to Canada, so I took the day off. We had a birthday lunch with the kids.
For dinner we got a babysitter for the kids and Kelly, Dad and I went out and tried another new pub for us. The Pelican in her Piety near Ogmore by the Sea. A little more expensive than the average pub but the food was excellent, well presented with a nice pub atmosphere.
After a week back in the US, my dad flew back with me on my return trip May 19th to visit us for 3 weeks! His first international trip out of North America.
Saturday, after our arrival we had a cake and ice cream to celebrate Pappie's retirement!
The weather in Wales the past couple of weeks has been spectacular, so on Sunday we took the opportunity to visit Cardiff Castle. I had visited it over a year ago, but it was the first time for my dad, Kelly and the kids. During our visit we happened to catch 'Roman' day with displays and activities. The first few pictures are from the castle, and the last few are from the streets near the castle.
In the late afternoon, Hunter had a birthday party up in the village of Pontyclun. We decided to try a pub in the local area so we ate at the Boars Head pub in Pontyclun. Good pump ale, good atmosphere and good eats!
The kids enjoyed exploring the towers and the surrounding grounds. It was also fun for us as well - It was Kelly and Sue's first castle! There was actually a wedding being held in the castle the day we were there. The little cathedral inside the castle holds about 30 people. A few more pictures below. Of note - Abbies secret door thats just her size. Also on the exterior shots see if you can notice the kids at the base of the wall.
Still on my own on my trips to Wales for the time being so tonight I went with a few guys from work to a Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey game. Growing up in Canada the word Ice in 'Ice Hockey' is superfluous - it's just 'Hockey'! While the team has been around since 86, hockey in the UK is still a pretty minor sport far behind football (soccer) and rugby.
Cardiff plays in the BIH - The British Ice Hockey League with other teams from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Cardiff is the only Welsh team, and the most southerly team in the league. The players come from many countries. There are about half dozen Canadians represented on the team. It was a pretty exciting game with the winner finally being decided by a shootout after the score was tied up with 30 seconds in the game after pulling the goalie, and a scoreless sudden death overtime. Good fun!
