Donaldson Crew Adventures

A full day in Dublin!

We met up with the Facchini family again in the morning and went to the Dublin Zoo.  Their son Rocco was also turning 4 so we celebrated his birthday with lunch & cake inside the Zoo.  

Since we were in Dublin, I couldn't leave without going to the Guinness factory, so that was our outing for the afternoon after returning from the Zoo.... kids included!  Your ticket includes a free pour from the bar, but only on the adult tickets:)  The kids got soft drinks.

In the evening I booked a babysitter in advance for a Saturday night out.  The Facchini's (Christine and Pete) were also with us for the evening.  We went to the oldest pub in Ireland - The Brazen Head (dating back to 1198!) for a dinner event that included traditional Irish food, Irish storytelling and music.  Kelly and I are now an expert in such topics as Irish Fary's!  After dinner we walked back to the Temple Bar district and listened to live music and drank beer in an Irish Pub until it was time to relieve the babysitter at Midnight.

A great day in Dublin Ireland!

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. 

After some morning  rain it cleared in the afternoon so we decided to head down to Cardiff Bay and ended up having beautiful weather. 

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 the kids went to bed, dad stayed home with the kids, while Kelly and I went out to another popular local pub called the Plow and Harrow.  This pub dates back to 1183 when the area was farmed by local monks.  They have a great selection of ales, and have live music there on saturday nights, and lots of outdoor space.  Beer festival coming up there in mid june too!  Preston has been feeling a little under the weather so we brought him along.  He was enjoying some good pea mash, and then abruptly decided he was done by throwing up in Kelly's lap. We were finished our dinner anyhow so made a quick exit, but got these couple pictures before leaving.

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!

 

Date night at the local pub in Wick. - The Lamb and Flag.   It's about a mile and a half from our house just down the street from where the kids will go to school.  According to the (new) owner, this public house dates from the 16th century.  The beef and ale pie was excellent!