Cardiff

I never thought I'd say it would be easier for Kiwis to get into the UK than home, but it was. We scanned our passports and the gate opened. No queue. No humans. The sky was blue, It was hot. I wanted to go to the information desk and ask if we were in England. Maybe the new ETA visa system has helped. We arrived via Stansted which is not one of the major entry points, so that might be a factor too.

Our first night was at The Jolly Brewers in Bishop's Stortford. Bishop's Stortford turns out to be a nice village. Vicki and I had big grins on our faces because it all feels so familiar. Home away from home. It's also nice not communicating like a 3 year old. We've spent 8 weeks outside the English speaking zone.

The next morning we had three train journeys to reach Cardiff. Liverpool Street, London Paddington, Cardiff Central. The last leg was nearly an hour late arriving due to a host of reasons. They penalise themselves for late running services through an online claim system, we'll see how that goes.

Our arrival coincided with Cardiff's new temperature record for this time of year, a bit over 27c.

I noticed straight away that a lot of the locals speak Welsh. Who would have thought.

The river Taff in Cardiff

The old dock area in Cardiff Bay

Our accommodation is an apartment in a slightly posh street not too far from downtown Cardiff. All the houses are structurally identical, the owners just dress them differently.

You can still play bingo here

Cardiff has been a nice visit. The Castle grounds which are now just a public park are getting good use at the moment as the locals enjoy a preview of summer. I had my hair cut and the barber said last summer was just three hours one afternoon. I'm sure it wasn't.

We're about to head up the coast to spend a few days walking in Pembrokeshire.