On our fourteenth and final day in the UK we took the train from Cardiff to London Paddington Station. We had lunch in London and hung around Kensington Park until it was time to head back to Heathrow Airport, where we dinner before getting on our flight.
On our thirteenth and last full day in the UK we took a train to Llanwit Major, where we took a bus to Marcross. We meant to walk to a beach close by, but we went the wrong way and walked all the way to the beach by Monknash. The road was a small trail that went on for at least a mile with no signs. When we finally saw the beach it looked like a lousy beach strewn with rocks, but once we got out pas the small rocks it was breathtaking! From there we walked along the shore, stopping along the way, all the way back to Llanwit Major, where we had dinner.
On our twelfth day in the UK we explored the Gower Peninsula with Where When Wales Tours. First we visited the Swansea National Waterfront Museum. Then we went to the Swansea Bay, where we walked along the coast from Langlands to Caswell. Then we got some lunch at the Bay Bistro at Rhossili Bay, and walked around Worm's Head, which was really amazing! On our way back we visited King Arthur's Stone (Cefn Bryn). We had dinner back in Cardiff.
On our eleventh day in the UK we went on See Wales Tours' Mines & Mountains tour. First we drove to the Big Pit National Coal Museum. This is a real mine and it gets dark and you often have to duck down, but it was very informative. Afterwards we drove to Brecon where we had lunch and a tour of the Brecon Cathedral. The last leg of our tour was in Brecon Beacons National Park. When we returned to Cardiff we did some shopping and had dinner.
On our tenth day in the UK we woke up early to take a flight from Edinburgh Airport to Cardiff Airport in Wales. After checking in at our hotel we had a very nice lunch in Cardiff Central. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Cardiff Castle, which was a lot of fun. In the evening we took a cruise around Cardiff Bay before grabbing dinner.
Our ninth day in the UK was Eason's birthday. We tried to see a show in the morning, but arriving on time was too late and the doors were closed, so that sucked. Fortunately we spent most of the day climbing around the Salisbury Crags and Holyrood Park up to Arthur's Seat. It was amazing, and pretty scary at times. When we were done we had a great birthday dinner at Monteiths. Afterwards we saw another show: Murder She Didn't Write, which was very funny.
We spent our eighth day in the UK enjoying the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. We watched street performers perform tricks, make jokes and music. We had lunch and we saw two shows: Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew (by Dramawise and Sky Blue Theatre) and Good With Maps (by Siren Theatre Co). I enjoyed both of them.
On our seventh day in the UK we went straight from the hotel to exploring Edinburgh Castle. It was very cool. Afterwards we wandered around the Fringe festival to watch some street performers and get dinner.
On our sixth day in the UK, we woke up very early in the morning to take a train from London's King's Cross Station to York Station. York was such a charming place. We walked along the city walls, we took a cruise up and down the Ouse River, and we walked through The Shambles. There we lounged around, dined, and most importantly, the kids discovered the Bungee Flyer, which may have been the highlight of their entire trip. That evening we took a train from York Station to Edinburgh Station in Scotland.
On our fifth day we watched the changing of the guard, then we walked around Hyde Park. After lunch we watched some performers in Covent Gardens, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Churchill War Rooms museum. Then we walked back to Waterloo and grabbed dinner on the way.
On our fourth day we grabbed a quick breakfast and then went walking through Leadenhall Market to see Diagon Alley and the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Then we walked across the Tower Bridge, through the Borough Market, along the south bank, and to the London Eye. It was a long line to get on, but it was worth it. Afterwards we went to The Making of Harry Potter.
On our third day we took a tour bus from London to Stonehenge and Bath. In Bath we went to the Roman Baths and had a guided tour around the town. Afterwards we had dinner back in London.
On our second day in London we got on a hop-on-hop-off bus to take us around. Our first stop was a guided tour of the Tower of London. Afterwards we walked through Petticoat Lane to the Museum of London. We also took a cruise down the Thames River. Finally we had dinner in chinatown.
This year we took our longest and most ambitious vacation ever, 14 days traveling around the United Kingdom. At the airport we tried to have an authentic Irish meal, with Ireland being the only UK country were not visiting. We departed late and were pretty tired when we landed. Yet we still managed visit Parliament, and do some sightseeing around Westminster before grabbing dinner at the Red Lion Pub and returning to our hotel in Waterloo.
We went to visit the Maldonado family and we went tubing on their boat. This time Jack drove us around the lake. We had a lot of fun, as we always do.