Cardiff and Tea

On Saturday, my friend Trever and I went to Cardiff for the day. Cardiff was amazing--unlike any place I had been before. The city is both modern yet medieval at the same time. We went to Cardiff Castle (the oldest castle in Wales) where we listened to an audio tour. There was a tower over a moat that required us to climb 120 narrow steps to get to the top. For the stunning view, those 120 steps were worth it. We also saw a cathedral, which had some fancy rooms. After our visit to the castle, we had a traditional lunch of cottage pie, which was fish and veggies with a mashed potato top. The pie came with peas and chips on the side, and we both had Shandys (beer and Schweppes). We spend the rest of the day walking around, especially through the arcades. The term "arcade" refers to the arches between the rows of stores
.
Cardiff Castle

Bridge on the tower--over a real moat!

We had to climb 120 (many of those narrow) stairs to get to the top

Cottage Pie with peas and chips

Walking in the park

Yesterday afternoon I had afternoon tea with three other girls from my flat. We had a very fun experience, enjoying traditional British tea, scones with jam and clotted cream, sandwiches, and pastries. Compared to "high tea" places, the place we went to was reasonable, as I had tea and scones for 6 pounds.

"Would you like some crumpets with your tea?"

Tea, darling?

Compared to the past weeks I have been here, this week is not too busy. Tomorrow night we are seeing The Comedy of Errors, and are going to Chartwell (Churchill's home) and Greenwich on Wednesday. I have 10 more days left here, and am hoping to go to the British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and have Indian food before I leave. We'll see what I can do!