A day in Penarth

It's been a while!

Wednesday the 27th, I bought my ticket for The Welsh Varsity Match: Cardiff University versus Swansea University (April 24th!). I also bought a t-shirt to show my support.

I met up with three friends (Caitlin, Laura and Kirsten B.) whilst ordering tickets. They happened to be going to Penarth for the day. I decided that this seemed much more exciting than what I had planned (which wasn't anything).

We caught the bus from the centre of Cardiff and we were off!

Note: Since I wasn't expecting an adventure, all I had was my camera phone. Apologies in advance for quality.

Boat rentals

Palm Trees?! The Gulf Stream works wonders, I guess.

Gorse! I've always heard of it, but now I've seen it in real life.

Penarth seemed like it would be a lovely place in the summer. It had the feel of a resort town. Visiting on the off-season felt a little odd, but it was still quite lovely.

We were trying to visit a Medieval Village (here), but we arrived there after the last tour had left. We made the most of it though.

Wetlands preserve

Medieval Village

Another view of the village

We wandered around in some fields. There were lots of people walking their dogs here, so I got some much-needed dog time.

So expansive

We took multiple photos of ourselves frolicking in the fields here.

I learned about how terrifying swans are. Sure, they might look graceful on the water, but on land they fear no man. They also have feet that harken back to the dinosaurs. Let that sink in the next time you see them swimming around.

The one in the middle is taller than my hip

We called them "The Swa-fia".

Cliffwalk

Caitlin dancing at the end of the boatramp

Under the Boardwalk...

We strolled along the beach (tricky on all those pebbles!). I found a limpet shell amidst the rocks. We rounded out the evening by eating tapas at Bar 44. I have never had Spanish cuisine, let alone tapas, before. I was really happy with what I found. Laura, being vegetarian, ordered for herself. Caitlin, Kirsten B. and I ordered and shared our plates. We had Pan Catalan, patatas bravas, chicken and serrano ham croquetas, a chickpea and tomato dish, Spanish goat cheese, and venison sausage. Yum! We were so hungry that we didn't bother taking pictures of the food. I do have to say though, the food was presented just as beautifully as it tasted. I did get a picture of dessert though...

Chocolate, sea salt, olive oil, and thin crunchy bread. Omnomnom.

It was so much fun going out to dinner at a slightly upscale restaurant. I can't even remember the last time I smiled and laughed so hard, mostly due to our field antics (you have no idea how tiring it is to time the perfect High School Musical jumping action shot) and the antics of our waiter. He was fit (British-ism for good-looking) and flirtatious.  We giggled about him and tried, poorly, to hide what we were saying. I imagine it must've been a significant self-esteem boost to have a table of four lovely ladies who laughed a little too hard whenever you asked if you "could tempt [them] for a little more". Phrasing!

Cheers!