Tuesday, Cardiff-Fishguard-Ferry to Ireland-Waterford

Only 4:15 a.m. and I’m finishing my journal.  I slept so well in this wonderful peace and quiet that I feel rested.

Finished Wednesday’s journal at 5:20, and it’s well I went to sleep early because now the sea gulls are making a horrible racket.  Give me sparrows in the morning any day.  This is great.  I still have time to read a half-hour before my alarm goes off.

Did my arm exercises, put my suitcase out at 7:00 a.m., and went to breakfast.  Now I can check off two more of my “must eats”.  We had black pudding and haggis on the buffet.  Black pudding (blood sausage) truly is black.  It was sliced in rounds and black as coal.  It looked like a plate of charcoal.  Haggis is mealy (like taco meat) when you spoon it out.  I also had a “regular” sausage so I had three sausages spiced three different ways.  The flavoring is very subtle so one didn’t overpower any other.  I also got to try fried toast.

Off to Wales

We drove through more rural areas and took a short tour through Cardiff, Capital of Wales.  The town is predominately a college, government buildings, and a huge modern rugby stadium.  I can see a difference in the maintenance between England and Wales - more rubbish on the freeway, deferred maintenance of the buildings, unkempt gardens; that sort of thing.

They have a sense of humor; our rest stop.

We drove on to Fishguard, a fishing village where there’s a small shopping area, catering to tourist and locals alike.  Also, many inns and B & B’s near the ferry docks.  We had our lunch stop here and I checked off two more “must eats”.  I found a little bakery and bought a chicken pasty (which they warmed in the microwave) and a small custard tart.  The pastry had a flaky piecrust dough and a mildly spiced ground chicken filling.  The guide says they’re baked, but it seemed more like a fried pie.  Now I see why Lionel from the Britcom, “As Time Goes By” is so wild about custard tarts.  It was so creamy and, again, with very subtle flavoring.  Both were delicious.  I also found a discount store where I bought two t-shirts, one black and one white and I wish they’d had them in a dozen more colors.  Really soft and cuddly fabric.

Loved this little guy, determined to survive.

Still that cute sense of humor

I loved this little town. It looks so British - just what I expected, and flowers everywhere.

Off to the ferry. Guest houses on the hill.

Wales has its share of traffic problems, not because of so many cars, but because of inadequate roads.  Many are still two lanes.  The ferry was not crowded at all.  We drove on with no waiting.  I was reminded of the ferries of Washington and British Columbia.  The place was crawling with kids.  Well, maybe crawl is not a very good word, because they were running like herds of cattle all over the ship, up and down the stairs, screaming and yelling.  They had a special children’s area for the smallest ones and a video arcade with all its accompanying bells and roars and flashing lights, and these areas were situated right by the most comfortable seating and the warmest spot on the ferry.  I nearly froze.

A light rain started just as we boarded the coach to go to the ferry.  The temperature was sweater weather, but the ferry was chilly all over once we put out to sea.  The rain stopped shortly after we left the dock and we had calm seas; could scarcely feel the movement of the ship. I tried to read but was not very successful.  I wandered a bit and talked to some of my tour mates.

Our hotel was a short drive from the ferry and the rain started right after we arrived.  Our timing so far has been perfect.  The hotel consists of three former residences, side by side and I feel as if I’m staying in someone’s mansion.  The rooms and public areas are decorated so beautifully and furnished with antique reproductions.  I took lots of pictures here, but they didn’t turn out too well. I didn't want to use flash.

Happily my room was decorated in autumn colors, a welcome relief from the gloomy day. The view, while not what I'd call beautiful, was at least interesting if I ignored the parking lot.

The wall decor in the dining room was perfect for this hotel. And finally, some food photos. I just couldn't resist. The plate was so sweet.

Surprise! It's a Best Western. Not at all like a US Best Western.

I just Googled the hotel to see if it's still there, and what a disappointment. It's had a total makeover and the charm is gone. Click Here.

The adapter I used in England, which is also marked “Ireland”, didn't work, so I couldn’t charge my camera batteries.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed and be selective in what I snap tomorrow.