Final Welsh thoughts. . . .

Well our laundry is done.
Most of the British treats have been eaten (except for the lime pickle. . .that has to be treated with respect.)
But we keep on thinking about our trip and have a couple more pictures to post. . . so here are our final Welsh thoughts.
 Cawsom amser gwych! Ni allwn aros i ddod yn ôl!

London

I love London. 

I just love this city. 

It's the perfect mix of all my favorite things: 

it's kinda artsy 

it's kinda shoppy

it's kinda olympic-y

it's kinda foodie 

it's kinda historical

it's kinda pubby

it's kinda walkable 

it's kinda festive 

Terry and Sharon took the kids for the night and Simon and I had a great couple of days beating the streets on foot (and Tube) just like we used to when we were in London together. 

Spent some time at the V & A

Spent some time at Harrods

Spent some time in the rain

Ran into Simon's childhood friend Ben Blake

Olympic countdown clock at Trafalgar Square

Full English Breakfast at the Breakfast Club

Checked out the Olympic rings at Tower Bridge

We had an amazing couple of days. . . all thanks to Terry and Sharon! 

THANK YOU! 

THANK YOU! 

THANK YOU!!! 

What a terrific memory!

Hunt Family Reunion!

Family reunions in the United States generally mean lots of bodies in one house, lots of food, lots of drinks, and lots of cousins running around squealing. As it turns out, they are exactly the same in the UK. 

Simon's Aunt Sue and Uncle Doug, cousins Toff and Kelly with their son Joe, and Jane and Justin with little Ben came over for the day. It rained most of the day, but brightened up for a bit and we all scampered outside to catch what dry moments we could. 

The cousins loved each other immediately, and it was amazing to see family traits and similarities in them all. That  Hunt DNA is powerful stuff.

Castle Coch

Castle Coch is a beautiful restored Castle in built in 1240 and remodeled in 1870. Simon and I visited it years ago, but this time we got to go with Lucy and Henry, and of course, Papa Wales. Lucy brought her new "Brave" doll along for the ride. It was the perfect "Castle" experience because it's not very fussy and very hands on.  We had a wonderful time!

"Clover" a new stuffed animal from the gift shop- Henry got a bow and arrow set that we accidentally left behind. We were disappointed, although I was having a hard time imagining it fitting in the suitcase. This will give Terry and Sharon time to practice their archery skills until we come back.

We had a little snack in the tea room- tea and Welsh cakes. 

Ahhhhhhhh . . . .

UK

We backed our bags carefully and got on an airplane or two. . . we very nearly missed our connection in Washington D.C. 

The kids were troopers. 

They kept calm and carried on.

And finally we arrived in Cardiff, Wales! 

Simon's parents were there to greet us with treats and food and cozy beds. . . and raincoats.

We just had WAY TOO MUCH FUN to contain in one blog post, so forgive me if I report on this one for a couple of days.  Our first adventure was taking the train to Cardiff Castle, via Pizza Express. The kids wore their new raincoats that their Nana Wales got for them before they arrived. They were a welcome addition, (especially considering we didn't get our bags for a couple of days.) 

Nana and Papa Wales just thought of everything!

These kids are ready for an adventure on Millbrook Park!

Trainspotting with Simon and Lucy

The California Girls and the castle that they love!

Nana was the perfect tour guide. . . and our tour had to be quite short. 

Henry fell asleep in the restaurant- jet lag is a mysterious ailment.

We decided to cut the afternoon short. 

I Gotta Crow!

As a gift for my mom's birthday, Lucy and I decided to take her to see Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan.
This is the original musical with the singing, dancing, crowing, and "real" flying. My parents took me to see in in San Francisco when I was about 6 when Sandy Duncan was in it and I loved it. The soundtrack was a part of my youth and I can remember driving around in various cars singing "Uga wa! Uga wa! Uga wa! Uga wa! WAAAAAAA!" and if you haven't seen the show, you may think I have just fallen asleep on the keyboard, but those are actually the lyrics.

And can I just say Cathy Rigby is, like, SIXTY years old? Not that that's OLD, but it is amazing to see her getting whipped around on the cables and flying. . .she was terrific. Watch some here! I mean, they are seriously flinging that woman like a boomerang up there and she looks awesome!

Lucy was absolutely transfixed. She sat motionless on my lap during the whole show. She clapped her hands like crazy when Tinkerbell was dying. And when the house lights came up and the show was over, she BURST into years. She wailed, "Make it start again! Make it start again!" She has been either Wendy, Tinkerbelle, or some hodgepodge of the Lost Boys ever since. This girl has theater in her blood! Now where on EARTH would that come from???

Happy Birthday Mom! Thanks for exposing me to so much pixie dust in my childhood. You are magic!