Drinking brains in Cardiff

A new country I could visit WITHOUT my passport only two hours away was good enough reason to head to Cardiff for the weekend. And the fact that Wales is believed to have more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world. Yay. Castles!

Cardiff itself was a lovely place to visit, although it did feel like it had two city centers, the old one by the castle and a newer one by the water, separated by what felt like a load of council houses. 

In the old city, near the castle, there are a load of arcades to walk through, hosting shops, restaurants, cafes. We spent the better part of a day getting lost in them, avoiding the rain. And in one of the arcades we met an awesome dog who gave high fives. 

We also inadvertently wandered in to Cardiff Castle thinking it was free. It wasn't, but having come in the exit, we enjoyed what we could. 

And we ran in to some people creating some awesome street art. 

Venturing down to Cardiff Bay, we took a boat trip for £3. Bargain. We learnt a fun fact - Cardiff Bay is not part of the sea, but it's actually a fresh water lake, fed by the River Taff and the River Ely. It used to be part of the sea, but was very tidal, so the locals added a series of locks to keep the water in. 

Also, Cardiff has an exceptional Indian restaurant called Spiceberry. It's definitely worth a try if you're ever in the area. And Sam drank some Brains.