The city of Bath

The historic city of Bath is a place best known for it culture, history and sheer opportunities to relax and luxuriate (mostly relating to its famous hot springs and the historic roman baths built around them).

I had decided to catch up with some old friends from uni and after some discuss on the matter we decided that Bath make an ideal place to spend a glorious summers day. Pulling into the station I discovered them standing outside the station next to what proved to be our ruin; Cocktail Bar Bath.
After a few cheeky cocktails we were ready to hit the city and see what it had to offer.

Bath itself is a beautiful city filled as it is with grand historic building, vibrant greenery, lovely parks and elegant streets. As we wandered along taking in its sights we took in ladies taking high tea, took in the beauty of the complex housing the baths themselves (we didn't go in due to the truly large amounts of money it would have cost), had a chance encounter with a man who offered us the chance to hold the pigeons that he had tamed, gawped at the brightly coloured pig statues that lined the street and took in the beautiful structure that was Bath Cathedral.

After all of this we felt like a sit down was in order and so we stopped for a spot of lunch in a part of town overlooking the splendid Royal Victoria Park which offered us beautiful views of the surrounding greenery.

Afterwards we took a rather languid walk up to the Royal Crescent, an impressive set of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping arc before an impressively large park. We took the opportunity to sun ourselves on a bench for a little while before strolling back down into town. After taking in a few shops around town (including the lovely gift shop attached to the roman baths) we had one final coffee at a lovely little coffee house by the station before saying some fond farewells.

As I pulled away from the station I was really happy to have spent the day with friends in the historic city of Bath.

Brussels

Incongruous, surprising and actually kind of exciting. These are some of the words I was not expecting to describe Brussels as my first impressions were a bit mixed. But as the old saying goes don't judge a book by its cover and with Brussels a little digging goes a long way.

After taking a rather restless journey overnight on the Megabus me and my friend pulled into the city at rather an early hour. We were greeted to the sight of the city's beautiful lit Grand Place, the city's central square. With its gothic architecture, wonderfully intricate stonework and great selection of shops and bars, it really is the beating heart of the city.

After taking some time to wander around and have some breakfast, we set off to our hotel to rest and recover. Unfortunately we promptly found out our check in wasn't until 3pm, so we dropped our bags off and went to the first attraction on our list; Brussel's famous atomium, a metal museum built to celebrate the city's world fair day.

We were ever so slightly underwhelmed when we arrived, as while the structure was no doubt impressive its price, slight gaudiness and location left me feeling vaguely unimpressed. Much better (although thanks to bad sign posting slightly harder to find) was the entirely inaccurately recreated Chinese temple and Japanese pagoda in the nearby park grounds.

After taking this all in we decided to try our luck with the Arc de Triomphe, a beautiful and large arch build in the 1880's as a pavillon of exhibition. The building and statues surrounding it were impressive enough but what made it even better was the art and history museum it contained. Large and exquisitely presented, it was filled with a truely impressive collection of art, statues, and historical artifacts from all over the world. It literally was so big we were still finding new sections a good three hours into exploring it. Leaving it we were surprised and delighted to find that the park behind it had been colonized by brightly coloured parrots.

After we left we chilled at our hotel before going out for a lovely meal at a local (and cheap) pizzera. Afterwards we ended rolling into a succession of gay bars located around the Grand Place where we met a fellow Brit and enjoyed a good night out.

The next day I was hungover so while my friend visited a comic book museum I chilled out in bed. We met in the afternoon and decided to explore the Michaelis et Gudula cathedral. Inside was incredible, with beautiful statues, architecture to die for, and golden religious artifacts lovingly presented. What was even more surprising was that parts of the floor had been laid with glass so that you could actually see (and visit) the foundations of the cathedral excavated below.

We finished our two days in Brussels throughly impressed and ready to move on to Amsterdam.

Glastonbury and Wells: The lsles of Avalon

Set like a lighthouse amidst the rolling green seas that are the fields of Somerset. Glastonbury Tor is inescapably the first thing you see as you arrive into this beautiful and historic countryside.

I had decided to take a break from city life and catch up with a friend who lived there. So for me my Glastonbury weekend didn't involving getting knee deep in mud, as much as enjoying delicious vegetarian food and sunbathing on the hill of Glastonbury tor.

I started my weekend in Wells, a beautiful and quintessentially English town a couple of miles outside of Glastonbury and got introduced to the cathedral there. It turned out to be as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside. With a beautifully decorated high ceiling and a clock that came to life every hour with miniature figures.

After that me and my friend took an hour to wander around Wells and take in the sights, including a beautiful garden just near the abbey before taking a bus over to the town of Glastonbury.

Now Glastonbury itself is held as somewhat of a sacred site both to the local christains and pagans that have made the town their home. This is due to the fact that the famous Tor has been variously an iron age site, the resting place of an early church, a site mentioned in Arthurian legends and most recently a rebuilding of the church tower itself. The town is also the site of a thorn tree said to be planted by Saint Joseph of Arimthea. Who according to legends struck a staff down that became the famous tree.








It has become therefore somewhere to enjoy both the natural beauty, old worldly pubs and ambient spirituality (and admittedly sometimes slightly unhinged spirituality) which goes with the place. After catching up with my friend we spent the day pursuing shops, enjoying the beauty of the White Springs (a lovely underground building which houses one of Glastonbury's natural springs) and sunbathing on the Tor itself.

After enjoying some food at one of the local restaurants we got some beers and enjoyed the sunset overlooking the town itself. The next day we climbed the Tor and got to enjoy the wonderful views over Somerset that the hill provided, did some more shopping and enjoyed music from a local band playing at one of the pubs in the town.

I ended my last day having a pint and a nice Sunday lunch at the George and Pilgrim before heading home rested, relaxed and spiritually refreshed ready to get back to the working week ahead.

Radyr and Castle Coch

Located on the outskirts of Cardiff, Radyr is a rather idyllic place to take a stroll, before taking in the beauty that is the fairy tale like Castle Coch.

Designed in the 19th century by William Burges as a gothic revival castle, its filled with the type of mythological detail and intricate design that it  makes you feel like you've fallen down in Alice's wonderland.

The beauty of the castle is only enhanced by the wonderful natural surroundings. Whether its a walk through the maze like woodlands of Tongwynlais, a bit of cycling or the peace that comes from a quiet stroll along the riverside it really is a lovely place to take the family for a day out.

After all this activity you can then take in a pint at the local town or enjoy some of the lovingly prepared food in the castle itself.

The historic welsh town of Caerleon

Located a few miles from the city of Newport is the utterly charming welsh town of Caerleon. I was having one of those days when I just wanted to jump on a random bus and see where it took me and I was very pleased with the result.

Caerleon is set right in the heart of some beautiful countryside and has an absolutely lovely selection of small, locally run shops. It is also the site of some fascinating history, having been both the site of an ancient roman fortress and an iron age hill fort.

Fortunately today the town is a much more tranquil place and upon arrival I set about exploring the nooks and alleyways that lined the high street. As I explored I stumbled on an side street lined with beautifully carved wooden statues and filled with lovely little new age shops (including a jewellery shop, that had a working metal smithing work shop inside it).

After doing a bit of exploration and photography I stopped for lunch in a local cafe/bar. As I relaxed I enjoyed the atmosphere of the place and tucked into a delicious goat cheese and olive sandwich.

Afterwards I took a walk along the Usk river and crossed by onto a scenic winding footpath that took me up to and past the remains of the roman fortress itself.

I left the town refreshed at having had such a great day out.