Wales with Chris

When our friend Chris was coming out to visit, we knew we wanted to explore some other countries besides England. However, we only had a couple days during the first weekend he was here so we had to get creative. That's when we thought of driving over to Wales for the weekend. Make no mistake; Wales is a completely DIFFERENT country than England. To avoid confusion, let me offer a brief geography lesson. =) A lot of people ask me if I live in England, Great Britain, or the UK, and the answer is all of them. Here's how it breaks down:

England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales are all separate countries, each with its own culture and language. Great Britain includes all of these countries except Northern Ireland. The UK includes all of these countries. Confused yet? ;)

Anyways, we did a road trip with Chris to Cardiff, Wales, leaving on Friday afternoon to make the 4-hour drive to the capital city. It was our first time there, and it was amazing to see the individual characteristics of Wales. For example, as soon as you cross the border into Wales (which is just a sign saying "Welcome to Wales"), all of the signs are in Welsh and English. You hear Welsh as you tour the country, and you'd better not say Wales is England!

Enjoying beautiful Wales

The highlight of Cardiff was when we toured the National History Museum to truly understand the culture. It was a mini village of sorts where we were able to see how Welsh homes have changed over the centuries and how Welsh farmers lived.

Museum of Welsh Life

Brian, Chris, and I exploring the Museum of Welsh Life on a beautiful day

Beautiful archway in Wales

As we started driving back home, we made a stop near Cardiff at the fairytale castle of Castell Coch. It's completely different than other castles in England, and we really enjoyed touring it and taking a quick hike through the beautiful woods around it to admire the Fall leaves.

Chris and I in front of Castell Coch

Brian at Castell Coch

Hiking in Wales

Our final stop on the way home was to Warwick Castle, which was actually a bit of a disappointment. The castle was built in 1068 by William the Conqueror, but it has been so "Disney-fied" that it's hard to appreciate the beauty and history of this amazing site. I'm still glad we saw it though so we can check it off our list. =)