Tuesday, October 2, 2007

A Birthday Journey to Cardiff (Wales)!

AJ surprised me for my birthday by setting up a little adventure to Cardiff last weekend! It was a delightful day visiting the capitol of Wales. We happened to be there at the same hour that the Welsh team faced France in the Rugby World Cup. The city was buzzing with spirit and excitement! AJ arranged for us to see the Cardiff Castle and St. Fagen's Historical Area. The original foundation of the Castle was built around the time of Christ and the St. Fagen's mansion was built in 1580. To us Americans that is so very old!! Here are some photos of our time in Wales. You may notice the consistent overcast skies in all of the photos...don't be jealous our beloved Colorado friends!!

AJ took this beautiful photo of the Cardiff Castle from the gardens behind the Castle. The leaves are just beginning to turn here. We're told that most leaves fall by the end of November! Wahoo!

AJ and I atop the tower of the Keep. It was an amazing view of the Castle gardens.

A view from the gate of the Keep, overlooking the grounds of the Castle.

A photo of the Keep, located in the center of the Castle grounds.

Here's a photo of the St. Fagen's mansion, built in 1580 on the ruins of an old Norman fort. The mansion was passed along through the centuries and even stood empty for 150 years. The interior was updated in the early 1800's, however many pieces of original furniture from the early 1700's was on display. It's difficult to comprehend that America was still in her early years at that time!

Behind St. Fagen's was an old English farming settlement.

A tunnel of grape vines in the gardens of St. Fagen's.

Here is a beautiful piece of art in the gardens made of trimmed bushes.

A small view of the gardens of St. Fagen's.

Another view of the gardens.

While walking through the gardens of the Castle, AJ and I were surprised to see this interesting character! It actually scared me at first! :)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the pics! I can't wait to hear some details of your time in the UK!!

Miss you both tons!
Tiffany

JiLL @ Lellowbird said...

LOVE all these beautiful pics!! I'm so jealous and can't wait to visit.
We miss you guys so much!

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are beautiful. It looks like you are living in a dreamland. =) Ryan got AJ's little clipping in the mail. . haha. It will be passed on to the appropriate party!

Miss you guys.

Tony and Julie said...

What a great birthday gift!! As happy as we are here, we're secretly looking forward to the day that we will be there with you. : ) GREAT pictures!

Anonymous said...

Hey guys. Looks like a great place! Nice pictures.