H.A. Larson's Blog

 

I've had a bit of an existential crisis lately. Trying to figure out what felt "off" about my life consumed my thoughts. Eventually, I figured out what was wrong: my life was missing the magic it once had.
See, back when I was really poor, I spent a lot of time in nature. I mean, A LOT. I would hike every Saturday and most Sundays, no matter the season, and spend every nice weekend evening sitting on my back patio. Surrounded by trees, friends, my kids, and a roaring fire in the pit, I felt one with myself and the world. I also camped often during this time, and there was nothing better than waking up to a light breeze, sunshine, bird singing, and a hot cup of campfire coffee. It allowed me to move through the world differently and, thus, see it differently.
Since then, though, life has changed. I moved up in my career, which gave me more money to indulge in the other side of life. Nights out at wineries, overnight trips, traveling around the country, and dinners in quaint cafes. It's wonderful to be able to live this life, too, the one that had been missing in my life until this point.
While I don't want any of the latter to change, I need to incorporate the former back in. What I need to do is mesh the two together, so I can finally enjoy everything in life that fills me with joy and gives it meaning.
So, I've been slowly getting myself back out to my old outdoor haunts where I hike and spend time sitting quietly, soaking Mother Nature in. This morning, I took a hike in one of my favorite parks, and there was no one there but me, not when I arrived nor when I left. I walked amongst the trees, soaking in the rays of sunlight as they streamed through the branches, listened to the birds make their calls, and talked myself through some things that had been bothering me. When I finished, I sat on a bench in the shade and just looked around and listened. 
I came home feeling better. More refreshed, more in tune, and most importantly, more like myself. 
I can't believe I let this part of my life sit around and gather dust for so long.
Not anymore.
I'm putting the magic back into my life, friends.

What?! H.A. is posting again so soon? I know, right? Look at me go. Currently, I am on a three-day weekend that didn't quite go as planned. Such is life! Anyway, let's get into the first few days of my Summer Vacation this year. 
To start, I went to Colorado for a few days with my friend Audrey and my daughter. Our goal? The Colorado Renaissance Festival's opening weekend! We arrived on Saturday and checked into our hotel in Castle Rock. After a quick freshen-up, we headed downtown to Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co.



It has an industrial feel and offers ample outdoor seating, mostly located outside.



I got a flight of Soreno Moreno, Grapefruit Wheat, Battlefield Brew, and Dr. Tart. I wasn't wowed by their brews, but they weren't bad.



We then ventured to Honnibrook Craft Meadery, a place that Audrey and I were both pretty excited about. And boy, we were NOT disappointed.



You can get a flight of up to 8 tasters! Audrey and I both got one. I mean, it's mead, and I sure do love me some mead. The flavors I got were blackberry, black cherry, blueberry lavender, orange creamsicle, plum, prickly pear, surrender, and natural beauty. Some were a little better than others, but they were ALL delicious. Honestly, I'd go back to Colorado just to hit up this place. Their meads are also served at the Colorado Renaissance Festival.



They also had Old Fashioned Sodas, which were great for my daughter. She was able to enjoy herself with us.



The next morning, we were out the door bright and early. Besides the three of us' shared love of Renaissance Festivals, we like to be there when it opens. We were also excited because none of us had ever been there before, and we had all heard great things about it.



After acquiring some mead and a cider, we sat down for the first entertainment on our list, Celtic Legacy. They sound exactly like you expect from a Celtic drums and pipes outfit. They were awesome.



The bagpiper even did a song where flames shot out of his pipes. Huzzah!



After that, the three of us split up, and I headed over to see The Craic Show. Audrey didn't want to see this band, and my daughter wanted to shop. They were awesome, as well. If you mixed this group with Celtic Legacy, it would sound a lot like Corvus Corvax, and I love that band!
I ate some onion rings during their performance and promptly got sick. Combine that with the heat, and I had to seek shade for a good while, unfortunately.  



Eventually, I started feeling better, especially after the Sun went behind some clouds, and you could tell rain was on the horizon. Before that, though, I was just in awe of how we were surrounded by mountains the whole time....literally.  



I mean, the festival grounds are in the mountains!



We went and saw these two - The Kamikaze Fireflies. They did a lot of stunts and made plenty of jokes. Very entertaining! 



Lovely courtesans.
It rained - like a downpour - not long after this, so everyone hid out under any cover we could find. The main joust was canceled, but it did scare away a large chunk of the swollen crowd.



It was getting towards the end of the day, so we wandered over to The Pirate Pub to catch the last acts before closing ceremonies. These ladies are The Angels - Heroines in Disguise who sang, did a bit of swordfighting, and were terribly bawdy...just the way I like it! Huzzah!



King Henry showed up for closing ceremonies, of course. I got to see him up close.



Closing ceremonies at Renaissance festivals start inside but move you closer to the exit. This was the entertainment outside the gate. 
Overall, it was fun, but to this day, the best Renaissance Festival I've ever been to is the one in Minneapolis, followed by Kansas City. Still, I'm glad I got to experience a new ren faire. After all, I love them!
We headed back to the hotel after this to stuff our faces and pass out tired.



The next day, we went on a wild goose chase to find a muffin shop Audrey really wanted to go to. After that, we were finally on the road for our 8-hour journey back to Omaha. We stopped at the Colorado Welcome Center right next to the Nebraska border. It is interesting and has tons of tourist pamphlets and guides.



They have interesting and historical art on the grounds.

So, that was the first few days of my Summer Vacation 2025. It was a lot of fun, but it's only a snippet of my vacation, so I'll be back with more later.
Until then, friends, enjoy your weekend!


 

Welcome back to Part 2 of Day 8 of my UK trip. This was our last day in London before flying back to the States the next morning. Like I mentioned in Part 1 of Day 8, we packed so much in this last day that I had to split it up into two parts. 



After spending most of the morning at Greenwich Park, we needed a snack and a sit. Luckily, Greenwich Market was nearby. Established in 1737, this place has quite a history, like most things in London.



We split up to find what we wanted to eat. I found Brazilian churros, and I got this absolutely delicious dulce de leche one. I enjoyed this greatly. 



One of the things Audrey wanted to do was go to a cemetery. Originally, we had planned to visit Highgate Cemetery, but it was a two-hour trip by bus and on foot, so we found a closer alternative. We still had to do a lot of walking (nothing new on this trip!), but after some time, we arrived at All Saints Cemetery, officially called Nunhead. One of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in Greater London, it opened in 1840 and is now a nature preserve.



I love visiting old cemeteries, something you, my dear reader, already know.



UK cemeteries are always enhanced by the green of ever-growing moss.






An Anglican chapel sits at the heart of the cemetery.



A view behind the chapel, slightly to the right.



Like other old churches I've visited in the UK, the ceiling/roof has long since disintegrated.



Still, it's a stunning piece of architecture.



Our last stop of the trip was another of my non-negotiables, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, located on the famous Fleet Street. If you don't know, Fleet Street was the heart of London's publishing industry, and has been an important thoroughfare since Roman times.



A pub has been at this location since 1538, and was rebuilt into what it is now after the Great Fire of 1666. This was the main reason for my wanting to visit.



I had made us reservations long before, and we were a bit early, so we stopped for a drink nearby at The Tipperary. It's an Irish pub built in 1667, the same year Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese reopened after the Great Fire.


Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is composed of many small rooms. Inside the main entrance, to the right, is a small pub. There are other small pubs inside linked by corridors that have seating for pub-goers.



Such as this one.



The the left of the main entrance is their dining room. Like all the other rooms, it is quite small, so reservations are highly recommended.



This is a shot of the dining room from next to our table. See, small like I said.
I started with the three cheese Rennet & Rind board. I got the famed Cheshire cheese, Cornish yarg, and Sussex brie. It came with grapes, celery, beer chutney, and some thick, hearty crackers. Honestly, this was a meal unto itself.



They serve the largest selection of Samuel Smith libations I have ever seen, so of course, I had a few. They're some of my favorites.



One of the quintessentially British foods I wanted to eat was fish & chips, so I waited for this visit to order it. It was delicious, but I should have thought to ask for salt and malt vinegar. 


And there you have it, the last post of my trip to the UK. At some point down the road, I will make a post with some random photos and my thoughts, overall, but it will have to wait. I need to put up a bunch of other posts that are waiting in the wings. 


Until next time, friends.











 

Welcome back to Part 2 of Day 8 of my UK trip. This was our last day in London before flying back to the States the next morning. Like I mentioned in Part 1 of Day 8, we packed so much in this last day that I had to split it up into two parts. 



After spending most of the morning at Greenwich Park, we needed a snack and a sit. Luckily, Greenwich Market was nearby. Established in 1737, this place has quite a history, like most things in London.



We split up to find what we wanted to eat. I found Brazilian churros, and I got this absolutely delicious dulce de leche one. I enjoyed this greatly. 



One of the things Audrey wanted to do was go to a cemetery. Originally, we had planned to visit Highgate Cemetery, but it was a two-hour trip by bus and on foot, so we found a closer alternative. We still had to do a lot of walking (nothing new on this trip!), but after some time, we arrived at All Saints Cemetery, officially called Nunhead. One of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in Greater London, it opened in 1840 and is now a nature preserve.



I love visiting old cemeteries, something you, my dear reader, already know.



UK cemeteries are always enhanced by the green of ever-growing moss.






An Anglican chapel sits at the heart of the cemetery.



A view behind the chapel, slightly to the right.



Like other old churches I've visited in the UK, the ceiling/roof has long since disintegrated.



Still, it's a stunning piece of architecture.



Our last stop of the trip was another of my non-negotiables, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, located on the famous Fleet Street. If you don't know, Fleet Street was the heart of London's publishing industry, and has been an important thoroughfare since Roman times.



A pub has been at this location since 1538, and was rebuilt into what it is now after the Great Fire of 1666. This was the main reason for my wanting to visit.



I had made us reservations long before, and we were a bit early, so we stopped for a drink nearby at The Tipperary. It's an Irish pub built in 1667, the same year Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese reopened after the Great Fire.


Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is composed of many small rooms. Inside the main entrance, to the right, is a small pub. There are other small pubs inside linked by corridors that have seating for pub-goers.



Such as this one.



The the left of the main entrance is their dining room. Like all the other rooms, it is quite small, so reservations are highly recommended.



This is a shot of the dining room from next to our table. See, small like I said.
I started with the three cheese Rennet & Rind board. I got the famed Cheshire cheese, Cornish yarg, and Sussex brie. It came with grapes, celery, beer chutney, and some thick, hearty crackers. Honestly, this was a meal unto itself.



They serve the largest selection of Samuel Smith libations I have ever seen, so of course, I had a few. They're some of my favorites.



One of the quintessentially British foods I wanted to eat was fish & chips, so I waited for this visit to order it. It was delicious, but I should have thought to ask for salt and malt vinegar. 


And there you have it, the last post of my trip to the UK. At some point down the road, I will make a post with some random photos and my thoughts, overall, but it will have to wait. I need to put up a bunch of other posts that are waiting in the wings. 


Until next time, friends.











 

Oh, what a month it has been! It all began on July 14th, the first day of my vacation, and ended this weekend when I arrived back home from Minnesota. During that time, I traveled through eight different states:
1. Nebraska2. Colorado3. Texas4. Iowa5. Missouri6. Illinois7. Minnesota8. Wisconsin
During those four weeks, I only worked a total of five days and had one weekend free. Unfortunately, during that free weekend, I got super sick with a nasty bacterial infection that had me on 2000 mg of antibiotics daily. 
To say that I am exhausted is an understatement. I finally made it home yesterday, about 3 pm, Friday, May 11th, and as soon as I walked in the door, I put on my house dress and sat in my chair until I got tired. It was so so nice to sleep in today, drink coffee leisurely for hours in my pajamas, and not have to do anything or go anywhere. It was especially great sleeping in my own bed.
That's not to say that I didn't have a great time or a lot of fun, because I did...on both counts. I wouldn't change the past month for anything because, honestly, we all need to be active and have adventure in our lives. 
At the end of the day, though, there is no place like home. And I'm extremely happy to be home and be lazy today.
Of course, I'll be making plenty of posts about my busy month, but first, I need to finish my last two posts from my trip to the UK last fall.
Until then, friends, enjoy your weekend. I know I sure am.

 

On our last day in the UK, Keith and I had tickets to the Greenwich Royal Observatory (GRO), located in Greenwich Park. We were originally going to go the afternoon we got back from Cardiff, but we realized we wouldn't make it due to our time constraints. So, I moved our visit to King's Cross Station to Day 7 and changed our tickets to the Observatory to Day 8. Audrey wasn't going to go, but since the days got moved around, she tagged along. After all, there's plenty to do in Greenwich Park, all of which is free except the Observatory.



After a long bus ride and plenty of walking, we made it! Audrey went off to explore the park while Keith and I made our way inside the GRO.



There's an old mirror telescope in a small building outside. You have to close the dark curtains to see anything, but if you look carefully, you can see an area of London reflected here.



The inside of the GRO houses an impressive collection of history and all the astronomical equipment people have used over the centuries to navigate the Earth and beyond.















One of the GRO's claims to fame is the discovery and placement of Greenwich Mean Time and the Meridian. The Prime Meridian was calculated here to designate where the Western and Eastern hemispheres began and ended.




This is the equipment used to calculate the Prime Meridian and where the line falls.




A massive telescope resides here. 



A modern marvel of its time, it allowed astronomers to see things in the skies that their forefathers could have only dreamt about. It's no longer in use, but impressive to behold nonetheless.






A statue of General James Wolfe, national hero, sits near the GRO and overlooks the city from the top of the park.



Of course, visiting the Prime Meridian was a highlight of my trip to the UK, so I made sure to stand on both the Western and Eastern hemispheres at the same time.



The view of London that General Wolfe's statue has.



After we visited the GRO, Keith and I made our way down the hill and to the other end of Greenwich Park. On the left is the Maritime Museum, while The Queen's House sits on the right. Audrey was visiting the Maritime Museum while we were in the GRO, so Keith and I decided to visit The Queen's House.



Contrary to what this picture shows, Queen Elizabeth I had nothing to do with The Queen's House, much to Keith's chagrin.



The Queen's House was originally commissioned by Queen Anne of Denmark in the early 1600s, but she died before it could be completed. It was then given to Queen Henrietta of France by her husband, King Charles I, a few decades later.



An old painting shows how the house looked amongst the landscape during its intended use.



A portrait of Queen Maria.



A view into a great hall.



The ceilings are elegantly painted.



The King and Queen both had extensive personal chambers with many rooms.



Queen Maria and King Charles I.






Primarily an art museum, it showcases mostly the history of the house and its inhabitants, but also showcases important art of the time with some connection, as well.



A painting of Windsor Castle, circa 1690.



A very old tapestry of a ship fleet arriving to shore.



A shot up the beautiful staircase.



Now, you don't actually need to spend money to visit the GRO if you want to stand on the Prime Meridian. On the street outside the far end of Greenwich Park are embedded metal circles that denote it.



And also on the sidewalk. Keith and I took Audrey out here so she could also stand on both hemispheres. 


At 183 acres, Greenwich Park is massive, and there is no shortage of things to do here. Unfortunately, time was not on our side, so we had to stick to just a few things before moving back towards the West side of London. Having said that, we did do more on this day than just go to Greenwich Park. In fact, I have so many pictures from this day that I decided I should split Day 8 into two separate posts. The second part of this post will be coming soon.
Until then, friends, enjoy your week.


















 

After a wonderful day at Stonehenge and Bath, which was exhilarating and long, I had planned for the next day to be a late start. We lounged around a bit longer than we had on any other day before getting out and about.



This phone box was a few blocks from where we were staying, which was handy as I had originally penciled in some time to find one on the trip. Luckily, I didn't have to, as we passed this guy many times during our stay. They are inoperable and locked, as people often use them as a urinal. 



I had made reservations for this pub & grill, The Roebuck, months before (like all the other ones). The reason? Scotch eggs are on their menu. See, I'm a big fan of Scotch eggs, but I can only find them at Renaissance Festivals or maybe a British restaurant. In other words, they are hard to come by. Turns out, you can get them, literally, anywhere in London. 



They sell these for 1 pound and 28 pence. I found these the day we flew in at the grocery store down from our lodging, and purchased 6. LOL You can get a single one in most corner shops.



That didn't mean we were going to skip our reservation, by any means. It was spacious and beautiful inside, and I ordered a cider and something to eat other than Scotch eggs.






Of course, we could see the Shard from our table.



After lunch, we headed over to King's Cross Station, as Platform 9 3/4 is there. For those of you who don't know, Platform 9 3/4 is where Harry Potter had to run through a wall to get to Hogwarts. The movie was filmed here for this portion, and, of course, there's a sign for visitors. You could wait in line, and you would be given a scarf to take a picture. I had no intention of doing that, but wanted a photo just the same.

There is a Harry Potter gift shop located right next to the sign, so we wandered around. I got a cute scrunchy for my hair, but lost it not long afterward.



We had time to kill before our main event that evening, so we wandered around the area for a while. We made our way over to St. Pancras Station to have a look around. Much like King's Cross Station and Paddington Station (where we traveled to Cardiff from), St. Pancras is also a train station. Unlike the other two, though, this one is an international train station. Look how gorgeous it is!



Because it's an international train station, it's fancier in just about every way. Here, you can see the inside from the main entrance.



This is one of the columnades that flank either side of the main entrance. An Underground Station is right at the end of this corridor to the left.



It's massive inside and fancy restaurants line the sides here, while a lower level is filled with a variety of shops. 



You can look down the side of this glass wall to see the shops below. I was more interested in the statue, the gorgeous, detailed architecture, and that massive clock.



After this, we made our way down to the Tower of London. It was too late to go inside at this point, which was fine. There is so much to do in London that you can't see it all unless you have at least a month to spare. Still, we wandered around a few sides of it, and a bit of Roman wall still stands not far from here.



I struggled to find it, though, so I was glad I got to see some Roman wall during our time in Wales.



Finally, we had to leave to make our way to our walking tour.



We met this guy, our tour guide, Andre Price, in Whitechapel. We were more than ready to take our Jack the Ripper Walking Tour, and Andre was an excellent and knowledgeable Ripperologist. 
 

We spent the next hour and a half walking the streets of Whitechapel and seeing all the places where Jack did his awful deeds. This tour was interesting because they used Ripper Vision - where Andre would project photos onto the walls in the places we visited, showing the scenes and crime photos. 
I didn't take any photos except these two, however, because I really wanted to focus on the tour. And, I'm glad I did. I highly recommend this tour if you ever go to London and are so inclined.
That wraps up London, Day 7. Only two more posts to go: Day 8 and random stuff.
I'm off to pack and get ready to fly South for the next 6 days. Until next time, friends. 



 




 

Not quite three months ago, I announced that Spring had arrived, and now, it's nearly Summer. I will miss the cooler temperatures, but I'm ready for Summer this year. I have a lot of plans for the season, so I'm more than ready to get things started.
This week is my last week at work before my annual two-week vacation. I went abroad last year, so this year, much like in  2023, is what I call my "Off-Year Vacation." Instead of traveling abroad, I do a mix of domestic travel, hanging out at home, enjoying my favorite places during the weekdays, and spending time with my friends. 
While I absolutely cherish a trip to my great love, Europe, my off-year vacations tend to be less hectic and more relaxing. This weekend, I'm heading West for a long weekend. Then, I'll spend about four days on the home front before heading South for six days. On our return, we'll celebrate a birthday and a wedding, before wrapping up what should be an epic two weeks. 
There's a lot more happening this summer, more travel than usual, and I'll be sure to post about it all here. Before I do that, I still have to get out the last two posts from my United Kingdom trip last Fall, which I will get done soon.
Enjoy the upcoming weekend, friends.

Good morning. I've got my coffee and a belly full of eggs, meat, and cheese, so I'm ready to share Day 6 of my trip to the UK last year. When I decided to go to England, I had a list of must-see places that were non-negotiable, and Stonehenge & Bath were on that list. So, this is what we did on Day 6. We got up early after traveling back to England from Wales the day before, and headed to Victoria Station to catch our tour bus. After about three hours, we reached our first destination...


...Stonehenge. We only had an hour to visit the ancient site, so I made the most of it. 



It was a stunning day in the English countryside, and the closer I got to the stones, the more awestruck I became.



From every angle, Stonehenge looks different. 



It really was a feast for the eyes.



There were plenty of these informative signs at the site, and this one explains a bit about how the Sun played a big role in the arrangement of the stones.






See what I mean about it looking different from every angle?



Pictures do not do it justice.






The whole time we were on this trip, the three of us would go our separate ways whenever we went somewhere, which made sense and suited me just fine. That way, we could stop where we wanted, see what we wanted to see, and enjoy things in our own way. 
After about 45 minutes, I headed back to the gift shop, picked up a few gifts for people, and ordered an onion pasty at the restaurant. Keith and Audrey eventually joined me at a seat outside. After that, we headed back to the bus for our second destination....



...Bath. This quaint town is close to the Western edge of the country and not far from Cardiff, where we had just been the day before. The whole place is a World UNESCO Heritage site, so nothing can be changed...even the houses that people live in. After we arrived, our tour guide gave us a short tour along the side street to the left here, and told us to meet him at the Roman Baths around 2 pm - the whole reason I came here. 
Again, the three of us split up and went on our way.



This is one of many entrances to the baths.



Bath Abbey towers above the town and is flanked by a town square. Musicians played here throughout the day. I sat for awhile and watched a few while I ate two scoops of clotted cream ice cream - literally the best ice cream I've ever had.



More formally known as the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, this church served as a Benedictine monastery.



A close-up of the door to the abbey.



I haven't been able to find the significance of the year 1576, but in 1574, Queen Elizabeth I promoted the restoration of the Abbey, as it was a shell of what it once was at that time.



After this, I went to Bath City Parade Gardens and strolled around.



It is a beautiful and well-maintained park.



It borders the River Avon, and I got a glimpse of some houseboats.



I was anxious to get into the Roman Baths (what can I say, you all know I'm a Roman history buff), so I wandered around the city centre near the baths. There is still Roman architecture here, and I admired all of it.



This here is the Cross Bath and Cross Spring. Originally a Celtic shrine, it was repurposed by the Romans in AD 60.






Right behind it, at the end of Bath Street, is the Hospital of St. John the Baptist. It was built in 1174 beside the Cross Bath to utilize its healing waters.



Time has degraded these Roman statues.



Part of the Roman architecture that still surrounds the Baths complex.



Finally, we got inside the baths, and I basically made a beeline for the Great Bath.



Here's a view of it from up top.



A quote on one of the many stairwells that stood between me and the Great Bath.



Any crumbled architecture that could be salvaged was put on display.



I finally reached my final destination. Much like I did at the Mithraeum in London, I stayed down here for a long time while I took it all in with misty eyes and a full heart.



This day, much like my time spent at the Cliffs of Moher, was one of the best days of my life. I texted my dad from right here to tell him so.



Just look at this. Not as grand as it was when it was constructed, it's still majestic after nearly 2000 years.



This is a "pipe" that led water into the Great Bath from its source.



Ancient Romans and local citizens walked on this stone long, long ago.



You could visit all the rooms that flanked the Great Bath, and other baths in the complex as well. A few of the rooms, like this one, had projected videos on the walls to show you how they were used. People would come here after a bath and get rubbed down by servants.



This was a hot room, or a sauna if you will.



This immersion pool was where bathers would take a cold plunge after their long, hot bath.



This is the East Bath and is closed off from the public, although this window allows you to see it. The East Bath was a tepid bath that was filled by runoff from the Great Bath.



After our time in the Roman Baths, Audrey and I met up again to search for a drink and appetizers.



We found the Coeur de Lion, the smallest pub in Bath.



Inside, they serve Abbey Ales, which are brewed right in the city. I picked this one.



It was a tasty medium-dark ale and went well with the appetizers, which were less than stellar.



This is literally the size of the pub.



Although they do have an upstairs area, which is where the bathroom is, of damn course, but we didn't check it out.



The street next to the Coeur de Lion is The Corridor, an indoor shopping arcade.
We finally had to make our way back to the bus, where we met up with Keith again.



The tour guide pointed out a bit of the gorgeous English countryside as we started on our way back to London, so I made sure to take a picture. Lovely!
We made it back to London after three hours, and after navigating public transport back to the Airbnb, we were exhausted. So, we went to bed shortly after returning so we would be well-rested for Day 7. Stay tuned for that!

I know this post has a ton of photos in it, but I guess you should expect that from me at this point. I had thought about splitting this up into two posts, but I figured I'd never get this series done if I did that. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope you're enjoying the new look I've given the blog. It was overdue. 

Until next time.












 

After a night of heavy drinking and an okay sleep in one of the world's worst hostels, I woke up groggy and a tad hungover. Since we were staying in a room for six people, and I was the first one up, I quietly made my way out of the room to not disturb anyone. After brushing my teeth, I sat on one of the handful of staircases in the hostel (the description said there was a lounge area with couches but that was a lie!). I played around on my phone until Audrey joined me shortly thereafter. Across the street was a McDonald's, so we headed over there. Audrey was hungry, and I was in desperate need of coffee. 
After a bit of liquid gold, I felt better and headed back to the hostel to take a shower. Our train was heading back to London around noon, and we wanted to walk down to Cardiff Bay. I wanted to check out the Norwegian Church, and Audrey wanted to see the ocean. While the latter is not exactly possible, it sorta is. See, Cardiff Bay connects to the Bristol Channel, which connects to the Celtic Sea, which connects to the North Atlantic Ocean. 



It was a good 20-minute walk, so we were well on our way to another 20k-step day. The half-marathon that was happening that day made the journey a bit more difficult as certain roads were cordoned off. We also checked out of the hostel and had all our luggage with us. It was times like these that I was ever so grateful to myself for using a backpack suitcase for this trip. For contrast, Keith had to drag two large suitcases behind him, and Audrey had small bags, but like three of them. 



While Audrey got her "ocean" view, the Norwegian Church was off in the distance, mocking me. Well, it wasn't really mocking me, but it was off-limits as the city had completely blocked all access to it, again, due to that damn half-marathon.



We passed Enterprise House both on the way to the Bay and back. Now in use as offices, it was once a "provision curers and bonded store merchants' premises".
Seeing all we could see, we headed back to the train station to wait.



I took a picture of these young gentlemen because they were guzzling all the booze in their possession...in the morning, in a public train station. You'd never see that here! 



A shot of Cardiff Station.

Since we were earlier than we wanted to be, we inquired as to whether we could hop on an earlier train to London that was coming through, and we were told that we could. We got back to London and checked back into our same Airbnb. Keith then settled in for a nap while Audrey and I headed out in search of an ATM and a laundromat. We found both after quite an adventure, and were happy to have clean clothes again.
Now, the night could've ended there, but Keith (who still uses Facebook) was contacted by some good mutual friends of ours that just so happened to be in London at the same damn time! What are the odds!

Since we were staying in the Elephant & Castle neighborhood, I suggested we meet at The Elephant & Castle pub. Established in 1765, this pub was 259 years old when we visited!



The building is old, but incredibly charming with a great ambience. Keith stands at the bar getting us some Inch's Cider.



In town to see an American football game, meeting up with Jeff & Jenny was AWESOME! We got to catch up, have a few drinks, and share some laughs. The bartender "accused" Jeff of being from the same place as Keith & me since our accents were the same. LOL We got a kick out of that. I still can't believe we just happened to all be in London at the same time. What a treat!
We made it an early night, however, as they were heading back to the States while we were off on a big day trip the next day. Stay tuned for the next post to find out all about that!