Just Nibbles

Fabulous hour and 10 minute one-way talk with Kenzie as she had static on her end, but got to talk at her while we waited for these to upload  (:

mackenziestravels:

 

Bristol and…dun dun dun durum…. CARDIFF!

So, I left on August 9th at 9:15 pm on a direct flight to London Heathrow. (: I was fortunate enough to have a window seat, and semi fortunate enough to be seated next to a girl from Cardiff.  She was really friendly, but even though she claimed that California was where she wanted to be…she literally spent the 3-4 hours that we actually talked comparing the USA and the UK. (in her eyes, the UK had better crisps, chips, advertisements, blow dryers, public transportation, greenery, etc.) I don’t really see why she wanted to live in the USA, besides the sunny weather, but she was friendly regardless and recommended that at some point I venture to Wales. We slept for a bit and I was fortunate enough to watch the sun rise and as it got brighter I saw Greenland! (I of course knew it was Greenland because of the convenient map that shows exactly where we are on the seat monitors; quite nifty!) 

I landed in Heathrow and after 45 minutes in the passport check line, I got my baggage and a blended chai. (if you know me well enough, you know I am a sucker for a blended chai) Kaycee found me instantly and we drove about an hour and a half west to the lovely city of Bristol. Oh Bristol is completely adorable. I am lucky to have had my own room, where I had a lovely view of the other cute little houses around.

I have tried numerous dining options but my favorite was probably Nando’s. A south African-esque restaurant that catered to my spicy taste buds. (If you’re reading this mom, I know you just chuckled a bit.) I didn’t think about taking a picture of it before, but here’s the after shot.

It was chicken with a peri-peri hot sauce, with chips and partially mashed peas. It was delicious and so far the spiciest thing I have had in England. :P While driving through Bristol I was able to see some Banksy artwork, (of course…only getting a picture of one: ) 

So, as our bowling adventures, arcade journeys and movie nights progressed… Kaycee, Florence and I decided to make our way about 1.5 hours west to Cardiff. (of course, this is usually about a half an hour drive, but because of the England vs. Wales rugby match, there was plenty of traffic) Oh how I adored Cardiff! To think that at some point in my ancestry, my relatives frolicked on those beautiful hills (well, this is just an image, not reality…but ya) I am so envious! The landscape and buildings were gorgeous; the people were friendly and incredibly helpful & a couple ladies at the mall persuaded Florence and myself to get our toes sucked. Haha. It was the most bizarre feeling, but my feet felt a lot cleaner after those 10 minutes! (: 

Side note: Mexican food in Bristol (possibly all of England) is not authentic. Haha. I tried a beef chili enchilada plate with “spicy rice.” This consisted of 3 rolled tortillas with (literally) beef chili (no spice like they claimed) with a smidge of red sauce and “queso fresca” on a bed of… microwave-tasting “Mexican-inspired” rice. It was delicious tasting, but definitely not Hispanic AT ALL. Haha. I should have trusted my instincts on this one. (; 

I am now in London, and hopefully can update a bit more frequently. I am making my way to Brighton tomorrow to visit Ashley (: So, more pictures will come!