Well, I guess we have a 1st night ritual of not sleeping.  Last night I was awakened at 3:30am by the sound of dripping water.  Since we had our clothes hanging to dry, my first thought was that they were dripping (yes, I was still not fully awake).  I got up to see and realized that it was the air conditioner, which was positioned above the door, that was dripping down onto the floor.  Since we needed the a/c running in order to pull the moisture out of the air and help dry the clothes, I stuck the trash can under the drip, started my relaxing noises phone app, and drifted back off to sleep. This morning there was probably 1/2 gallon of water in the trash can!  We let the front desk know, but they said it was nothing to worry about, so we left it on while we went out to try to get everything dry before we leave tomorrow.

Today was a busy day!  We started off walking back to Mermaid Quay and then along the waterfront to get to the Doctor Who Experience.

Here are a few pictures from our experience.

Excited to see all the Doctor Who Stuff

Hoping the Dalek's can't see her

A little cosplay in the Tardis

Just hanging out inside the Tardis.  What did you do today?

In the control room of 10th Doctor's Tardis

There was so much to see that I made another post solely devoted to our visit.  You can read more about our time at the DWE in a different post.

After our time in the Experience, we split up.  Chip and the younger two went back to Mermaid Quay, had some lunch and ride the merry-go-round.



Meanwhile, the oldest and I hiked across the Cardiff Bay Barrage....

...and up the hill to visit St. Augustine's Church in Penarth.




We knew this was a filming spot for Doctor Who, but I thought it was the location of Donna's wedding.  It was not.  The interior and stained glass windows were featured in an episode.


Either way, it was a nice hike over and a gorgeous view, both in the churchyard with the cemetery


or looking back down toward Cardiff Bay, where we were staying.



After our hike back, we met up with Chip and the girls on the Wharf, had a quick bite to eat and hopped on the Aquabus for scenic transport to Bute Park, near Cardiff Castle.

The green area is the barrage and that tall building is St Augustine's Church, where we hiked earlier

There were swans everywhere in Cardiff Bay.  We probably saw upwards of 100 during our short boat ride.


The boat ride was a great rest for our feet, after miles of walking and we enjoyed the views and downtime.



We weren't sure which direction to go at first and wandered over to a gate to the castle in the park which was no longer in use.


We wandered around and found the main entrance.


From the Cardiff Castle website, here's a little bit of historical background. For further historical background, please visit the Cardiff Castle page.

"The Roman fort at Cardiff was probably established at the end of the 50s AD, on a strategic site that afforded easy access to the sea. Archaeological excavations made during the 1970s indicate that this was only the first of four forts, each a different size, that occupied the present site... After the Norman conquest, the Castle’s keep was built, re-using the site of the Roman fort."

"The site was divided into inner and outer wards, separated by a huge stone wall. The first keep on the motte was erected by Robert Fitzhamon, the Norman Lord of Gloucester, and along with many of these early defenses was probably built of wood."

"More medieval fortifications and dwellings followed."

The black tower (part of Sherlock has been filmed here)

"The Castle passed through the hands of many noble families until in 1766, it passed by marriage to the Bute family. The 2^nd Marquess of Bute was responsible for turning Cardiff into the world’s greatest coal exporting port. The Castle and Bute fortune passed to his son John, the 3^rd Marquess of Bute, who by the 1860s was reputed to be the richest man in the world.

From 1866, the 3rd Marquess employed the genius architect William Burges to transform the Castle lodgings. Within gothic towers he created lavish and opulent interiors, rich with murals, stained glass, marble, gilding and elaborate wood carvings."

Ceiling of the smoking room - theme of room is time

Nursery walls are hand painted tiles of famous fairy tales

Ceiling of great hall contains Royal genealogy with names and crests

Great Hall fireplace mantle

"Each breathtaking room has its own special theme, including Mediterranean gardens and Italian and Arabian decoration."

Ceiling of Arab Room

Marble Walls of Arab Room

Wall and Stained Glass Window of Arab Room

Marble Floor of Arab Room

"The 3^rd Marquess died when he was only 53 in 1900. He had transformed the Castle into a Welsh Victorian Camelot – now regarded as being of international significance. Despite huge death duties on the estate, the 4^th Marquess completed many of his father’s restoration projects including the reconstruction of the Roman wall. The Bute family continued to stay at the Castle throughout the 1920s and 1930s, although they had sold off many of their business interests in South Wales. Following the death of the 4^th Marquess of Bute, the family decided to give the Castle and much of its parkland, known as Bute Park, to the city of Cardiff."

Garden at the top of the tower

Our tour guide at the top of the tower

View of adjacent tower from tower garden

Jeweled ceiling of dining room

Stained Glass in Library

Library

Detailing of inlay birds on the bookshelves

Elaborate carving for room dividers

Clock Tower

 After our tour, we began our walk back to the hotel.  We stopped to grab a bite to eat, but the restaurant we chose was closed for the day (for cleaning).  The owner popped out and gave us directions to another place a few blocks away that he highly recommended. He was absolutely correct.  The food was delicious and inexpensive and the atmosphere was perfect and quiet.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures, but the name of the place was Pillars.


We enjoyed the walk back to the hotel and spent some time at the water front, just outside.  Now we are back and enjoying a little dessert: tea and some delicious Jammie Dodgers!



Since all the clothing was not fully dry, Chip used the hairdryer to further the drying process on a few items.  Now we are all tucked in and ready for our travel day tomorrow.