Penryn to Cardiff was an unpleasant drive in torrential rain. It literally didn’t stop for a single moment. There was an accident on the M5, too, which slowed us down somewhat, but we arrived in Cardiff (Caerdydd in Welsh) in good time anyway, at about 14:15. Lucas slept the entire way.
Once at out hotel, we checked in and then went out again, to see what we could of the city. It continued to rain all afternoon, I’m sorry to say.
The next day, the weather was better, so, after a hearty breakfast, we went to the very well preserved Cardiff Castle. We managed to see all of that before the rain returned, leaving the afternoon free for ducking in and out of Cardiff’s many Victorian arcades, which add quite a bit of character to an otherwise pleasant, but not terribly striking city.
Friday was the next big travel day, this time from Cardiff to Kilquade in Ireland, via the Fishguard to Rosslare (Ros Láir) ferry.
The drive to Fishguard was nice, passing through rolling Welsh hills and valleys. The occasional tractor formed the only annoyance. Again, Lucas was asleep for the entire journey.
The 3.5 hour ferry crossing was very pleasant, with surprisingly good food (albeit served slowly), activities for the children and — most importantly of all — calm waters.
On the Irish side, Lucas immediately became fussy and so we had to stop a number of times to sooth him.
We finally pulled into the driveway of Opa Tony and Oma Bernie’s house at around 20:45. There was much excitement, so both Eloïse and Lucas ended up going to bed much too late, as, indeed, did their parents.
Meeting my three half-brothers was, of course, a unique experience. Eloïse is already warming to her three new uncles and enjoying the antics of Opa Tony.
The weather here isn’t any better than in England and Wales, but, undeterred, we went for a long walk today around the neighbouring town of Greystones (or Na Clocha Liatha, as it’s known in Irish) and its south beach.
Greystones is a pleasant little town, about 27 km from Dublin and in possession of most if not all of the things that our travelling party needs to survive: a good coffee shop, tasty baked goods and organic food. It’s a good place to start the Irish leg of our tour.
We’ll hang out here with the family for a few days before moving on. Nothing is planned for either the stay here or the days following it; we’re still playing everything by ear.