A trip to the country with the Merluccis; Monmouthshire, Wales

We were so excited when Bethany and Dominick decided to squeeze in a visit to see us before baby #2 arrives.  After a whirlwind day and a half tour of the main sites and some of our favorite pubs in London, we drove out to Wales to show them a little bit of the British countryside.  Our first stop was in the Cotswolds, in the adorable town of Bourton-on-the-water, which Dan and I had visited last year.  We grabbed a quick lunch at a fish & chips shop before taking a stroll through town and doing a little shopping.

We then made our way to Llansantffraed Court Hotel, just outside Abergavenny in southwest Wales.  The hotel is a beautiful restored 14th century manor home set in gorgeous grounds and farmland.  It was bright and sunny when we arrived so we sat down for some tea on the patio and then took a stroll around the grounds.

After our walk we sat down for a drink outside before getting ready for dinner at the hotel.  The hotel has an excellent chef and a menu full of locally sourced food, which was all delicious.

The next morning we were up early for a lovely full welsh breakfast at the hotel before heading off for our canoe trip down the River Wye.  We met up at their shop in Symonds Yat and they drove us to the drop off point at Kerne Bridge.  From there we paddled about 6 miles downstream back to Symonds Yat.  Fortunately, the weather held out and although it wasn't sunny, it was dry and warm.  The current was slow so it took us almost 3 hours to make the trip but it was pretty easy going.  There wasn't much to see along the way but the scenery was beautiful and outdoor activities are always a nice change from city life.  The website had indicated that there were some pub stops along the way but since we went on a Sunday morning, none of them were open yet.  Although it was fun to have Henry with us, we quickly discovered that canoeing is not one of his favorite activities.  He was well behaved but whined most of the time, I think because he wanted to get in the water;)  Luckily for us he didn't jump in, although a dog in one of the other canoes in our group did!

Disappointed that we couldn't stop at any pubs along our canoe route, we made a beeline for the first pub we could come across for some lunch/Sunday roast.  We stopped at a cute place called The Ship Inn in the tiny town of Raglan and had some delicious roasts and pints.

After lunch we stopped at Raglan Castle, ruins of a 14th century castle built by a noble Welsh family.  It is set up on a hill with great views of the surrounding countryside.  We wandered around and explored every corner, including a pretty cool still standing moat.

We then made a quick stop at the hotel to freshen up before heading into Abergavenny for an afternoon tea at the Angel Hotel.  This tea was rated one of the top 20 in the UK and it definitely lived up to its reputation.  They had a huge selection of teas and the pastries were to die for.  We ate so much we could all barely stand up when we were done but it was well worth it.  Unfortunately, we will never be going back to this hotel because on our way out, after seeing some wooden wine crates stacked outside I mentioned that I have been wanting some of those to use for storage in our flat.  As Dom, Dan and I continued out to the car, Bethany came running up after us carrying one of the crates she stole for me!  It is now being used as a lovely scarf/hat/glove box by our front door:)

To walk off our tea, we took a stroll through the town of Abergavenny.  We first stopped at the castle ruins, not as impressive or as in tact as Raglan castle, but fun for a quick walk around.  Then we took a stroll down the main street and found our way into a local pub for a pint while Dan took a work call.  As Dom was at the bar ordering us drinks, a local noticed his accent and asked where he was from.  When he said "New York," she replied, "What are you doing here?!?!"  I'm guessing they don't get many international tourists;)

 a little dancing at the castle ruins:

The next morning we woke up to pouring rain so we headed back to London early after another lovely breakfast at the hotel.  It was a perfect country break and such fun to share it with Bethany and Dominick.

Gdansk, Poland

Our decision to go to Poland was a little spontaneous...sort of, "Poland? why not!"  We stumbled upon Gdansk in our research of good Hiltons where we could spend some of Dan's points on summer city breaks and it looked beautiful!  We hadn't been to Poland yet so it was a great way to check another country off our list as well as a chance to venture back into Eastern Europe, which we were so impressed by when we visited Budapest.  Gdansk sits on the north coast of Poland, right on the Baltic Sea.  It is a popular tourist destination for Polish people and as we walked along the streets we were pleasantly surprised to hear almost nobody speaking English.  We'd finally made it to a town undiscovered by Americans!

After arriving by bus to the city center and finding our way to the Hilton, we ventured out into town.  The old town area of Gdansk is pretty small and can be covered by foot in about 20 minutes.  Our first stop was a pierogi place, Pierogarnia U Dzika, for lunch.  We had a great outdoor table and tried three different kinds of pierogis; traditional (pork), chicken with nuts and raisins, and mushroom.  They were delicious washed down with some Polish beer, Tyskie.

Mariacka Street:

After lunch we headed for the main drag, Ul Dluga.  Most of Gdansk was destroyed during WWII but has been beautifully restored.  The architecture and lay out of the city reminded me of Copenhagen, with a little small town Germany mixed in.  We walked down to the main square and checked out the Town Hall and the Neptune fountain.

  Town Hall:

Neptune Fountain:

From there, we made our way over to the waterfront.  The old town sits along the Motlawa river which runs inland from the Baltic Sea.  There is a beautiful row of buildings along the water and lots of cute restaurants.  The Zuraw, a 15th century crane, is located here.  It is the oldest surviving port crane in Europe and was built for unloading ships but also served as the gate to the city.

The Green Gate:

 The Zuraw:

After making a loop around the harbour, we headed for St. Mary's Church.  St. Mary's is the largest brick church in Europe, and one of the largest brick structures overall, including castles.  The inside was plain, whitewashed plaster walls, but the organ was very ornate and the vaulted ceilings were beautiful.  The views from the top of the bell tower were great.

After visiting the church we went back to our hotel to catch the last couple hours of sun on the roof terrace of the Hilton, which sits right on the water.

 view from the hotel:

That night, after attempting to go to the Trip Advisor recommended restaurant next door, Kubicki, which was full, we landed on a sushi place that was excellent, and so cheap!  Everything in Poland was inexpensive, which is always a plus when on a city break.  We probably spent less on a weekend away than we would have had we stayed in London.  We decided to make a reservation at Kubicki for the following night, and in doing so the host, surprised by our accents, asked where we were from and then instead of making the reservation under our name, he simply wrote down U.S.A.

The next morning we slept in and then got ready for a beach day.  We popped over to a stand for some waffles covered in strawberries and whipped cream before taking a taxi to Stogi beach.  Stogi is a huge, sandy beach.  There were tons of people but plenty of room and lots of places to buy snacks and ice cream.  The huge port nearby it a little unsightly but otherwise it was a great beach.  We spent the whole day sunbathing and swimming in the Baltic.

That night before dinner we took another stroll along the water and watched as people bungee jumped from a crane that was set up right next to the river.  We stopped for a beer at Brovarnia, supposedly the best beer in Poland, before making our way over to dinner at Kubicki.  It was delicious and well lived up to its rave reviews.

The next morning we had breakfast along the Ul Dluga before heading back to the airport for our flight home.  It was a great weekend; beautiful city, nice people, and good food.