Well, it didn’t snow. But our Christmas in Cardiff, Wales has been nothing short of fabulous.
I’ve mentioned before on our Facebook page that Cardiff does Christmas well, it really does. From the spectacular Christmas lights, to the festive market to the official Cardiff Winter Wonderland that stands outside Cardiff Museum. It’s all been really great, a very special one for us, our first cold Christmas in 7 years and our first when Dad, the Chef, didn’t have to work on Christmas day. 2013 was one to remember!
That’s what it’s actually called, Cardiff Winter Wonderland. There is a seasonal ice rink outside Cardiff City Hall, along with fun fair rides, side shows and festive food and drink stalls. We went by day, but it looks so pretty lit up at night.
We walked in and got on the ice rink straight away, but they say you should book. It was loads of fun! Boo wore a ski suit given to us by an anonymous family. He was the only one who didn’t come off the ice soaked to his underwear The people of Cowbridge have been incredibly kind to us this Christmas after our problems, it’s really been amazing
It’s all so different to the tropical Christmases we’ve been used to in Port Douglas. I’m Welsh, so this is my normality, I’ve loved being here this year.
There was no way I was going to go on this thing! But they say it gives you an amazing view of Cardiff.
The Christmas Market in Cardiff has been running for a long time, since before I left for London and then Australia. I’s centred around the Hayes and Cardiff Market area of the town centre.
Plenty of shops, plenty of food, plenty of fun! It’s open well into the evening, a good place for a mulled wine or three.
My boys had never seen mistletoe before. There were many firsts on this trip, from hearing sheep go baa to trying chips and curry sauce. All were good!
You see these bratwurst stalls everywhere these days in the UK, it seems. Chef and the boys said they were delicious.
We tried this Welsh Cream Liqueur, it was seriously good. I promised I’d give the company a plug. They are a family business from Anglesey, Wales Condessa Welsh Liqueurs, I love that these small local businesses can give the big names a run for their money.
When you’re done with shopping, Cardiff’s iconic Hayes Island snack bar is there to serve you a cup of tea. It’s been there over 100 years.
Or you could retreat to Cardiff’s beautiful covered shopping arcades. We have some of the best shopping I’ve ever seen in Cardiff.
That’s it for Christmas posts. We all hope you had a wonderful one, it was an absolute joy for us to be in Wales this year, so special. Happy New Year and Happy Travels!
We are leaving the UK soon, taking a cruise ship on her maiden voyage to glamorous New York and working our way down through the Americas from there. Want to follow our travels? Sign up for updates here.
Want to read more about Wales?
Try our posts about The Museum of Welsh Life, Barry Island and Gavin and Stacey or Cardiff’s Doctor Who Connection
