Cardiff Sea Safari

Like two ships that passed in the night...

I can now speak with authority and from experience that in Cardiff there is nothing more exhilarating or exciting than a high speed boat ride that takes you not only around Cardiff Bay, but out in to the open beyond the barrage. The fact that I went in the dark only added to the experience, but you can go in the day if open sea and black skies are not your thing.

This is a great activity for people visiting Cardiff if they don’t want to just wander around the City centre or sit in a restaurant, and it is particularly perfect if you live in Cardiff and have visitors coming want to do something fun and different with them.

If you live in Cardiff and have not done this yet, well the only thing I can say to you is shame on you!

Cardiff Bay, back in the day, used to be a neglected area of docklands which due to the estuary’s tidal range – the largest in the world - was empty of water for 12 hours of each day. I am told it was muddy and not particularly pleasant. However, in the 90s the area was regenerated to produce an enclosed freshwater lake, separated from the saltwater estuary by a barrage. The Bay as we know it today sprung from this.

It was in this freshwater lake, and through the barrage into open sea that my colleagues and myself did fare late one night in the pursuit of hi-jinks and pleasure. And that is what we got in abundance.

Now, I am not one known for my suitable outdoor attire, so after donning a woolly hat and hoping that would do I was glad to see that we were to be provided with waterproof jacket and life jacket.

A Cardiff lad by the name of Ryan was our Captain, and with his knowledge of the seas, an understanding of what a raucous group of civil servants were after and a jolly good sense of humour we set sail.

The trip lasted an hour and although it began with a with a sedate lap of the Bay so we could take in the view, once our Captain realised we wanted more and weren’t going to cry or throw up, we were soon zooming around letting off high-pitched shrieks of laugher and exhilaration.

We passed through the locks as the light was beginning to dim and Ryan kept us filled in with all the details of their construction and operation. Once out in the open, we really picked up speed, and battling against the waves we all felt the life affirming feeling of doing something utterly unexpected and fantastic. The wind whipped through our hair as we clung on, whooping and woo-ing, singing at the top of our lungs in the general direction of Bristol to the Kings of Leon.

We breaked a few time so we could all catch our breath and gain our bearings. In these moments, our Captain explained where were, where we had travelled, how ships used the beacons to navigate the estuary and to let us know that we had been reaching speeds of up to 65mph.

The hour flew passed - literally, and all too soon we were back in the lock to return to the Bay. However, the view was worth the end of the run and I don’t think many people can say they have been through a lock in the pitch dark to emerge into Cardiff Bay to be dazzled by its lights and illuminated landmarks.

We disembarked to find that our legs wobbled and that a stiff drink was in order before we could all go back to our respective homes. When reunited in the office the next day, our talk was full of the fun we had had, and how we might like to blast away our cobwebs on a regular basis! Not a bad sign! 

Check out Cardiff Sea Safaris at: http://www.boattripscardiff.co.uk/

Review: Brava

When toast just won't cut the mustard...

Some of things on my Bucket List are things in Cardiff that I have never done, but really should have. And some of them I have done a hundred times already but I love them so much that just had to have an excuse to do them again and write about it. Breakfast at Brava is in this latter category.

If you live in Pontcanna or its surrounding areas you are probably already familiar with this little cafe-gem. But if not, it is worth making a journey for on a Sunday morning.

Now I do understand that they also serve lunch and evening meals, in fact I have eaten a very delicious dinner there last Christmas when fairy lights twinkling in the windows enticed me in. But I have to admit that for me, breakfast is where it's at at Brava.

Sometimes I think a good way to describe this place is like how your parents might describe a little cafe they found in the back streets of Spain. With a 'Oooh, all the locals were there so we knew the food would be good." And this visit was no exception. The sun was out so the four small tables outside were taken, and inside was a hustle and bustle of people and staff. Luckily we got a great window seat quickly, and armed with the Sunday papers sat down to soak up the atmosphere.

This trendy little cafe is invariably filled with lots of trendy people. There is normally a mix of cool Cantonians, yummy mummies with their blonde haired toddlers, and aspirational twenty-somethings with designer sunglasses. I hear that it can be a good place to celeb spot, but you know me, I would miss one if they came and slapped me in the face. However, you will have more than one sighting of a Mulberry handbag during your visit and don't expect to see people sloppily dressed as if they have just rolled out of bed. The Sunday-morning casual look has taken hours to perfect. Don’t be put off by this though, the charm of Brava is that it is very relaxed and it is a great place for people watching.

But the important bit is the food. As I mentioned my area of specialty is the breakfast menu. Sometimes a full breakfast is all that will hit the spot and no cafe serving breakfast could omit this favourite. The Brava menu doesn't disappoint and boasts full carnivorous and veggie breakfasts aptly named the Brava Meaty and Brava Veggie. They are healthily cooked, include all the main contenders and the beans come in a little pot which seems to please non-bean eaters no end.

One of my other favourites are the pancakes – a stack of the scotch variety of pancakes which I order with maple syrup, strawberries and crème fraiche. Teamed with a good cuppa and you can't go wrong. 

But the real stars of the show are the Eggs Benedict. There are two varieties, one with salmon and spinach which is almost always my choice, and the other with bacon. The eggs are always perfectly cooked and there is always just the right amount of hollandaise sauce. Be warned though, you will need to be hungry to finish this, and you must finish it as it is simply too good to leave.

In addition, the coffee is fresh, the juice freshly squeezed, the tea comes in good sized pots and there is always a great selection of very tasty looking cakes at the counter. The staff are friendly and accommodating if a little run off their feet at times. Expect to pay a little more than your average greasy spoon fry up though, after all you are in Pontcanna.

I

Find Brava at 71 Pontcanna St, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF11 9HS

Picnic at Roath Park Lake

When the unlikely happens...

I am starting to realise that some of the things on my list are going to be a bit difficult to achieve. Such as the brewery tour... incidentally, there is no brewery tour. Or a night in St David’s Spa...as if I could afford that. Some of the things that I didn’t think were possible, have been unnervingly possible. Take a ‘night out with Cardiff Celeb Royalty’ which was initially on there as a bit of a joke, but cue a night out with Matthew Rhys off of Brothers and Sisters, Brian Fortuna off of Strictly and Joe Calazaghe, off of, well you know where. Although, that is a story for another time.

However, one that I thought was a bit unlikely was a picnic in Roath Park Lake and to row a boat on said lake. What are the chances of the weather being good enough for a picnic, and for everything else to come together? Not so easy. On Saturday I managed to complete half of the task. Sun, tick. Spare time, tick. Friends, tick. A bag full of M&S deli goodies including wine, tick. Boats....negative. I think however, as I have rowed on the lake before, that I’ll take the task as completed, although if the opportunity presents again before I go, I’ll be sure to get a-rowing.

I’m a bit fond of these picture video thingys now, so here’s another one of our lovely picnic featuring the lovely Lynsey May, and the man himself who is stealing me away.


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Bucket List add-ons

Not time to say hello goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late…

I am starting to panic slightly how quickly my time left in Cardiff is going and how much I have left to do. In fact, I am purposely refusing to name a date for leaving, blaming a four consecutive hen parties and weddings on the weekends preceding my last day in work. The thing is, rather narcissistically, I feel like I need to leave after a proper send off so I can close one chapter and open the next with clear defined lines. I don’t want to half move, come back for a party, and leave again. I’d like a big send off.

Anyway, I’ll deal with that in due course. More importantly for the time being is The Bucket List. I have had some great additions from my Twitter people, and also following an impromptu thought shower (wtf! brain storm suited me just fine), I have some more.

Here they are:

Eating and Drinking

Moksh in the Bay
Eat a Clarkes Pie

Experiences
Watch Cardiff City play in their new stadium
Cycle along the Taff trail to Castle Coch
Walk across the Cardiff Bay Barrage
See a live band in Clwb Ifor Bach AKA Welsh Club
Watch a cricket match in the Swalec Stadium in Sophia Gardens

People
See ‘Ninja’ drum on the bins in Queen Street

Afternoon tea at Waterloo Gardens Tea House

Lazy like Sunday morning...

If you are feeling down, if you would like a treat or if you just want to do something nice and proper, this is the place to go. And as a wise person once said, a picture can tell a thousand words – so here are the pictures of my Waterloo Gardens Teahouse experience, featuring my girls Jo, Suffiya and Julia. Yum.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Check them out at http://www.waterlootea.com/

My first tick off the list

A spot of football

I have some great new additions for the list. A really obvious one that got left off was to watch Cardiff City play at their new stadium, and that, funnily enough is the first thing to be ticked off.

Now, I am not a football follower so much of the game was lost on me and I won’t be able to impart much information on the highlights of the game, but I do know that the atmosphere was great and it is well worth a visit for even the most reluctant of sports people.

With a ticket kindly supplied to me by a friend, we rocked up dressed in something perhaps more suited to a day at the shops and with her two toddlers in tow. Luckily she had done some research before hand and could fill me in on some important footballing details, such as who we were playing  –Derby, which way we were scoring and who some of the main players were including ‘The Beast’.

I was told it was an important match to win after a bad March, which meant the fans were on the edge of their seats, expectant and buoyed up by the glorious sunny weather. The Bluebirds didn’t disappoint and scored within about seven minutes of the game starting, setting the scene for the rest of the match and putting the fans into an excited frenzy. The atmosphere was electric with a lot of singing, chanting and clapping. In fact, it was more like being at a pantomime than a football match...there was even booing, which the kids loved.

We spent half-time inside filling the children with hotdogs and confectionary, and ourselves with wine. In the second half I started to wonder if we really were in the theatre with some of the acting I saw on the pitch. Is it really necessary to throw yourself on the floor clutching at a leg when the player on the opposite team so much as looks at you? One player even got stretchered off, when I am sure he could have limped off and looked a bit more manly? Nevertheless, it did add to it all.



The match in full swing

Cardiff continued to play a convincing match winning the game 4:1, a Derby goal in injury time did little to dampen Cardiff City fans’ spirits, especially as the win put them ahead of their rivals over in Swansea.

All in all, I don’t think I am converted but I really enjoyed my visit, and for my remaining weeks in Cardiff I will be a little more tolerant of the increase in traffic on match days.

I'd give it a 9/10 for great experiences unique to Cardiff and would recommend it if you are stuck for something to do on a Saturday afternoon.



Thumbs up for Cardiff City



The Bucket List

A work in progress

So, I have had a think about all the things that make Cardiff Cardiff. What do people do when they come here, what makes their time memorable?

What is intrinsically Cardiff? Where would you take friends if they were visiting? What shows Cardiff off to its best?

What is so Cardiff, that Cardiff simply wouldn’t be Cardiff without it?

Here is my list so far:

Eating and Drinking

·         The vegetarian food studio in Grangetown

·         Mint and Mustard

·         The Havelli

·         Afternoon tea at Waterloo Garden Tea Rooms

·         Have a waffle at Waffles Coffee shop on Clive Road

·         The New York Deli

·         Lunch at Madame Fromage in the arcade

·         Dinner at Madeiras

·         Drink Mojitos in the Yurt at Milgis

·         Eat Pasta a Cibo’s in Pontcanna

·         Breakfast in Brava on Eggs Benedict

·         Replace lunch with ice cream at Cadwaladrs in the Bay

·         Sample a Thayers Ice Cream

Experiences

·         Go to a Cardiff Devils ice hockey match

·         Take a speed boat tour of the Bay in work lunch hour

·         Take the open top bus Cardiff tour

·         Have a picnic in Roath Park and row a boat on the lake

·         Have a tour of Brains Brewery and drink a pint of the Dark

·         Have a night out with Cardiff Celeb royalty

·         Go to Barry Island, go on rides at the fair and eat fish and chips on a deck chair

·         Watch a Welsh National Opera performance

·         Go on the Llandaff ghost walk

·         Spend a night in the St David’s Spa

·         Take part in a trapeze class with the No Fit State Circus

·         Watch a classic at Chapter

·         See Wales play rugby at the Millenium Stadium

·         Eat fish and chips post 2am on Caroline Street AKA Chippy Ally

Places

·         Cardiff Castle

·         St Fagans

·         Cardiff Museum

·         Cosmeston Lakes

·         Techniquest

People

·         Spot Charlotte Church

·         See the friends I have in Cardiff that I don’t see often enough at all

·         Say goodbye and apologise to an old boyfriend

 I don’t think this is the final list, more of a document in progress, and thanks to all the people who have contributed so far.

Some of the things on the list I have done already but need to revisit. Some I am worried might not be possible in the time frame. But one thing is for sure, I don’t think I can leave happily before I can tick off as many of these off the list as possible. I'll keep my progress updated.

Happy hunting...