Liverpool

Liverpool.

Cardiff was a nice modern town.  Being a bit tired, we had dinner at the hotel restaurant.  I'm not saying all English are deceitful, but our waiter took the prize.  I asked  for a Merlot and what arrived seemed to be a Rose.  A crap Rose at that!  If you know me, you know I never want to make a scene.  I then asked the waiter , but he swore it was a Merlot. 

So I turned to a man at the next table, who happened to be French, and asked him. He just laughed.  So I took the glass up to the bar, and asked to see the bottle that it came out of.  The barman then tried to tell me it was a Rose/Merlot blend, and would I like a red wine instead.  Tired of arguing I accepted a new glass.  

From Cardiff, going up the Wye Valley to the monastery ruins of Tintern Abbey. An abbey without a roof or windows, way up in the country, miles from anywhere.  The British countryside is beautiful, I thought it would only be nice in patches, but no, there is miles and miles of mature trees. After that, the town of Ludlow, which was quite cute. 

Liverpool was a nice surprise, some industry, but the town centre was impressive.  We had a local guide come on the bus and did a tour of the city.

She said she was fifty, and when she was a girl all the buildings were black.

Lots of new buildings, and reuse of docklands warehouses.

From Liverpool, first stop was Lake Windermere, where we got on a large launch and went down the lake.  Very scenic and worth the extra.  Trafalgar have a system of optional tours, which you have to choose on about the third day.  Most are not expensive, so we have opted for those, of which the lake trip was one. Most of this day has been spent humming quietly down the motorway, so I have slept some of the way.  A quick stop at Gretna Green to see some shops and a Scottish piper.  One the motorway again, bound for Glasgow now.