We arrived in Wales in the town of Cardiff, and had a really nice camping spot right in town about a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute ride from the bus station. We almost always walk as we enjoy it, and it also helps to burn off the extra calories we end up consuming on our trip. Back in Canada I follow a really strict low carb eating program, but I have found it almost impossible to find the same types of food I eat at home. Plus the opportunity to try different regional foods is a part of our European adventure. The campground is called the Cardiff Caravan and Camping Park http://www.cardiffcaravanpark.co.uk/ nd it had great facilities including a cafe. However we ended up eating at a little local place that made the most beautiful eggs Benedict and coffee for us. Our main purpose in stopping in Wales was to visit the seaside town of Swansea where one of my personal hero’s of the faith Reece Howels had lived and stewarded a beautiful bible college. Many peoples stories of faith has inspired me, but probably his has inspired me the most in the way he lived his life in singular devotion to the causes he felt called to. We always try and visit the sites and history of amazing people in each country we go to. We learn something from people who were exceptionally good, and we learn from those who were evil. We traveled by Swansea by train and unfortunately ended up arriving too late in the day to tour the actual bible college as the heritage center had closed at 3:00. We decided to try and have a good attitude even though we felt disappointed, and then ended up being super blessed when a young woman who had come to clean the rooms on the college saw us out on the grounds and invited us in for a personal tour. Our trip has been full of unique experiences like this where things have worked out in special ways, and it always leaves one with a feeling of being divinely guided at each step in the journey. The unique story of the man (Reece Howels) who founded the college was that he would tell only God of his needs and did not believe in ever asking people directly for money for his ministry. He believed that in this way it would show Gods answers to his secret prayers in ways that inspired faith ( and it did)! There were quotes on the walls of things he said that I found challenging, considering the day we live in where one just pulls out a credit card when we have a need. After visiting Wales we headed to Bath England which is a beautiful showcase of old English architecture. We stayed in a beautiful farm campground called Blackberries Campground which was about a 20 minute bus ride from Bath. http://www.theblackberriescampingpark.co.uk/ What we didn’t know when we booked the site is that there was a ten minute walk up an extremely steep hill to get to the camp. I think we will have some pretty good muscle developed after this trip! The campground had a pen full of goats who were more than happy for me to treat them like pets! Bath is very much a tourist city with lots of shopping, cafes and places for photo ops next to the beautiful old buildings. While in Bath we visited the Abby, which is truly beautiful and can be visited at no charge. In order to understand the cathedrals and Abby’s of Europe I recommend reading Ken Follet’s book Pillars of the Earth, which is an engaging historical fiction book which showcases the building of these mammoth structures which would take hundreds of years to complete. Inside the Abby they buried all sorts of people, and it seems a bit odd to be walking over their graves. They also put peoples remains into the walls in some fashion. Here is one of the typical memorial stones that cover the walls inside the Abby. Hopefully people will speak this well of all of us when we are gone! Bath is also famous for the remains of the original Roman Baths which you can view along with the Pump Room and Assembly Rooms which Jane Austin wrote about in her very famous novels. We decided to actually go to the baths in Bath which still exist but in a modern version and so we spent a very relaxing evening at the thermea spa which has heated mineral pools both below ground and on the rooftop where you can view the whole city of bath. Today’s Camping Key- Our cute table and chairs.I have to say... our table and chairs are my favourite accessories we bring with us. No sitting on the ground and somewhere to put your stove and coffee pot. People think they must be heavy but that is not the case. The chairs only weigh 1.6-2 pounds and the table weighs 1.5 pounds. We purchased our Helinox chairs at MEC Canada for $135 each six years ago and they have held up as new. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5031-086/Chair-One?colour=CRM00 However you can now find a budget conscious version here which only weighs 1.6 pounds for $31.00 https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Lence-Ultralight-Portable-Capacity/dp/B00Y2A6SBO/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=Portable+camping+chair&qid=1563968861&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUkVEWDhHMlBBRkwmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwMTk4MzdFNEUyWE9GNzNOVFcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDYzMTUxNjMxQlVLVEM1RVJXRUMmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl Our table was a great buy also purchased from amazon for $35.00. As mentioned it only weighs 1.5 pounds and rolls up into a tiny bag. It is sturdy enough to hold our camping stove and windscreen and also has little pockets on it that can hold your fire starting accessories. When unrolled the table top becomes extremely stiff and has rigid bars that run along it to keep it stable. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B01HD1D7S0?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title In my next blog we will visit France and I will tell you about some of our cooking gear.
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Wendy Peter is the North American Director of Events for the Women on the Frontlines Organization.
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