The Munce Family: Celebrating our 15th in the UK.

Dave and I had the best anniversary get-away, we truly loved every moment. We had anticipated a 'bigger' adventure for this year and it was perfect.

We flew into London and caught a train to Cardiff, Wales. Neither of us have been to Wales before and it was a great spot to start our trip. We stayed at this great hotel called the Parkgate which is actually the original location of their Post Office, it was moody and full of great nooks and crannies to check out. The location was perfect as it was on one block from their high street. We arrived on Sunday just in time for a late dinner (due to a flight delay in Mpls), and made our way to bed almost immediately. We explored the city on Monday, appreciating the city center, Wales Castle, which is surrounded by acres and acres of green space known as Bute Park which was originally the castle's grounds. The landscape, gardens and cafes made it so charming, it was easy to spend the afternoon following the various trails. We wandered back and made our way to the waterfront which has been redeveloped into a shopping area with great food choices, museums, and a ferris wheel. We had a happy hour and made our way back. On Tuesday, we explored the Arcades, glass covered walkways, which Wales is known for, they are truly remarkable. Some are fancy, some have shops, some have restaurants, and some have a little bit of everything. The high street stretched for blocks and we had no problem exploring for an entire day. We made our way back for a happy hour at the hotel and a late dinner before taking the train back to London on Tuesday.

We arrived in London with no problems and easily found the Langham, our hotel in Marleybone. Our hotel was fantastic and exceeded every expectation. They even pipe fresh flower smells through the ventilation, every single detail has been considered, wow. We settled and explored Mayfair and found something to eat before a relatively early bedtime. Dave and I had researched about 5 different neighborhoods we wanted to explore and set out each day to do so. We loved each of them for different reasons, but Hampstead, Highgate, and Maida Vale were our top three. Hampstead has the Heath and a fantastic village and high street, Highgate has parks and squares and also a great high street. Maida Vale is near where we stayed a few years ago and is a bit more residential and quiet but centrally located with my favorite garden shop, Clifton Nurseries. It is also in close proximity to the canals which is the perfect setting for a beautiful walk. We also explored Marleybone Village which is picturesque, Vauxhall for The Black Dog (Taylor Swift, yes we did ;)) and nearby park for a slowdown, Westminster for Parliament, Southwark for the Tower Bridge, and Hyde Park for the sunshine and a good book. We also caught the ABBA experience, and a soccer game for the fun of it. Gosh it never ends. And I'm constantly in awe of the beauty of the old arcitecture combined with the new and how it all just works, and works well. We pride ourselves on relying solely on tubes, trains, busses, and our own two legs for transportation.

We missed the kids and they missed us, but they had many good people checking in on them and helping with their every need, it was a sweet reunion, and like always, we love to go, but also love to come home, how lucky are we? Cheers to 15 great years of loving, learning, and growing together with our three great kids. xoxo