Welcome to Wales / Croeso i Gymru

In an attempt to not travel outside of the UK during our remaining time here, we decided to take a trip to Wales.  While we had some doubts due to comments from friends and coworkers, we managed to have a really good time.



















We spent our first afternoon in Cardiff checking out Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Castle, and strolled through Bute Park.  Something about the leaves changing colors and random Welsh people wearing costumes wandering the streets preparing for Halloween really gave the city a fun Fall atmosphere.  The bay of Cardiff is also a pretty cool place to walk around and grab some food by the water.

On our second day there, Jolene booked us a trip with SeeWales that took us through Swansea and down to the coast of Gower Peninsula to check out the first officially dubbed Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom.  We got to hike different parts of the coast on the edge of some crags, mingle with sheep, and a chance to get hit in the face by some unexpected Welsh sleet (it was sunny about an hour earlier!).  This was also Jolene's first chance to touch the Atlantic Ocean from the other side.

Back in London!

After an unforgettable set of months in Barcelona and then in Reading, PA we are back in London.  I came back a couple weeks early to play catch up on some work activities and then Jolene closely followed after she finished her nursing contract in the US.

Even after all the chats with the embassy and other experts, UK customs still made things interesting for Jolene upon arrival.  They reluctantly let her back into the country, but not before they made 4 am deportation threats and added more criminal stamps to her passport which now prevents her from ever being allowed to enter the UK as a tourist again.

We've quickly jumped right into old times with trips to our favourite  pubs, restaurants, and sites.  As part of Jolene's welcome back gift, we went to see Singing in the Rain and even got tickets within "splashing" distance.  We've already generated a bucket list for the remainder of our time here before we return to the States for good...

Death of the Mazda

Despite our normal life of excitements and blessings, there is a sad, gloomy cloud lingering over our heads.  During one of the final road trips Mike and I needed to make with Sarah, my beloved Mazda, she decided to completely breakdown about 80 miles from Pittsburgh. Luckily I was able to safely pull over and call AAA.  My car was towed to a local mechanic and my parents were nice enough to come pick our stranded butts up from the side of the road. Hopes were high when the mechanic told me my car started back up the next day and he couldn't find anything wrong with her, but our hopes were soon crushed when she broke down again for my Dad as he was trying to get her back home, and this time for good.  She got out of the hospital a week later, but let's face it, she's been getting old and I haven't been taking care of her that well during my recent traveling, so I have sadly made the decision to finally sell her once I come home in December.

This is a sad sad day in the DiLoreto household.  Sarah was my first car that I ever bought right when I started my nursing career.  We had a rough start (she tried to kill me multiple times throughout our first year together, but every relationship has a rocky start.)  Since then, she has become a good pal and has seen the country with me in my traveling, driven through good weather and bad and was a reliable friend as I drove through some treacherous snowstorms.  She has been very good to me over the years and she will be greatly missed.  I now ask for a moment of silence....

<3

West Reading, PA

Cupcakes, Cuban Sandwiches, and Milkshakes
 - Need I say more?

Life in West Reading wasn't all that exciting.  I basically worked, slept, and ate cupcakes and milkshakes in my spare time :) This little town had a ton of really good restaurants, so Mike and I went on a food crawl trying to test out all of the places before our time here ran out.  Surprisingly enough, we never came across a place that their food wasn't excellent!

Penn Avenue

Our favorite part of West Reading was Penn Avenue.  It is a strip of street with a bunch of local small businesses that range anywhere from your local pharmacy to quilting to salons to cafes.  You name it, they've got it.  Despite the variety of shops, we did notice a trend through the town of about 4-5 different cupcake shops.  It took a lot of will power not to try every one! We also especially loved Penn Ave's local farmers market that happened every Sunday right in the middle of the strip. This market produced some really good chillies, peaches, and freshly made apple cider!