British Summer

I'm back up in North Wales for work this week, staying in Llandudno again in the Empire Hotel where Fuji employees stay when we're up here. The Empire is one of those old fashioned hotels, lots of narrow hallways full of furniture, small rooms that are over decorated and terrible bathrooms. Most people staying here are on their summer holidays, and most of them are pensioners so you can't help dodging the walking frames and electric scooters. Everybody dresses for dinner in the dining room...except for me. After a day at work in a suit and tie I have to change into jeans and T shirt...and thongs (careful not to call them that here). Last night I was shown my table which was around a corner where all the dressed up people couldn't see me. At least the food is good.
They can't understand why I don't want a full fry up breakfast when I stay in hotels. Its odd that I just want cereal and toast. Breakfast is the best meal of the day here, and baked beans are a treat. Although last week at a hotel in Norfolk I had kippers for the first time. Too fishy and too salty for breakfast.

Summer in the UK has been all about the Olympics as you'd expect. Glad its over. The BBC coverage started off being fair and unbiased but as they started winning more gold it became unbearable. I even missed Eddie McGuire. Australians didn't get much coverage, except when GB beat us. The papers were worse than the TV. I did find this in the Times, though, a bit snarky I thought.

I did go to the Olympics - the bronze medal football game between S Korea (2) and Japan (0) at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Great stadium and fantastic atmosphere. We sat 10 rows behind the goals, not bad for the cheap tickets. The stadium is in the city centre so all the pubs are full before and after games. I'd driven back from Norwich (5 hours) that day and was starving by the time I got there. Food choices poor: I would have killed for a pie, all they sold was bacon sandwiches.

Barry Island glamour

I completely understand why millions of Brits fly to Spain and Greece for summer holidays. The weather here is crap, and its been an average summer. Its usually cloudy during the day, rain more often than not in Wales and because of daylight saving the warmest time of the day is about 7pm. And the beachside holiday towns I've seen are sort of tragic. I don't know if they've been neglected, or they have just given up. Case in point is Barry Island (of Gavin and Stacey fame) near Cardiff. They could really cash in on the G&S stuff but don't bother. Its just amusement arcades, fish and chips, soft serve icecream cones and bad pubs with beer in plastic glasses. The cafes all serve the same food, photos of eggs, chips and beans in their windows. If you were British, I'm sure you'd know what eggs, chips and beans look like, you've eaten enough of it in your lifetime.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Still, people still flock to the seaside, usually fully dressed. I haven't seen anyone swim yet. I hope it does warm up, there are some beaches in the west of Wales that look really beautiful - sand dunes, blue water and waves. But I think if I'm still here next summer, I'm going to Spain.