Socal Mom by Donna Schwartz Mills

Blackpool: "The Hangover," British Style

As a fan of British television shows and movies, I've long wanted to check out England's most famous seaside resorts.

The fanciful Royal Pavilion at Brighton is the one thing I remember from viewing the film of The Who's Quadrophenia back in 1979 -- and it remains on my list of sites I'd most like to see.

But our most recent visit allowed us to take a side trip to Blackpool, which has lent itself as a colorful setting in such productions as Bhaji on the Beach, Funny Bones and most memorably, the BBC series Blackpool (which was renamed during its BBC America airing as Viva Blackpool and was the inspiration for a failed CBS series you might remember, called Viva Laughlin).

Blackpool makes Laughlin look like Beverly Hills.

To be fair, the city seemed perfectly lovely when we got off the motorway and navigated west through streets of nicely kept, middle class homes, to the beachfront.

I was excited to see the landmark 1894 Blackpool Tower and the all Victorian era arcade attractions surrounding it. Then we parked the car and walked toward the beach and Central Pier.

Our visit occurred during a heat wave, and the beach was packed - just as it would be home in Santa Monica. But that's where the similarity ended. I joked that sunny, warm weather is so rare in the UK, that Brits don't seem to know what to do with it. Few people were wearing what I would consider beach attire; instead of bathing suits, I saw a lot of people in rolled-up jeans and t-shirts - even leather jackets.

More shocking was how intoxicated everyone seemed to be. Blackpool is a prime destination for stag nights and hen parties, and it seemed as if gangs of the former were stalking the latter. And vice versa.

It was a little like being in the middle of a British remake of "The Hangover." In broad, bright daylight.

"I think these people started drinking a little too early," I remarked.

 "Just today - or in life?" my daughter asked. She was still reeling at the sight of some very young kids who were smoking cigarettes in the street. She thought they looked about 10 years old; I think they may have been as old as 12. At any rate, it's very young -- and I'm very happy that my little Californian found it shocking.

We made our way to the Pier and got a snack of ice cream and chips, steering clear of all the carnys who were trying to lure us over to play their games.

And then, we headed back to the car to conclude our road trip north to the calm beauty of the Lake District.

A glance at the Visit Blackpool website indicates that our brief visit to the city's beachfront does not tell the whole story of the resort, and that ours might not be the fairest first impression. Perhaps it warrants another visit.

But for right now, I think not.

Our Magical Mystery Tour: to Liverpool

I will always remember our recent UK visit as the one where I finally got to venture out of southern Wales and England and explore what's known as the Lake District, in the northwest part of the country.

As you can see on the map below, it's quite a distance from Cardiff (A) to Wigton (D), the little village where my brother-in-law had arranged a week's rental of a cottage for us all.

View Larger Map

This long drive (about six hours) allowed us to swing past a couple of cities I'd always wanted to visit: Liverpool (B) and Blackpool (C). We decided to take a couple of short detours to nose around a little and before connecting back with Dave, Tracey and the boys at the cottage.

There are all kinds of tours and attractions in Liverpool for Beatles fans. Too bad I'm the only one in the family who is one of those.

The Beatles

My husband, daughter and mother-in-law would have been bored on a tour of Beatles landmarks, or a visit to the Beatles Story attraction. Besides, we didn't really have a lot of time to spend, and I didn't want to waste money on something that no one would enjoy but me.

I instructed my husband to set our GPS unit to take us to the center of Penny Lane.

It looked pretty much as it was described in the song: About a block away from the fish and chips shop and news agent depicted above, there was a roundabout and a barber shop. It was all very ordinary and suburban -- except for the other tourists that had stopped by for the same reasons as us.

In fact, what struck me the most about Liverpool was what a nice city it is (not at all the way it is depicted in all those Beatles biographies I used to read). It looks and feels a lot like Cardiff, and the two cities have a lot in common: Both were busy ports that had to restructure their economies in the post-war era. But while Cardiff is a city that was built on coal exports, Liverpool's ports dealt with people: those who were migrating to and from the UK... and until 1865, a port of exit for the slave trade.

Albert Dock

If we'd had a couple of days to stay and explore Liverpool, I would have wanted to learn more about this dark side of the city's history at the International Slavery Museum, one of several attractions at the city's re-purposed Albert Dock development.

Again, I was reminded of the city we had just left, as Albert Dock is similar to what's been developed at Cardiff Bay: hotels, restaurants, offices, museums, convention space... and a ferris wheel.

We decided to grab some lunch at a Liverpool outlet of Pizza Express... which was overrun with families and little girls in cheerleading uniforms. Apparently, there was a regional competition at the adjacent convention center. This is when I learned that this quintessentially American sport has crossed over the pond to Europe.

Fab 4 Store

After lunch, we decided to shop for souvenirs at the Beatles Story gift shop, aptly named "The Fab 4 Store," home to more Beatles-themed kitsch and memorabilia than I ever thought possible.

Did you ever want a pair of granny sunglasses, like the ones John Lennon wore on the Sgt. Pepper album cover? They have 'em. How about a wallet with the poster art from A Hard Days Night? They've got that too, and more.

We shopped to an unrelenting soundtrack of Beatles hits. As we paid for our purchases, my husband asked the painfully young cashier if she ever got tired of listening to Beatles music. (That's because HE would get very tired of it very quickly.)

"No, I rather like it," she replied.

"Of course, you have to say that to all the tourists here, don't you?" my husband noted.

She just smiled.

Old Meets New in Cardiff Bay Development

It feels strange to be flashing back now to the trip we took back in June (especially since Megan has been back in school for two weeks now!)... but our summer was extraordinarily short (and busy) this year. And I've yet to share the most interesting things we saw in the UK!

I'm going to do the best I can to wrap that up as soon as possible. But for now, I'll just leave you with some photos I took while exploring the Coastal Path at the Cardiff Bay Barrage, which opened in 2008 -- which means it was new to ME.

In recent years, Cardiff has become something of a media center, as more television programming is originating from BBC Wales. The scene above will be familiar to anyone who watched Doctor Who's adult-oriented spinoff, Torchwood. Officially, the building on the left is Wales Millennium Centre, an arts complex whose bold architectural form makes it Cardiff's version of L.A.'s Disney Hall. I was not surprised to learn that the natives have nicknamed it the Armadillo.

In Torchwood, this building sits above "The Hub," the secret headquarters of the Welsh unit tasked with investigating extraterrestrial technology (and the aliens who bring them).

In the background, to the right of Millennium Centre is the Pierhead Building.

This restored Victorian beauty is now a visitors center and events venue - but it was originally the headquarters of the company that handled transport of Welsh coal. This building is special to our family, as my husband's grandfather worked there.

The Merchant Seafarers' War Memorial is a gorgeous sculpture by artist Brian Fell. It commemorates contributions of those merchant seamen who were lost at sea during World War II. I lam so not artsy... but I can't help but love the elegance of this piece and the artist's concept, constructing a sad face that also resembles the hull of a ship.

I get this one... which is something I cannot say about most modern pieces of art.

 
This is a view of Flatholm and Steepholm, two islands in the center of the Bristol Channel, which serve as kind of touchstones to the citizens of Cardiff.

One of the purposes of this trip was to fulfill my late father-in-law's wishes that his ashes be scattered in Cardiff Bay. My husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law rented a small boat and did just that, getting quite close to these islands. In the summer, there are cruises out to Flatholm, which is only a 45-minute boat ride. This is something we may do on our next summer visit.

We hit the coastal path in the late afternoon, after we had already been doing quite a bit of walking in Cardiff City Centre. We could have walked all the way to Penarth, but aching feet caused us to turn back. This is the view of the Bay development from the path.

More things to do in Cardiff

New (to Us) in Cardiff

I've been to the United Kingdom about a dozen times, and this trip was remarkable for two reasons: (1) We got to see more of England than we have in all those other trips, and (2) we only stayed in my husband's home town of Cardiff for five days -- which means I did NOT revisit some of our favorite spots:

• Caerphilly Castle
  
• Llanerch Vineyard
• Castell Coch
• Roath Park
• Cornish Bake House
• Traveler's Rest

Shopping in Cardiff

That said, there was a lot we did in the city that was new to us. One of the biggest attractions this time around was the new St. David's Centre, which was just a huge construction zone the last time I visited. It's now one of the premiere shopping destinations in Europe.

As I left my ratty old raincoat in hotel closet back in London, I needed to do a little shopping before we hit the moist weather of England's Lake District. Fortunately, our visit coincided with British retail's annual summer sales, so I was able to find a nice little slicker for just £25 (about $40).

St. David's is a welcome addition to a city centre that has long been known for its beautiful shopping arcades, some of which date back to Victorian times. 

Idyllic Strolls in Bute Park

One of the first sights I ever visited in Cardiff was the castle that dominates the City Centre. It's such a convenient attraction to visit, we've managed to do so again and again. This time, we skipped the castle and explored the beautiful park and garden located just beyond its walls.

Unlike the Castle, you can enjoy the park without paying an admission fee. Originally developed in the 1870's for the third Marquess of Bute (who owned the Castle and much of the city), It is the largest park in Cardiff. It boasts beautiful gardens, a lovely outdoor cafe, and views of the River Taff.

Art in Cardiff

I can honestly say that in nearly 20 years of travel to the United Kingdom, our family never had the urge to visit an art gallery -- until this trip. And for that, I have social media to thank.

My husband is an avid photographer, and while he proclaims he has no time for trivial pursuits like Facebook and Twitter, he has managed to make a lot of friends on Flickr -- including one of the owners of the Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff.

The gallery is indeed found on the third floor of a building in the trendy downtown section of Cardiff bordering the new development on the Bay. But I do want to warn Americans who seek it out: in the UK, the "first floor" is the one we think of as the "second floor" - so you have to walk up FOUR flights of stairs to get to the Third Floor Gallery.

Fortunately, one of the proprietors was on hand to greet us and offer us refreshments after climbing all the way up there. And the photos on display  were gorgeous. This exhibit, "For the Love of the Game," showcased works by veteran photographer Chris Steele-Perkins, illustrating how "football" (soccer) brings people together around the world. This was a very timely show, as our visit occurred during the World Cup.

Not long ago, I would have been afraid to walk the streets down there -- and many of the buildings still look pretty decrepit. But there's a lot of renovation going on, there are hip nightclubs and restaurants and loft apartments being created... and so it's a terrific location for a photography gallery like this.

The Third Floor Gallery is a wonderful addition to the cultural lives of Cardiff's people, but the owners are living the life of the starving artist. Their website currently states that they are having trouble making rent and is asking for donations. If anyone is so inclined, a link to their PayPal page can be found here.

Dining Out in Britain: Diet? What Diet?

Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics German, the lovers Italian and it's all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is where the chefs are British, the mechanics French, the lovers Swiss, the police German and it's all organized by the Italians.

--Author Uknown

I remember the first time I dined at the home of my British sister-in-law (who was not yet my sister-in-law, which tells you how long ago this was).

Tracey is a fabulous cook who makes feeding a crowd look easy. This is remarkable when you realize that until they put in their new kitchen, she was producing course after sumptuous course in a space about the same square footage as my closet (with accordingly-sized appliances).

So a bowl of "salad" was passed around that first meal and I noticed it was undressed. Naturally, I reached for a bottle that was marked "salad cream." 

For those Americans unfamiliar with British household products, "salad cream" is not the same thing as "salad dressing" -- unless the salad in question is cole slaw. This is something I learned the hard way (by tasting it).

And that's when I learned the sad truth about dining in Britain: "Salad" usually consists of a few leaves of lettuce, a couple of slices of tomato, and a sliver of red onion. And nothing else.

Now, it is possible to get a decent salad in the UK -- but finding one isn't easy.

Another funny thing about the Brits is their tendency to serve fried potatoes with everything. Curry and chips is also a popular dish -- and it works on the same principle as chili fries. But I still experience culture shock when I visit a Chinese restaurant and am asked if I want chips with my sweet and sour pork.

Aside from that, I have no trouble enjoying some fantastic meals whenever I visit my in-laws... even when the cook isn't my talented sister-in-law.