Cardiff. Was. Awesome.
There's really no other way to put it.
First off, it was great to finally see some scenery other than the mind-numbing flatness of the English countryside. Mountains and valleys as soon as we crossed into Wales. And then we came to Cardiff. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but that was not it. At some point, Cardiff seems to have become a thoroughly modern city. Of all the places I've been, I think I can best compare it with Toronto.
Still, we were in the U.K., and that means castles everywhere. We toured the medieval Cardiff Castle, which was until 50 years ago a private residence. It's built on the site of an old Roman fort from nearly 2000 years ago. We got some stunning views of the city and the countryside from the top of the castle keep.
We did some shopping on a high street, although I as usual didn't buy anything. Then we walked through a lovely park/arboretum by the Taiff river. I made sure to carve AEPi into some wet cement, leave my mark on the city. We mastered public transportation and took a bus down to the harbor, which is the coolest part of the city. It's all been built in the last few years - shopping, restaurants, public squares, an opera house, sculptures, fountains, etc...
It was the best day, weatherwise, since I left the states. It must've been in the high 80s at least, with a sun strong enough to give me some color and burn Deanna. It's funny - in Amsterdam, it was hot and sunny when I went, in Cardiff it was hot and sunny. But London remains miserable and cloudy. Next weekend is Paris, so I can only assume it'll be hot and sunny.
We took a boat ride around the bay, which was nice and refreshing. Then we took the bus back to the city centre, and had a nice dinner. I had planned to get some Welsh food, but since I don't actually know what that is, I had fish and chips. Then it was back to London. It's a three hour bus ride each way, and I can't sleep on buses, so I'm utterly exhausted. Tomorrow, for the first time in weeks, I have nothing planned. So it's time to sleep the hell in.
First off, it was great to finally see some scenery other than the mind-numbing flatness of the English countryside. Mountains and valleys as soon as we crossed into Wales. And then we came to Cardiff. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but that was not it. At some point, Cardiff seems to have become a thoroughly modern city. Of all the places I've been, I think I can best compare it with Toronto.
Still, we were in the U.K., and that means castles everywhere. We toured the medieval Cardiff Castle, which was until 50 years ago a private residence. It's built on the site of an old Roman fort from nearly 2000 years ago. We got some stunning views of the city and the countryside from the top of the castle keep.
We did some shopping on a high street, although I as usual didn't buy anything. Then we walked through a lovely park/arboretum by the Taiff river. I made sure to carve AEPi into some wet cement, leave my mark on the city. We mastered public transportation and took a bus down to the harbor, which is the coolest part of the city. It's all been built in the last few years - shopping, restaurants, public squares, an opera house, sculptures, fountains, etc...
It was the best day, weatherwise, since I left the states. It must've been in the high 80s at least, with a sun strong enough to give me some color and burn Deanna. It's funny - in Amsterdam, it was hot and sunny when I went, in Cardiff it was hot and sunny. But London remains miserable and cloudy. Next weekend is Paris, so I can only assume it'll be hot and sunny.
We took a boat ride around the bay, which was nice and refreshing. Then we took the bus back to the city centre, and had a nice dinner. I had planned to get some Welsh food, but since I don't actually know what that is, I had fish and chips. Then it was back to London. It's a three hour bus ride each way, and I can't sleep on buses, so I'm utterly exhausted. Tomorrow, for the first time in weeks, I have nothing planned. So it's time to sleep the hell in.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home