Off to Cardiff

After a twenty minute nap, I was able to get up and ready for Cardiff. The night before I had asked Joe to come get me because he was getting up early to go to Bath and Stonehenge. We walked off together and I printed my travel writing essays to turn in the next monday. Also happening monday was the arrival of my mother and brother.

I got to Chelsey's house to buy our accommodations. She bought the train tickets so it was up to me to pay for the little room in a Rossie's house to stay in.  After a long validation process, Spencer joined us and we hurried off to the train station. We walked really fast because we were running a bit late and my shins started to seize up! That was going to be a problem all weekend.

On the train to London, I ended up talking to Chelsey and Spencer the whole time. They're to interesting! At King's Cross we all got a picture at platform 9 3/5 (or whatever... Still haven't read Harry Potter). Spence has those pictures though. I'll have to do a couple blog posts with pictures that others have tagged me in on Facebook. We then got on the train to Cardiff and I passed out as best as I could. I was really uncomfortable and there were some really loud people on the train. I slept though!

When we got off, we had to buckle down for our 40 min walk to our host's house. my legs were seizing and I hadn't slept enough but I made the best of it. I just couldn't walk too fast. Cardiff is interesting. It's a little ugly! But it has this strange irresistible charm and I still somehow ended up falling in love with all it's ugliness.

A Declan for Kirsten

An adorable kitty in the window!

 We finally made it to our cute little room! Rossie gave us suggestions of where to go and we used the internet a little. She was super nice and our room was incredibly comfortable. I can't believe Chelsey was able to find it! I'm so glad, too.  On our way back to Cardiff we bought day buss passes and were on our way.

Our first stop was the Cardiff market. It was so strange! there were fish stalls, vintage cloths stalls, pet store stalls, and everything else all wrapped into one market. Chelsey and I stopped in a vintage cloths stall  where Chelsey fell in love with a Welsh wool coat. It was beautiful. We decided to hit up the castle first then come back to make some buys. Chelsey works as a buyer for a department store and did a little business while shopping around.

walking there

Chelsey found my favorite pub

Saint Marry's street

 The castle was great! I really liked it and I loved how there was a little Renaissance fair going on! I loved the castle ruins surrounded by the moat. We also signed up for the tour. 

Knights at work

We went to play with the toys. There were juggling pins, chinese yoyos, and these little glass ball things. The guy had me try. I like the progression of my faces when trying. I wasn't too bad at it. You had to hold it like Chelsey is in the picture above then throw it straight back and catch it in your palm.

So pretty!

A knight's tent

Showing us the most dangerous weapon in England: a big pole.

Archery in the background

<3 goats

Inside the Castle that the richest man in Europe at the time built. His name escapes me. Victorians were so... interesting.

Chelsey!

Nursery

Interesting picture for a nursery... 

The Bro's bedroom

A recreation of his quilt

Upstairs garden

Cardiff is the city of goats!

For Titi

A fruit tree would grow out of the table so that the family could pick fresh fruit as they ate.

a bell for the servents

armadillo?

The Moorish room...

With Chelsey!

Inside the old castle

Spencer on the toilet

It was pouring! But Cardiff from the top of the castle

After looking at the castle we went into the military museum in the visitor's center. Apparently the local regiment's mascot is the goat's general. Now I know I should be Welsh.

American Colors and a fragment from the regimental colour of the fourth American Regiment of Infantry. These are extremely rare. The Colours are the heart of an infantry regiment. The US Army has not lost many. These Colours were surrendered to Wale's 41st Foot after the capture of Fort Detroit on 16 August 1812 during the war of 1812

Interesting hats...

I wonder if this is a legit ancient stone circle. It was in the middle of a city park

Gay club!

Chapel Bar and Restaurant

After Chelsey and I bought our finds from the fare, we headed off to the Bay area. We took a bus and I passed out on the ride down there. We walked around the bay for a bit and then ate at Nandos. It took forever to get our check but we were so glad to be inside from the freezing cold. It was raining and windy! We decided that after Nandos we would go back into town to hit up a pub.

It looked so fun but I knew it would be so cold that I'd hate myself for riding it so I just admired. The fair looked fun

There was a sea adventure tour and I almost wanted to do it but Chelsey and Fumio were too cold. It was better not to do it after all

Across the bay

I discovered the panoramic feature on my phone. I wish I had discovered it a lot sooner!

The ring I got.

The bay

A chapel at night

We decided to go to the Goat's General pub. It worked out because Chelsey didn't bring her ID so we had to find a quiet pub to eat in. I also loved this pub because it was all about the Goats from that regiment and had tons of pictures. I bought Chelsey and Spencer Ginger Ale and I got a Blackcurrent coke (they didn't have lemonade) and it was really really good actually.

That night we wondered down Saint Mary's street where there was club music coming from all sides out of every door and window with tons of party animals flooding the streets. They were all wearing practically nothing even though it was freezing. I really wanted to go dancing myself but both Chelsey and Fumio were tired (honestly I was too so it was ok) but my inner party animal wanted to be let loose. 

We got back home and Rossie was having a little wine party with her other guests. There were two Spaniards who teach English in Spain visiting and a Kiwi guy. He had a gnarly scar on his knee from playing soccer. He was also pretty cute. Anyways, we had fun chatting with them. Rosie had a friend over named Day (as in David) and they asked how we were handling the accent. I said there was only one pair that I had a hard time getting a grasp of. I informed them that I was hoping to hear some Welsh and Day and Rossie were all excited and started speaking Welsh! It was really cool! I wanted to join but we were all so tired we excused ourselves to go get ready for bed. We had to get up and at it pretty early the next day for our adventures!

The next morning we got up to get breakfast from Rossie. She made us some yummy ham crescents (can't spell it) and we chatted until we excused ourselves to find church. Unfortunately we couldn't find church anywhere. I suspected that it was in some random apartment or a rented room somewhere. We moved on to head out to Saint Fagens.  

The very first view I had of Cardiff after getting off the train the day before

We found the bus station and Chelsey and Fumio decided that they wanted to go to Castle Coch as well as Saint Faggen's so we headed that direction. It turns out that it was a castle restored by the same guy who did Cardiff Castle so it was very similar. It was cool to get out of Cardiff for a bit though!

A random horse rider

We made it back to the bus station to head out to Faigen's. ( I cannot remember how to spell that and I'm a bit too tired to care at the moment, haha). It turns out that we had to wait like an hour to get the bus out there so we were tight for time. It was really cool! I loved seeing history come to life like that. I wish we could have had more time.

I had to take pictures of this mill because I used to live in a windmill

One house had a family living there for like four days and living how they would have in the middle ages. One old lady showed us how to spin wool. Chelsey works in fashion so I had her pose with it. I am so glad that we don't have to make cloths like that anymore. I enjoy sewing patterns but at least I don't have to make my own thread and fabric! Holy cow. And that also sounds like a really cool job.

The family's dog.

The school house. It reminded me of Jane Eyre.

We wondered into the shoe maker's shop. I overheard the guy in there speaking Welsh to another lady and I excitedly asked him if he spoke Welsh. He informed us that he hadn't spoken a word of English until he was about 11 years old. I was really excited and asked him how to say hello, thank you, and goodbye. He was friendly. Chelsey really liked the shoes and wished they were for sale. They were really cool looking and even looked pretty comfortable. Apparently the shoe maker measures your foot and makes shoes specifically for them. I may want a par someday. I hate to think how expensive they'd be.

Shoe Maker's shop!

A creeper picture of the Welsh speaking guy.

In the village store room

I felt like I was in Old Trail Town in Cody

A town meeting house

It looks like a LDS church gym!

We then hit up an old medieval church where they are redoing the old paintings. It was really cool. The guy who worked in that building told us about the paintings and we noticed that he was making a Welsh wooden spoon. He was explaining to us about how everyone has their own style when it comes to spoon carving and what it was traditionally for. He as currently making one for his Goddaughter. He explained how his spoon shapes were really sensual. Haha, I love how everything for Europeans is about sex. It's refreshing. When we were leaving I said goodbye and thank you in Welsh and he was very pleased :) Welsh is such a beautiful language and the Welsh are so industrious. It seems like they are all really good at making random things like wooden spoons and shoes. I really like Welsh people a lot.

Virgin Mary using her rosary to help someone get into heaven despite the devil on the other side.

God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost depicted separately like how Mormons view the trinity.

With our new Welsh friend

Then there was a row of TINY houses built after WWII as starter houses for newly wed returned soldiers. The houses go chronologically in order of what houses looked like at that time period. It was pretty interesting. 

Steep stairs

<3 Wales!

an interesting church

Fumio and his doves

The Castle Gardens

The castle was... disappointing. Oh well.

Humidity makes my bangs get crazier and crazier

Our last walk down Saint Mary's on our way to the train.

I <3 Cardiff!!!

Pretty flower trees

Interesting clock

Prince of Wales... well... we are in Wales

We took the train back to London and then to Cambridge. On our way back, there were a ton of fellow PKP kids also getting on the train. One included Tommy so I had him sit by me and we laughed on our way home. I hit the bed to get ready for the arrival of Jason and Mom the next morning! It was a great weekend.