A Whale of a Time in Cardiff.doc

I had two days to burn between leaving Edinburgh and moving to Amsterdam so a few weeks ago I decided to book myself into Wales for two nights. I could really have spent the time anywhere in the UK, but I figured why not hit up the Welsh portion of the Kingdom before moving to Holland.

I had a really relaxing time. The place I was staying was a four-minute walk from the train station and looked out on the Millennium Stadium where Cardiff plays its rugby matches. The stadium is massive, brand new, and has already hosted the likes of Madonna and Robbie Williams. The River Backpacker’s Hostel was the absolute nicest hostel I’ve stayed at thus far – the house was renovated just a year ago, it had free wireless for my laptop, a diverse breakfast, and the house is managed by a bro and sis team who you see around every day; it was very homey. The Mom of the two owners even comes in on Saturday and Sunday mornings and insists on doing the dishes for ‘the kids’. I insisted right back that I could do my own, and she called me a very polite Canadian young man. Guilty as charged?

I got to the hostel late Friday night and basically dropped my bags, had a tea, surfed the net, and then called it a night. Saturday morning and afternoon was spent exploring the city. Cardiff has undergone something of a transformation over the past few decades into one of the larger financial hubs in the UK and the city centre is a reflection of the prosperity that has come to the city. I first went into the downtown shopping district and was able to avoid the urge for a Primark adventure. From there I shelled out seven quid to visit Cardiff Castle – it was built in the 15th Century and renovated into more of a Medieval Castle in the 18th Century.

The grounds of the castle are beautiful and were particularly stunning on the sunny Saturday morning. The two features of the site are the guided tour of the residence, decorated with much opulence by a Scottish lord in the 18th, and the “keep” that was part of the original castle design. The “keep” stands at the centre of the grounds and is surrounded by a moat to keep invaders out. As you climb the steep one hundred steps to the top, you are privy to a wonderful view of the Cardiff downtown area. While I didn’t manage to get to the Warwick castle this past term (oops!), the Cardiff Castle satisfies my castle quota for some time. Definitely worth a look if you find yourself in Cardiff.

From there I went on a half hour walk to Cardiff Bay where the city has a really vibrant harbour and barge system. The area is somewhat of a cultural centre with a massive arts complex, the Rahl Daul Piazza, a high-end craft store, and a few interactive museums and exhibits. I walked around the harbour as the sun was beginning to set and snapped some really cool photos. If I’m ever in a city that offers some sort of coastal land, I’m always prone to head down to the water. I think it has something to do with a love of being close to the sea, but also the knowledge that the water I’m looking at links, over thousands of KM, with Canada on the other side.

After exploring the two premiere spots in Cardiff, I popped into an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet during happy hour. I ate them out of house and home for only 7.99! The Welsh people were really welcoming, but unfortunately I missed out on hearing any of their own language being spoken during my jaunts (I assume it’s more popular in the rural areas). It was interesting to see all the official signs displayed in both English and Gaelic – it reminded me of our own Canadian system.

As much as I would have liked to explore the Cardiff nightlife, I spent Saturday night in the hostel dining room for a solid six hours working on the essay I have due on January 9. I managed to tack on four pages that completes the first draft. It may be five pages over the word limit, but I’m optimistic about what the final product will look like.

Before bed I chatted with the only other Canadian at the hostel, a med student from Winnipeg who was traveling the UK for three weeks. He had recently arrived and was eager to hear about where I had been in the Kingdom since he had an open rail pass. He altered his trip plans after I insisted on some of the highlights of the spots I had been. After recounting my journey, I realized I had been to a lot of places in the UK over the past three months: London (a gaggle of times), Coventry, Leamington, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bath, Oxford, Stratford, Edinburgh, and now, Cardiff. While there were a few spots I didn’t get to (Ireland, Glasgow, Swansea, Brighton, and Dover to name a few) I always have the summer to make the list a bit more complete. As I say goodbye to the island for the next half a year, I’m happy to have been able to explore some of the major spots. If I can only be so lucky to do the same when I reach mainland Europe I’ll be an extremely happy traveler.

Doc’s Prescription of the Day: A ferry ride! I’ve only taken a handful in my time (the one to Wolfe Island being the most memorable) but tonight will be an eight hour overnight trip to Holland. Will be skyping from Amdam in no time!