The rest of Cardiff

Considering I have not finished my Cardiff weekend I will now continue:

Sunday morning found the three of us not quite getting out of bed as quickly as we should have...oddly enough I was the first one out of bed. After a quick shower I went down to breakfast soon joined by Maria and Katherine. Instead of the orange marmalade I used apricot...and it brought back memories! During breakfast we discussed what to do, and could not decide if we wanted to go to the Cathedral (a good thirty minute bus ride we thought) or just go to the National Museum (A brisk walk past the castle). Maria and I decided that, well, since we had the Minster in York, no Cathedral would look better then that, but Katherine wanted to go, so at Millennium Stadium we parted ways, she going to catch a bus, we to walk to the museum. On our way though we stopped in a store that we were planning on going to the other day, but neither of us had cash and not enough merchandise for credit. So we went in there and got our little dohickys that we wanted to get and then mosyed in the direction of the museum.

Of course since I was leading the way without a map, we found out we were going the wrong way when Katherine called saying that the bus wasnt coming and she was heading our way. So once she arrived she got us going in the right direction and we headed off.

The Museum was really nice on the outside, but was under construction (they were adding exhibit areas and galleries) so there really wasnt that much on the inside. But they had a really interesting exhibit about evolution with fossils and ooold rocks and replica's of different dinos and oooold mammals etc.... They also had an exhibit where they had artifacts and bones from the various tribes and empires and human races that have lived in Great Britain and that was really neat because for the most part it was all real, no replicas. One really neat thing was a pile of coins, mostly from the roman era and looking at how intricate they were and well preserved. They also had a bunch of jewelry and weapons and tools and crockery etc. Some of it looking like more modern, but it was still really old.

The final part of the museum we went through was the art gallery they had. It was fascinating how many paintings they owned. Some Picasso's there were a good amount of landscapes and a whole gallery full of portraits. I have to believe that my favorite was a landscape portrait done on the lid of a harpsichord. Since harpsichords were more angular there was a whole corner added later when it was removed from the instrument itself and so if you look closely at the painting you can see where the corner was connected to the original. Of course this added piece was still painted by the original artist, so that there was no mistakes or difference in brush strokes or colors between the two making the painting look like it had been that way the whole time.

After the museum we knew that we needed to head back toward The River House so that we could grab out bags and head to the train station so we began looking for a place that we could possibly eat lunch. We ended up at this little pub, that looked like it was not so banged up due to the night before and trundled inside. It was quite a nice pub...we were the youngest people in the joint (well the bartender might have been our age) since it was oh only about one, but we got a nice table right under a tv with a football game on and settled in. I ordered Chili, because i had seem a good amount of places advertising it, Katherine got the sunday roast, and Maria ( i want to say) got either a chicken dish, or a burger..... The chili was pretty good (don't worry mom yours is still the best) and it was the perfect dish to warm me up before a long ride back to York.

When we grabbed our bags we said goodbye to the staff at The River House, traded information with a few of the other travelers, and headed off. Honestly it was a little bittersweet because that place had been so nice and comfortable and amazing. We left really nice comments in the guest book.

I had looked up all the information for our trains home so I knew the time of each one and it was easier to figure out which track and all that. Before we boarded though we each purchased something for the ride...as either a snack, or as dinner, because we didnt know how much time we really would have between the two. So I grabbed a small bag of mixed nuts (unsalted of course) and a bag of dried mango, I think Maria got nuts as well, and Katherine got some biscuits, and we were planning on just sharing everything.

WAIT!!! Back up to the beginning of the day before we headed out I forgot somehting...so here it is. When we went to check out Mum (the lady who cleaned up after us and was always it seemed bustling around the kitchen) had told me about a open air market that happened down the street from the hostel. So before we headed off we went through it, and oh it reminded me so much of the Urbana market that I almost started dancing...there were stalls with vegies, there were jewelry stalls (although it didnt look like anything i would have wanted) there was a butcher there and i think a fishmonger, and then there were like three stalls with baked goods. I purchased a bag of cheese scones so that we would have them on the way home, and Maria got a pack of Welsh cakes. Both of us were tempted to stop and get some spices from a spice stall and then also a salad stall had some interesting looking salads (like potato salads etc.). This market made me love Cardiff just a little bit more, because wherever I end up living HAS to have an open air farmers market, I just love them soo much!

So we had the scones and welsh cakes too if we got hungry, although those never got opened. The train ride home was actually really nice. Our first train was from Cardiff to Manchester, and it was quite empty so we ended up getting two seats to each of us and a table...we were very happy to have a table. So I read, Maria fell asleep (except when I woke her up to see sheep) and Katherine read as well. The train from Manchester to York was quite busy BUT after some switching of seats Maria and I ended up at a table with an elder couple, who were quite odd it seemed...i couldnt tell if they were speaking english half the time, or welsh, or another language, and then Katherine ended down the isle from us as well. We all got home safely though, grabbing a taxi at the train station to get us back safely, and because we were quite tired by this point.

Well that is the final day of Cardiff...sorry there really hasnt been that much going on in my life, but I hope you enjoy these gigantic posts.

I am leaving you all with the recipe for a "baked good" that I have grown to love called a flapjack. http://www.flapjackrecipe.com/

I think i might try to start leaving recipes here or something at the end so that you get to try a bit of the culture back at home...we shall see if i remember this every time.

anyway...more to come later.

Saturday arrived sunny and...well sunny and clear...which was not what I was expecting. SO we all got up, got showers (some warmer then others) and went down to breakfast...where we were greeted by a lady who went by Mum. She was soo nice bustling around the kitchen making sure everyone got what they wanted and more, and cleaning all of our dishes afterward. I had toast with orange marmalade, a little chocolate croissant , a small bowl of frosted flakes with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, in it, and a cup of tea. Maria and I had finished at the same time, so we grabbed shoes and coats and headed outside. Katherine was still getting ready, but she agreed to meet us over by the castle and Maria and I were off. Instead of going straight to the castle though, we headed into Bute Park which was located right next door. Here we found the quietest, prettiest, little park I have ever seen. The trees were huge and it was quite muddy, but there were ruins in it and a nice little garden thing, and we could see that daffodils had already started to push up through the ground. It was really pretty and a good way to start the day.

Katherine finally caught up and we headed to the castle. Here we purchased tickets for the "exclusive" tour. We walked into the castle and just wandered around for a little bit. The first thing that seemed weird though was that there were three really big guns sitting on the lawn and men in uniform wandering around. We just thought that this may be something normal and went up for our tour. The inside of the castle is really interesting. It was built in the 1800's so it is old...but not as old. The rooms are exquisite though...so detailed and beautiful. The tour we paid for even gave us access to rooms that people do not normally see...which was really cool. Since my camera didn't work (the battery was dead) I did not get any pictures of this castle...but my friends did...so I will try to get them from them.

After the tour it was close to noon and there was something going on on the lawn. We found out that the reason there were guards and guns was that Queen Elizabeth took control of the country on that day...she wasn't crowned...but it was the day she became the one with the power. SO in remembrance of that there was a great parade thing. There was a marching band in the red uniforms(they played some old marching songs and anthems and all that...they also played the Indiana Jones theme...odd)...and then some important people with guards and then they shot the guns off. And these guns were loud. They shot of a good amount of rounds as well..more then six, but i don't remember how many exactly. It was really lucky though that we had gone on that saturday and saw that though.

Well after the castle we decided to head towards the bay, but of course got sidetracked by our stomaches and then also the really neat victorian arcades that Cardiff has. These are basically small alleyways with shops everywhere that are normally covered and so give you the feel of street shopping, but without getting rained or pooped on. Down one of these arcades we went and found ourselves stopped in front of the cutest little shop ever. It was a cheese shop, with a cafe and fresh bread as well. Oh we decided to eat lunch there. After about fifteen minutes we actually got a table and each of us started going over the menu. I ended up getting a chicken and mushroom pie with salad and bread, Maria got a stake pie with salad and bread, and Katherine got a lamb stew and bread and cheese. I have not eaten anything as good as that...the bread was fresh, the salad was great, and the pie was delish! I recommend this little place, although i do not remember what it was called. Well after that we started our walk toward the bay.

We had been told that it was only a 20 minute walk, but i think that was if we had taken a different route, it took us about thirty to forty minutes to finally see water. But once we got there, it was realllly cool. This is where I am going to sidetrack for a moment and explain some things that have happend recently

I have become slightly obsessed with the BBC television show Dr Who. For those of you who know the show...the more recent Doctors, not the older ones...for those who do not know the show...shame, shame on you...just joking.

Now this show was one of the reasons we went to Cardiff. Many episodes of both Dr. Who, and its side show Torchwood are filmed here, plus they have a small exhibit showing off costumes and props from the most recent series. So walking into the Bay area was like walking onto set, because there were the monuments, the shops, and the walkways that are seen within the episodes, all that was missing was a Blue Police Box. The bay though is not just famous for these shows, no it is also a really modern up and coming place to go. With a really nice boardwalk, shops, restaurants, different museums and exhibits and many Multi-Purpose Buildings (along with the national assembly). The rest of our afternoon was spent wandering around the bay, through a small museum about the bay area, and then trying to find the Dr Who exhibit...which was cool, but not as cool as it could have been. We were all expecting costumes and props from all of the different doctors, instead it was mainly focused on the final series that has happened. So there were people/creatures that I did not recognize, and some that I did.

After the bay we decided to take a bus back towards the River House, trying to make it back in time for Free Soup...we made it, and had a nice cup of soup and some bread for dinner, before trying to plan the next day. There was a rugby match on, Wales versus England and it was a big deal, so we thought we would try to find a pub, but of course after soup the game had already ended, with England winning, so the pubs were emptying out. But we had a good night and went back and went to bed.

Well that was Saturday. It was a good day, we got to talk with some of the other people staying at the hostel, one group were american students studying in London, a group of Irish men, either studying or working, or we never really figured out why they were in Cardiff, a group from Germany, touring on holiday, and then one guy from Alaska, who was touring Ireland and England after just recently graduating. Those were the people we talked to, but there were also people from somewhere in Asia, Australia, and I think Italy staying in the hostel as well.

So.. I went to Cardiff this past weekend.

And it was awesome! Well most of it was.

Friday (February 5) morning I woke up and finished packing up all of those things that I would need/possibly need/just wanted to bring. All of these things I was able to just fit into the backpack I had brought with me...and when I say just fit...i mean just fit. After that I lounged around (checked the weather...and then packed my umbrella) and then at noon I gathered up my stuff and headed to Katherine's for a lunch of pasta before we headed out. Our train was at 2:30 out of York and so we caught a bus and headed over. Once at the station we asked to find out where our train was going to be (platform wise) and then went and sat around at Platform 4. Now York station I have to say is one of the coolest looking stations ever...it looks old if you look at the details, but at the same time it has a very modern feeling to it as well. I like it. Well anyway so after waiting around at the station our train finally came in and we boarded...with a good amount of other people so we ended up not being able to find seats (seems a theme with me). Of course since we were not really thinking when we booked tickets we didn't reserve seats so we had to figure out that whole "these are reserved...these are not" thing and ended up just standing around in the luggage/bathroom/doors/people who did not reserve seats area for the first lag of our journey. Now this was not that bad...except that Maria was falling asleep standing up and I had to try to read Midnight's Children standing. After a few stops (as in like 6) Maria and Katherine were able to actually get seats...I tried, but didnt notice that the seat was actually reserved so got kicked out by a kind business man. So, back to standing room only where there was a little niche that was supposed to be used for bikes...but there were no bikes there...so it became my seat. I just chucked my stuff in the corner of it and sat down and read...it worked...it wasnt the most comfortable thing in the world...but it worked and it was better then standing and i was in no one's way. Now our first lag was from York to Birmingham where we caught another train. This train we also didn't luck out and get seats. It again was standing room only...but we did end up standing in the First class area where we could see seats open...but having economy class tickets we were not allowed in there. So we stood around the bathroom again...eating the biscuits that Katherine has brought with her and drinking the water I purchased for the trip.

Quick side note for those family members reading this: One of the stops between Birmingham and Bristol (our next transfer) is CHELTINGHAM! (ok that might be spelled wrong) so I got really excited when we went through.

Anyway so finally we got to Bristol...but there were two different stops for Bristol...so another nice business man looked up on his phone to see if the first stop would have a train for us to get to Cardiff...and there was so we got off and then went to find another info desk to find out where we were supposed to go next platform wise...when we got to the platform we had like five minutes and then a very small train pulled up...and I mean it wasnt small...it just seemed not so nice/large as the other ones. The good thing...WE GOT SEATS!!! since it was close to seven o clock by now there weren't really that many people going to Swansea (which was where the train was going...Cardiff was a stop). So we all sat down and I started reading some more. Maria was finally able to fall asleep and Katherine read as well...The train wasnt really all that packed...as it was Maria was actually sitting in a reserved seat...but the girl it was reserved for was sitting in a seat two rows ahead because there was a table there...so she said that Maria could have the seat.

So...final lag of the train (about 45 minutes) and we got to Cardiff. Now Cardiff for those of you who do not know where this is...is in Wales. It is the capital of Wales. At night it kinda looks a little scary. BUT we unloaded and headed in the direction of where the Hostel we were staying at was. About 10 minutes later...past Milennium Stadium and then over the river and then down a nice little picturesque street we were standing in front of The River House. Once we got into the building the reception guy Charlie gave us a tour and then gave us keys. Our room was a four person "public" room...so we ended up sharing it with one other girl (who we later learned was from Germany) but we were able to lock the door and we each were given lockers and locks to keep out stuff in...if we wanted. We all did of course. The bedroom was two sets of bunk beds and We had two bottoms and one top. I had a bottom with the other girl (german girl) having the top. We unpacked our stuff and since we hadn't eaten anything yet went back downstairs to see where Charlie would recommend for food. We ended up going to a pub called The Prince of Wales...which was one really large sports bar that was built within what used to be a theatre I believe. It was an interesting place and we all enjoyed our food. After that we wandered down to the castle to see it at night and then went back home to plan out the next day and for me to read a little more.

We all slept that night pretty well. The whole journey there had worn us all out and even though the beds were not the most comfortable of beds...they were still good enough to just fall asleep in. (Plus by then I had figured out the heat and gotten the room to a not freezing temperature...and we had DOWN pillows (well they felt like that type) so the bed itself was made that much better).

Well I am going to leave it there...because I like keeping you all in suspense...and i need to eat something so I am going to go get lunch and will post more later!