The train trip from Bath to Cardiff was uneventful except for the rowdy women heading to Cardiff for a Hen Party (Bachelorette) – apparently, Cardiff is a great place for Hen/Stag parties or partying in general – provided it involves lots of alcohol (not that I have firsthand knowledge of this – the taxi driver was telling me how Cardiff becomes Party Central on Friday and Saturday nights).
I took a taxi from the train station as my B&B was a little far from the city centre – having opted for lower price over great location – but I loved the location! One block from a beautiful and large park flanking either side of the river for kilometres – perfect for my morning run this morning! Though I was a little dubious of my ability to run, since my calves were so tight I could barely walk properly. – I set off and managed a 45 minute run before breakfast.
By 9:15 AM I was wandering back along thee paths I had run on only 2 hours earlier – heading towards downtown Cardiff – more specifically, Cardiff Castle. The day hadn’t brightened since my run – opting instead to remain grey, cool and windy.
As I strolled through the reasonably quite park, my pace quickened – my eyes darting around furtively – I wasn’t worried about my safety – I was regretting my the second pot of tea I had at breakfast this morning and realizing the one important thing my newly-found-wonderful-park was missing is toilet facilities.
Making it to the Castle (in what was probably record time for a tourist on foot) I practically threw my money at the admissions attendant – almost bowled over the usher at the front gate who stopped me to check my ticket and give me instructions – and I almost shoulder checked the attendant at the audio guide table – which was directly between me and relief.
The needs of nature taken care of – I wandered blithely back to Mr. Audio Guide, picked up my audio player and headed out to explore the Castle and grounds. Having opted for the deluxe tour at 11AM, I met the guide and the rest of the group for a behind-the-scenes look at the castle – in which I was a little disappointed, although it did take us to two or three rooms that the general public couldn’t see, there was still many more rooms and interesting hallways that were still off limits and that we caught glimpses of and that intrigued me.
After wandering around the castle and grounds for an hour or two, I headed into Cardiff city centre – a series of shop-lined streets and arcades (covered alleyways lined with shops).
At the risk of offending anyone who might be fond of Cardiff, I found little of real interest (save the park and the Castle grounds). To me, Cardiff seems like a city attempting to regenerate itself – but it has a big disadvantage in that the popular city centre and the somewhat scenic bay area are not adjacent to each other – creating two areas of potential interest separated by lots of run-down buildings.
I wandered along the waterfront – truthfully looking for “Torchwood” sights – the main one being the “main entrance” along the wharf. Which is actually part of the sea wall (which may or may not have had a door in it) now fronted with a chain link fence adorned with “Save Ianto” / “I love Ianto” and other such fan-fare for “Torchwood” – gee, and me without my favourite picture of Captain Jack.
Having exhausted the bay area interests (and having unbeknownst to me, exhausted myself in the process) I started making my way back towards the park – thinking I might just find a nice bench somewhere and sit and write – alas the skies opened up and rain came down, dampening my already flagging spirits. In less than five minutes the rain had ended but the winds picked up again (it had been cloudy and windy all day) and I was feeling cold and tired by the time I entered the park, so I just walked back to the B&B
The sun made a brief appearance while I was writing this (around 1800hrs) but I have had enough of Cardiff and walking and will not venture out again tonight!
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