Day 1 – August 19th, Tuesday
After scambling to get on the ferry, the next 6-7 hours were spent wandering around the boat, waiting for the train, and then riding the train from Fishguard Harbour to Cardiff. It wasn’t a bad trip, but I feel spending the extra money for a plane ride might have been worth it. That would definitely have allowed for more time to explore Cardiff. Luckily it was early enough in the afternoon that after making the .5 mile walk carrying my bag (the street and sidewalk were a little too rough to wheel it most of the way) I was able to explore a little of Cardiff.
Dinner was provided Burger King, because it was fast and cheap. The city was nice; it was a unique blend of modern living and a little old world feel. Walking around I stumbled upon Cardiff Castle, which I did not see a point in touring, I walked along the Animal Wall and through Bute Park. By the time I did a little souvenir hunting it was getting close to dark and heading back to the hostel was the best option considering I didn’t know anything about the city. Wandering around downtown didn’t seem like a good idea. When I got back I watched a little TV with some other travelers and then tried to relax in my room.
Ironically my roommates for the night were actually from North Carolina. They were on their way to Ireland after having been to England. They were nice enough, but I don’t think any of us were in the mood for socializing right then.
Day 2 – August 20th, Wednesday
Wednesday morning I got up early to get a shower and pack up. I left my luggage at the hostel and made my way back to the train station, which was also the main bus station for the city. There I took a bus down to the Wale Millennium Center area and walked the rest of the way. (By this point I was getting good at asking for directions.) I took a few pictures of the Center and the warf before making my way to the real reason I came to Cardiff, The Doctor.
I made sure I arrived right at opening so that there would be time for the Experience and then the Doctor Who Bus Tour afterwards that I had booked. The experience was definitely geared a little more towards kids, but it was very entertaining for adults. The lobby was full of old and new Who props and murals and even a giant Lego Dalek. It was also interesting to learn that they would be closing the experience in the fall in order to revamp it for the new doctor. But it also made me wish I had been able to go during one of the past doctor’s experience. The tour itself was not very long thankfully so there was time to shop in the store and make my way back to the Millennium Center for the bus tour.
The tour guide was a fellow fan of the show who had started the bus tour experience himself and partnered with a larger tour group. He was also an actor and had been in a few Doctor Who episodes as an extra. The tour was fun and a great way to go around the city and see a lot things in a short amount of time. We were able to see various filming location for the show including the National Cardiff Museum, the Wale Millennium Center, Cardiff City Hall, as well as some small neighborhoods and villages in and around Cardiff before returning to Cardiff Bay.
The tour was supposed to run until approx. 4:30pm however it ended up running a little late. I hurried to the bus stop because I knew I didn’t have time to get from the Bay back to the hostel. As I waited I grew more and more nervous until the bus finally arrived 10 minutes later (much later than the posted schedule). I ended up getting off near the central station, though still a good 5-10 minute walk to the station. I then had to rush to the hostel, grab my bags, and then rush back to the bus/train station. I made it on to the train with less than 5 minutes to spare. Missing this train would have really messed up my plans for the next day and possibly caused me to sleep in the station that night.
The next few hours were spent on the train to London. I uploaded pictures to my tablet, tried to relax and watch the landscape go by the windows.
Next stop: England!