Nick and Carolyn in Wales--Part 6--Cardiff (and very long)

[paragraphs]

Caerdydd aka Cardiff is the capitol of Wales--but I bet everyone on my flist knows that. And if not, well, now you do.



Nick and I reached Cardiff at last on Saturday night--far later than we had originally planned. Fortunately, we were able to pick up sandwiches (we ate alot of sandwiches this trip!) at the airport and munched on that on the way...the drive to Cardiff was pretty uneventful actually.

Driving on the M-4 was fun! I am impressed with how orderly the UK driver is on motorways. Three lanes--I pretty much stuck to the middle except when passing, went to the far right in that case. Slower put putters stayed on the far left. Unlike around here, there is strict observance of the fast lane/passing rules. The weird thing though? We had no idea how fast we could go! Unlike here, there aren't signs that say '70 mph' or whatever on them.

Instead--we learned later from Stuart, our adorable host at Ty Rosa, that the signs are there, but not what we are used to. I would've done well to read up this before going, but I actually just found it. Oops. In the UK, there are default speeds that are known to all depending on what kind of street/area you are driving through. Huh.

The sign to indicate said default is this (labeled as Diagram 671):



From the website: Diagram 671, sometimes known as the 'derestriction' sign, has the international meaning 'end of maximum speed limit'. In the UK, however, it has been given the meaning 'national speed limit applies', which means a 60mph speed limit on single carriageway roads and a 70mph speed limit on dual carriageway roads.

Ha! Yes, I should've known this (and other things) before heading off in that car, but I did well anyway by pacing myself with the middle lane (which frankly motored along more along 80mph than 70mph).

Oh yes, and another favorite sign! The humped zebra sign. Figure it out? We don't have these in Texas and I wish we did. They are everywhere, and are accompanied by a pole on either side that the driver can see from a bit back so they can slow down and not run over whoever is crossing.



You can also, in this pic, see a standard roundabout sign (the one with the circle) for little roundabouts, and a 'do not turn thataway' sign. There are dozens more little signs (dozens! I swear!) that we had to learn.

I got to drive the fastest I've ever driven in a car on that motorway--GO ME! 90MPH ROAR! That was fun. Have I mentioned I really liked that car?

Anyway! Might as well dump a few more fun roadsign info notes on you right here, because those Brits (as this was true in both Wales and England) sure do love their roadsigns!

First...you gotta pay attention to the pavement. Seriously, lotsa hints on pavements as to what to do in whatever lane you are in. Those arrows are very very important because woe to you if you are in the wrong lane! They also right clues on the pavement--info about roundabouts to come, directions to turn, etc. Very handy to know the language, oh yeah.

A favorite kind of sign and one we saw lots of and learned to read quickly and very well was for roundabouts. I have already talked about roundabouts, the joys of learning to navigate them and how, really, they are quite awesome things. Here's a sign warning of one ahead:



Unlike US and German signage, there aren't arrows--instead they use bars to indicate streets. See, if you want to go to Ikea (where JB and Scott shop, we were told by Stuart, who is also btw friends with the guy who owns the bar where KISS KISS BANG BANG was filmed and lol his partner Paul uses the same chiro as JB--yes! Barrowman goes to the chiro! lol) you go through the roundabout...i.e., you just do half the circle and artfully swerve around and then straight on. Quite fun that in the little ones.

If you want to go to Cardiff Bay, the retail area (where we shopped) you know to take the first left. I got really good at getting in the correct lane for whatever direction I wanted to go--there isn't another street indicated that would go off to the right, but if that is what you want to do, you need to tuck yourself to the inside of the circle, go past the other exits, then artfully flick your turn signal on and swerve off onto the road you desire. Nify, huh!

(I am sure you noted there is both English and Welsh on the sign. This was true everywhere. North of Swansea, however, the order changed to Welsh then English. Given we never heard Welsh spoken, it is kinda interesting, all the effort put into making signage be in both languages.)

I was warned there would be roundabouts but seriously? There are DOZENS of them! Every day we hit 10-20, I swear it. So if you drive in the UK accept that you will become roundabout pros. Fair warning!

There are lots of other signs that are unique to the UK. I just took a roadsign test online and got 12 of 15 right...ONLY because I've driven there. Had I taken that test prior to going? I would've flunked!

Back to my tale! Ty Rosa actually butted up to Ikea, so we passed it often. After meeting Stuart and Max the Dog, and getting our key, we hauled our luggage...wait. WHAT luggage. Ahem. We took our backpacks upstairs, and decided to go ahead and head for ASDA which wasn't far at all...although Stuart seemed a bit horrified at the thought of walking so far. LOL. He didn't like to walk anywhere. We wanted to get a few things (ASDA being the Welsh Wal-Mart, btw) and pick up some clothes for Nick. "Get some George," Stuart said...he teased Nick later about his George shirts. Grin.

Anyway...we walked down Clive for the first time, noting how there was no real rule in force re: how people should take care of their property. Some front yards were creatively decorated w/pretty plants and such, and others? Full of trash. Interesting neighborhood--not bad at all, just different...I got the impression that few neighbors likely knew each other. Alot of people crammed into a small, small space. Still, it has its charm--I loved Ty Rosa and what Stuart and Paul did to it, could absolutely see living in such a quirky house. Might get tired of the stairs though.

After we found Nick some shirts (picking up a red plaid one cuz plaid seems wildly popular there) we were really hungry even though we'd had sandwiches. There was a McDonald's and a Pizza Hut so we chose Pizza Hut. It was sooo gooood...I hadn't had pizza in MONTHS. THere was some birthday party for some kid going on--very loud--but they left after awhile.

We had fun talking with the waitress about tips. Americans, of course, overtip. I think she was disappointed that I wasn't paying... Nope, the German paid, sorry!

Next day, armed with all the information from Stuart, we headed for the city. It didn't take long at all. And then turned down a street next to the river. What river? Not sure--let me go look it up. AH! The River Taff. Got that! Oh and btw, you had to pay a bit to park on these streets. And, drove me nuts, people in Cardiff and presumably all over? They park willy nilly! Cars along the street might be facing the other direction...that make sense? Whereas here, you only park on YOUR side of the street, facing the correct way--not so there. You can dive over and park the opposite side with your car facing the opposite way. Maybe others do that here, but I never see it. LOL.





Interestingly, a quick check of wikipedia shows pictures of Cardiff that are all clean and tidy. The truth? Cardiff--at least the regular part where people live their lives and go about daily things--is a dirty city, trashy in spots...like on the river, along the street, the front yards of houses. It is not scary-dirty however (LIKE NEWPORT! if you want to write a character in a really trashy rough place, go there...not that we saw alot of it, but yeah, GDL, what we saw? we got out of it in a hurry lol)...but it is a working city and as Nick and I muttered alot...could seriously use a recycle program. Seriously!

We're both used to living in cities where there is a near-rabid approach to trash and recyclables. Not so in Wales (or London for that matter). Later we learned from Stuart that due to the fact one can't blow up trash bins if they don't exist, there is a dearth of places to toss your empties. We got used to it, sorta--okay not really. And speaking of trash--trash day, I learned to hate seagulls. OMG I wanted to KILL THEM ALL as they attacked the trash outside waiting for pickup at 4 a.m. in the morning. KILL KILL KILL I HATE THEM! Rats with wings!

Still, this odd little aspect of Cardiff just adds flavor to the city in its own way. LOL. (There is also a severe shortage of places to go to the loo, unlike here and Germany, and it would be nice though if they did institute a recycle program--I felt guilty throwing away the things I did! A terrible waste!)



Cardiff is rough and messy on the edges, but lovely and intriguing too and is absolutely a city on the upswing--there is ALOT of construction going on as well, from new stores to places to live.

The city center area is interesting. It had a rather 'downtown' feel to it, like I could be in the US. Except for one thing. The arcades.

These are intriguing walking-only streets that shoot off from the main street where any manner of little shop and bookstores and such can be found:









Nick and I aren't the shoppy sorts so we didn't dwell much on the arcades, but they were pretty in their own way as we trotted along, making our way toward the Bay.

There's also a big market in there, which we went through our last day cuz I made Nick do that with me:







Typical market with different stalls with everything from seafood and baked goods to fruit and fabric and candies and hats and t-shirts and vegetables...I would've waded through more of it but N dragged me out. We don't have anything like that here, I wanted to see!

And also one day we were walking around we saw a HUGE line of people--mostly crazy types and teenagers and such. We finally realized it was for X-Factor! OMG I would SO not want stand in line for hours for a show like that lol. Must've been 600 people out there, lined up.

(Nick, in reading this, will probably be thinking 'random C, random' as I am just tossing in this and that as I remember it. No real organization here, ah well).

We found a classic-type bookstore--made me think of the Elliott Bay* bookstore in Seattle. Old, dark shelves, that wonderful smell that is associated with a building and books that have been there awhile. A feeling of timelessness, a well-worn aura that made me want to curl up and read right there. Loved it--we bounced around in there a bit more than once, checking out the Welsh books (which were, incidentally, found in the language section). We sat down and went through the beginning Welsh book--a really nice one--and Nick knew it all already. He'd be on the 2nd volume. It's a pity he didn't get to use what he knew, except reading signs.

Note on Welsh the language: we never heard it spoken. That made me sad. There are many different nationalities present in Cardiff btw...a huge population of, and forgive me, I am guessing, either Iranian, Afghan, Pakistanian... cultures that follow the practice of covering a woman, sometimes everything except her eyes, when in public (we saw many, many women in the full burqa and I realize that my negative reaction and sadness is probably inappropriate, but it did make me sad, especially seeing young girls with their mothers. It is not a life I understand and therefore won't judge, but I can't help the sadness when I see the little girls all playing and happy and bouncy and knowing their time being like that is severely limited.)

Anyway. Many races, many languages heard, but never Welsh. Not in Cardiff...further North, I am sure we would've but not there. Nick didn't get to practice his Welsh AT ALL!

Oh look, speaking of Nick. Random picture of him as we headed for Cardiff Bay (isn't he adorable? What? you can't SEE him? I can! Or did!):



And hey, TW fans should understand why Nick took a picture of this building:



And, ask_world fans should know why he asked me to take this picture:



And right in the middle of the city center part by the bookstore was this lovely church... There's another one further down which now has a mexican food restaurant in it. LOL.



Also in the city center area was, of course, Bute Park and Cardiff Castle.

Bute Park was really lovely. A wall with animals (in stone) trying to escape encircles it, and Cardiff Castle is right next to it and could be seen through the trees. Everything is so GREEEEEN in Wales (how can any place be greener, I don't know). We enjoyed our leisurely stroll through the grounds, watching people, laughing at the little things that Nick got wrong in one of his stories and noting that the park closes fairly early which made us think that that night that Jack and Ianto encountered each other for the first time, both were breaking the rules of the park by being in there so late. Bad boys (bad Ianto anyway, as Jack, being Torchwood, is beyond ha ha I thought 'reason' in my head.)

Anyway! The park was lovely--tons of flowers, green green green, lots of school kids who were seeing their school year finally coming to a close.



Me being goofy on large carved...thing. Nick did not like the picture of himself sprawling on it, so wouldn't let me post it. LOL.



Mini stonehenge!



Nick really enjoyed the mini stonehenge...as did a family of two guys and 3 kids. In our heads of course the two guys were lovers, out with the one guy's sister's kids. One poor kid was too young to play and so stayed strapped into the stroller but the other two played hide and seek with the two men. We were both writing a story about those guys...fun inspiration. :)

And, we found another sort of inspiration under the trees...smile. Quite romantic, Bute Park. (hums)

Not that day, but later, we did visit Cardiff Castle. What an odd place. It is not a real castle, but was still fascinating. We took the guided tour and saw crazy ceilings and wall decor and not much else. The 3rd Marquis of Bute hired William Burgess to redo the castle and Burgess? Well...strange man, LOL, trying to transform the castle into what he thought a medieval castle should be like. Here's some of what we saw.

Some ceilings:





Some monkeys, this one being a bell-pull for the butler/servants:



A garden (can you see the Hebrew scripture? Yes, Hebrew). And you have to imagine the water, the flowers, etc. That's the problem with Cardiff Castle frankly--amazing ceilings and walls, but everything else, you have to pretend is there. That is sad. When the family gave the castle to the city, they took all the furnishings with them. So, Cardiff castle is very empty. Sad.



A marvelous bathroom (but the opulent room had the tiniest bed which of course was not THE bed but 'one just like it!'!):



And then there was the smoking room, where only gentlemen were allowed. That the theme of the room was all about love seems suspicious to me...the Marquis and his designer were the ones who used this room...hmm. Suspicious.



Nick's opinion--and I agree--was that the Marquis was a pretentious snob, the way he had things so opulently decorated, so flamboyant, so...whatever. LOL. Lots of facts swam through our head--so many that by the time the tour was done, we were ready to leave.

Outside, we were greeted by the resident wildlife:



The one cool part though was a tunnel that goes around the outside wall--though I pouted there were windows. So, not really a tunnel, right? But Nick took some interesting pictures of it:







And last of all, we spied this in the gift shop. Needs no real explanation unless one wasn't following the ask_world:



Unicorn. Faery. Yeah...and that was Cardiff Castle. Well, most of it--we were tired of it and failed to go into the one area that we could look at still. We'd rather had enough, and wanted to go to the Bay, a nice long walk, so we left.

Let's talk quickly about cops. LOL. Like trash bins, they are practically non-existent. We hardly saw ANY cops...the occasional, yes, and a few of the cars with that unique color combo thing going on, but really...I for one am used to seeing a cop car every 5-6 cars, see them all over the highways, walking around looking fierce. In Cardiff, and elsewhere? We hardly saw ANY of this. It was odd. Guess the Welsh are better behaved than Americans... (not surprised, I know!).

We did pass this several times as we walked back and forth from the Quay and our B&B (and never saw any cops there either!):



I'd like to know (and plan to find out) about the crime rates and such in Cardiff, the number of police, etc. I do have websites that Lifty linked me to so I am sure that info is on there.

Okay kids--I think that is enough for this post. I'm sure there are details I'm not remembering...so much to take in! The weather--cloudy always, very lovely cloud formations too. I'm sure you can see that in many of the pictures. The weather was pleasant, drizzled here and there...no massive downpours thank goodness.

One thing I noted that may be of interest, and in comparison to how it is here, and even how it is to Germany, is the lack of fast food establishments. There are places to eat, sure, but they tend to be ethnic rather than fast food. There is maybe a McDonalds or two, I think we saw a subway, there are several Starbucks (one right on the main downtown street and yes I think they don't use that term but I do). For someone like me who is used to air conditioning, the open-airedness of the different stores in Cardiff was very different for me.

We saw some quite unusual people, and lol some very strange outfits. Grin. I commented to Nick about the short skirts with tights we kept seeing but I'm not sure he thought that odd...it IS a colder climate after all.

For those of you like me who live farther south, the hours of daylight are much longer. 5:30 a.m., light outside...and it stays light until well after 9ish. More like 10. I loved that, as here, it is dark by 9 and I prefer to be in by then. It is odd to be out at 8 and know there is plenty of time to walk home before dark!

We were never uncomfortable in the City. We never felt uneasy, in danger, or worried that we would be attacked. Despite the lack of police. At one point, we did walk through a neighborhood that was predominantly Black. That struck us both as unexpected for some reason, but something we both filed away.

I'd like to see how the city is actually broken down because there does seem to be some areas of race concentration (just like here in FW--I happen to live in a predominantly Black, but also Asian and Mexican and everything else inbetween area...am a minority here, which doesn't bother me at all). Just another part of the city...just something to note.

We saw kids at play, lots of people walking to get places. Dogs...always a dog or two around. Because the Ashes was about to get into full swing, there were probably more tourists than normal, and yet...the city is not a noisy city, not a massively busy city (like London which is jampacked with people, though not in a bad way--London is endlessly fascinating, hope to get back there someday).

And that is it for the City of Cardiff...Nick will likely add some bits and pieces into this jumbled mess. Hope it makes some sort of sense--written while in the throes of jet-lag, and over the course of a few days' time, so...apologies if it makes no real sense! I'm not sure I'd want to live in Cardiff itself, but it would be good to live close, in one of the little villages (like Sully!) and drive in when needed. I know there were areas of Cardiff we didn't get a good look at, but maybe next time. Which, of course, will not be too far in the future as we both do want to go back on our next holiday.

Next post will be Cardiff Bay, so stay tuned for that in a few days!

C (and N too)

*I said Powell's at first--I order from them online now and then but after a sound trashing from gypsylady I have corrected my mistake. I am so bad! And sorry! :) (can I blame lingering jet-lag?)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Awesomesauce! (This is blue, btw.) I was very interested in your descriptions of the Castle, since I kind of winged it for my lone fic w/ a scene at the Castle. I don't think it was too terribly different ... loved your pics ... I've noticed lots of places outside the U.S. have the open-air set-up for stalls and such. It makes me feel more shopper-y, but at the same time, I wouldn't buy stuff like DVDs from there. Course I may just be drawing associations to the black market DVDs and video games in Mexico City ... interesting notes on Newport -- hee! And a great big "Aww" to the Stonehenge family.

Laughed that IKEA made it onto a traffic sign...

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Hey Blue!! I have other pictures too if you'd like to see them. I can send them to you from home.

Yes--I love that open air set-up. I love how Germany is too--I wanna go to a bakery and get rolls here. Too bad, C, gotta just go to ALbertson's and then they don't even have the right kind. Pout.

And no salami or proper brats either. SO DEPRIVED!

[momebie.livejournal.com]

Humped zebra! That's wonderful. We have those around here but the signs just say 'Caution: Speed Hump', which is fun to steal if you're in high school. I think I'd rather have one that said humped zebra.

That is some interior decorating!

[cruentum.livejournal.com]

The zebra means though that it's zebra stripes over which people cross and cars get to stop to let people cross. The hump to the zebra is only the add-on to also make it function as a speed hump

[spiderine.livejournal.com]

CARDIFF MARKET! Where Ask!Torchwood had to battle ALIEN WORMS!

P.S. I made a Hartha icon. Pretty generic, but good for a first one. :)

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

I could absolutely see a battle scene in there--it would be messy, with lots of places to hide--it is a very big room too. Way cool stuff, but was dragged out.

Pout.

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

Oh, thats what you meant when you were on about with the signs! Lol! You're so cute with your little car. Do you guys really not have roundabouts at all? But... how do you change direction??

Surprised you never heard any Welsh spoken at all. Not in Cardiff so much, but when you went further North. Maybe you didn't go far north enough.

[cruentum.livejournal.com]

Furthest north we went was Cardigan in terms of actually walking around, so that is more West, than North, truthfully, we didn't actually ATTEMPT to go North.

Well. I wanted to go to Aberwystwyth but it didn't fit into our time budget for the roadtrip, so we only made it to ... oh what's the name 30 min north of Cardigan and took some road or another back to Cardiff

[duikermeisie.livejournal.com]

Wait, what's that carved wooden thing?

How on earth did you get a maori war canoe into Wales? Wouldn't the british agricultural ministry impound that?

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

I looked it up what it was and have forgotten--I will hunt it down. It was very weird, just laying there like that! LOL not a canoe though...it did have seats however.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

I took notes on a post it as I read:

1. GRANGETOWN IKEA made me smile more than it should have.
2. Cardiff sounds like Pgh, actually, in terms of filth. We have recycling programs, but they are new. and a lot of trash ends up everywhere. We also have lots of water and lots of refuse. And many many places like Newport.
3. Suck that N. didn't get a chance to use his Welsh? WE WILL NEVER GET TO SEE HIS FACE. Unrelated comments are unrelated!
4. That is it. I'm moving.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

LOL I keep thinking of it as Grungetown, which is not nice. We've been recycling here in FW for ages now--but we don't have it to the extent the Germans do. They have bins everywhere--and you have to put the right stuff in the right bin, always.

His face is mine.

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

made me think of Powell's in Seattle.



Ahem. Powells is in Portland. There isn't even a sattelite store in Seattle. So there!

Now that my regional pride has been satisfied I shall return to your lovely travelogue. (Who cares about random? It's marvelous.)

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

OMG YOU ARE RIGHT! I think it is Elliott Bay Bookstore!!!!

I order from Powell's online. I WAS TIRED!

I will fix it!

Tee hee. I am very random, always...

[mrsalemp.livejournal.com]

Random thread stealing - my friend has been trying to get me to go to Powell's later this summer with her. Worth the trip?

[snaxcident.livejournal.com]

I want a humped zebra. And a pizza from ASK.

And a fairy onna unicorn!

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Oh man, we shoulda bought that damn fairy for you! All you got was a lousy photo. Meh.

Next time. Possibly this spring!

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

Where did you get that picture? I fooking LOVE that facial expression on JB! He looks like Jerry Lewis.

[mrsalemp.livejournal.com]

While I do know what a 'humped zebra crossing' actually is, I think I'm just immature enough that every sign would make me giggle (and that at least part of me would want to steal one). That being said thanks for continuing to share with us. Random vaca posts are super :)

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

LOL I liked them too. I had not heard of that though--Nick had of course. We just call them crosswalks or speed bumps but I can't think of any combos. Hmm.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

This is great! The castle pics are particularly beautiful!

I haven't been to Wales, but these certainly make me miss the UK.

[snaxcident.livejournal.com]

Nice icon hot stuff!

[aseas-words.livejournal.com]

I adored the arcades. They reminded me of the little artsy town where I grew up. In a couple of those shops, they sell Sheep Poo Paper and cards (made from roughage reclaimed from, well, sheep poo). Very entertaining.

The market is fun, although I am used to much larger and more exotic markets living in Russia. I did buy some lovely "Welsh bread" (which I grew up with, but they call "Slab Cake") and Welsh cheese in the market. :-)

Is the bookstore to which you are referring Waterstones?

Once you get out of downtown and into the more residential areas, there are take-out chinese places and that sort of thing. But you're right; in general not very fast-food centric.

The castle in Pembroke is much more fascinating. But I loved the mini stonehenge; took a long nap there one sunny afternoon!

There are a lot of Pakistani people in Britain. In one small town in Yorkshire, there are more saari stores than normal clothing stores! I saw a school group touring the Cardiff Museum, and only the teachers wore burkas. A very different culture, for sure.

I loved how many charity shops they have! We went to more than a dozen shops on the same block one day, buying up 50p used paperbacks...

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Oh LOL Sheep Poo Paper, we did indeed find it and shared it with some friends, sending postcards to them (they were all in an rpg together where sheep poo paper played a role, so it was great to find it).

That's next post.

Yeah--Cardiff Castle is a cheating castle. It was interesting, but not REAL. Not real enough to me anyway. It was more like a castle-like house. LOL.

Yup, Waterstones.

Oh I wish you would write TONS about life in Russia. I do have a Russian on my list but she rarely writes anything about life there. Your fish-out-of-the-waterness is endlessly fascinating to me.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

you never see any cops around detroit, either
unless for a very specific reason...

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

That is weird, because in FW they are everywhere. In their trucks, their black and whites, motorcycles...granted, I see a lot in my neighborhood because I live right near a sub-station but seriously a day doesn't pass that I don't see at least 8-10 of them, waiting to POUNCE!

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Awesome post! I enjoyed the pics and all your cross-cultural thoughts a lot.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

LOL there will be more! more more more more! I am a rambler (can you tell) but also pretty brain-dead while working on that one. Next one will be a little more organized. Best get to that one now too.