Cardiff Castle

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According to the locals, THE thing to do in Cardiff is see Cardiff Castle. The last time I was here, the sole and soul goal was to make it to the Howell's sales. (Howell's being Cardiff's equivalent of London's Harrods.) Upon this return visit, I grew embarrassed at my unabashed consumerism and lack of want for Welsh culture. Cardiff Castle now topped my list of necessary sites of seeing.

The locals I speak of are friends of Sarah's, one of who lived in Victoria, BC for a year. They have graciously opened their lush three-bedroom apartment to us for the two nights that we are here. The usual suspects are as follows:

Joe, very good friend of Sarah's. Lived in Victoria for a year. Met us at the bus depot when we arrived in Cardiff to personally escort us home. Has been one of the most unashamedly nice people I have ever met. FOTDL*
Ben, Joe's best friend and roommate. Bjork lover. A man entirely in love after having met an American girl while on a charity expedition. Currently engaged and preparing for a permanent move to New York to be with her. Eat your hearts out girls. FOTDL*
Sion, roommate. Has great potential to be a successful comedian in every aspect. Is the doppelganger* of a guy named Mike who used to work at the pool before it shut down for renovations. Apparently, I give advice better than even Sion's mum- that I will have to disagree with on principle, Sion.

That lot are the roomies. Our fivesome went for dinner of Italian descent on Wednesday evening. I think it was the first proper meal I have had since arriving in the UK. I had the lasagne and I inhaled it. Not quite as good as the Lennox family recipe, though. Because Sion had just previously won a large sum of money in the National Lottery, he treated us all to the meal, which was a very nice surprise. Had I of known, I would have ordered the lobster.

Joe had taken his driver's test earlier that morning. And so, in celebration of his successful exam, we headed on to Chapters, a bar in the middle of a Cultural Arts Centre. I am unable to recall the name, or even exactly what the building is really used for and so the capitalization I have used in my previous sentence is probably a bit presumptuous. Regardless, it was a cool space with a cool vibe. Waiting for us there were Chris FOTDL and Reg FOTDL. Apparently, tall, good-looking males abound in Cardiff as Sarah and I quite easily found ourselves in the company of five of them. The night was filled with easy banter and a pleasant mood, one of the most enjoyable evenings yet. In addition to eating my first real meal, I also slept in my first real bed on Wednesday night. Always the gentleman, Joe insisted that Sarah and I take his room. My sleep was again, deep and dreamless.

This morning, Thursday, Sarah and I took our time getting showered and ready for the day. Cardiff Castle was our destination and I only briefly contemplated the treasures that may await in Howell's. With the sun up in a clear blue Welsh sky, we borrowed bikes from the boys and set off on our cycling tour. Well, that was the plan at least. We got about two feet away from the front door when Sarah realized that her bike was entirely unusable. The tires were so flat that when she sat down the rims touched the pavement. She gave it her best shot but could hardly even steer. This was a problem. We both got off of our bikes and walked with them as we talked about what to do. Mid-sentence Sarah points to my right and shouts, "Look!". There, sitting before us like a giant fluorescent yellow angel from Heaven, is a sign. Not one of those divine directions one must use their faith and devotion to interpret, but an actual sign. It was a sandwich board sign and it said "The Bike Shed". We had wandered upon a bike repair shop, probably one of one in the entire city. We were thus destined to make it to the Castle.

And we did. To my amazement, we made it through the insane UK traffic, rode over the river (via bridge, no walking on water in this story) and through the woods, past by grandmother's house, to which we did not go, and made it to the castle. You may wince at the £7 admission fee at first, but the guide was a lovely retired man passionate about the castle, its history, and its preservation and it is truly a sight to behold. From within, the interior has been designed for the Bute family with no luxury spared. Built in the 1880's, the castle boasts both an ensuite AND central heating. It was also the first home to have electric lighting in Wales. The attention to detail by family friend and architect, William Somethingorother is stunning. I could describe it in full but I fear my entries are already too detailed so lets move on. In short, the locals were right. The castle is a must-see.

After running a few errands, we managed a very chilly and slightly indirect route home. Reg and Chris came over to join us for a home-cooked meal and a movie. Chicken, mashed potatoes and "Little Miss Sunshine" were on the menu. I highly recommend all three of those things. Reg hasn't "giggled that much in years" and Sarah and I had yet another very enjoyable evening.

And so now I sit, on Ben's MAC, periodically cursing its illogical operating system, in an empty living room. My last few entries have been a mad rush to get down the events of the day before I forget the details that make them interesting but tonight I have had all the time in the world. We are on a 9am bus tomorrow back to London and our flight to Mumbai leaves tomorrow evening at 930pm. That's 130pm for all of you folks on the west coast. This prologue is nearing its conclusion and I am eager to write chapter one.

As always, may this find you happy and healthy!
Cheers, Carlie
PS, my apologies to those whom I have not replied to via email. I'm sure once I'm basking on the beach all of the day in Goa I'll have more opportunities to hit the reply button.

Footnotes*
FOTDL - www.firstonetodieloses.org.uk
Doppelganger - one's genetically unrelated identical twin

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Comments

[Anna Sp.]

Phylie was waiting for your call or email! You have to stop back off in Cardiff now to make up for that! hehe. She would have loved to have seen you, but she was also busy with exams, and now off to London. Hope you had a lovely time in the worlds ugliest Capital, (I am allowed to say that!). xxx

[A. Karen]

Hi! You are right Carlie, the Lennox lasagne can't be beat. Too bad you couldn't have made one up for your friends. Drool, drool. Now you have me thinking of putting one together. On second thought, no too lazy today. Maybe I can get your mom to do it and send it over my way. lol Thanks for the e-mail. Looking forward to your next entry. Later, Love A. Karen

[Sarah and Carlie]

Sorry Phil and Anna!
We barely had any time in Cardiff! We got there at night, spent the day shivering in the castle and then had a dinner and left the next morning. You were on our minds and we kept meaning to call. Next time, promise!