Our European Adventure

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Well what an adventure! We're only three days into our European escapade (aka Rugby World Cup tour) and we've so far encountered a flight delay in Bangkok (a seven hour layover allowing for three hours kip at the Bangkok Airport Novotel), the great Belarusian transit visa challenge (we wrangled a 48 hour visa in less than two), cold showers at our London hotel (thankfully we weren't paying the 150GBP tariff advertised in reception) and a fairly mean hangover for some of the group - they're working on a second as we go to print.

Catching up with friends and family at The Victoria Hotel in Paddington on Thursday evening was very pleasant. It was a balmy evening reminiscent of Sydney in October, we stood, drank and chatted on the pavement outside and the drinks went down very easily. Friday saw us board a train to Cardiff where we spent a blue sky and sunshine afternoon wandering the streets of the downtown area and parkland by the river, stopping for the occasional drink in an array of bars and pubs and then back out into the fresh air to fend off jet lag. Cardiff struck us as UK Wagga or Geelong. It's a working class town, it's none too big, the boys are boys and they like their rugby and their beer. The girls are not afraid to don some spangles, high heels, short shorts and strapless tops and there seems to be a disproportionate number of them under the age of 17 and pushing prams.

Today was Australia versus Wales and what a crowd! The population of Cardiff seemed to have tripled overnight and the same streets we wandered yesterday afternoon were by mid-morning awash with red and yellow rugby jerseys. Millenium Stadium was packed with 71,000 people. Australia was, not unexpectedly, victorious - I can't comment on the finer points of the game as these (and most of the grosser points) are entirely lost on me. The Welsh should be commended for their graciousness in defeat however with many of them stopping to chat and congratulate 'the Aussies' over the ensuing afternoon and evening. We spent this period along with most of the aforementioned 71,000 spectators, spilled out into the street outside one of the many bars with much beer being consumed. After dining on what I can only assume to be traditional Welsh fare of lamb kebab and chips and gravy whilst walking back to the hotel, I can hear shouting and singing from the crowd outside. There will be some sore heads and a big job for the local street cleaners tomorrow morning.

Next up...we travel from Cardiff back to London, across Europe and on to Moscow by train.

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