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Published: August 14th 2012
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Cardiff is all about Doctor Who. The current filming at Roath Lock Studios, the spin-off Torchwood , the rift, well, everything really. And now it is home to The Doctor Who Experience at Porth Teigr. I sighed with anticipation when I found out.
Graeme seemed to think that we were only going to Cardiff to see the bronze medal Olympic playoff between the Korean and Japanese football teams. Truth be known, they wouldn't have been my choice of teams to view anyway, but hey ho, they're young teams and probably full of pizzazz.
But all that was going to be after a cycle around the Bay, fortuitously passing the Doctor Who Experience.
Cardiff Camping Ground at Pontcanna Fields wasn't the most scenic of camping sites but adjacent to the glorious Bute Park bordering Cardiff Castle just minutes walk to the magnificent Millenium Stadium it was a winner.
So where were you when Korea won the bronze medal? Well of course we were amongst the 56,000 plus spectators taking their facebook photos and practising their Mexican waves.
The match was odd. Odd style of football. Headers and
big kicks; the ball ricocheted around the pitch like a ping-pong ball with scrappy passes and goals being scored by breakaway players. The second half was certainly a better game but I fear I've watched a superior one between Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners (two NSW, Australia teams.)
Sitting by the Bongo the next morning the air had a distinct Autumnal twinge (what happened to Summer?) I collected some blackberries for breakfast and watched lime-tree seeds twirling their way earthward like so many mini-parachutists.
And of course I was sitting reliving my Doctor Who Experience. Yes, I had been allowed to go and although the hands-on stuff was limited, due to a dearth of younger visitors, I managed to twiddle Tardis knobs, and be satisfyingly scared by a rocking Tardis, the approach of a Dalek, a 3D grasping hand of Weeping Angel and various other monsters whilst playing the part of a 'shopper', poor substitute for Amy Pond.
Old costumes, old foes, some interesting memorabilia and of course the progressive development of Dalek and Cybermen phases, constitute the second phase.
No K9? No Master? My gripes. How
could you possibly have a Doctor Who exhibition without that faithful lump of tin, K9?
Leaving the centre and rounding the bay a boy rapturously shouted out, 'That's where the Cybermen come down, I know it is!' Apparantly location spotting is a pleasant Cardiff pastime which on this occasion we did not partake of.
The cycle round the bay had been stunning with a steep climb over the hill to Penarth being our lunchtime stop. The Fig Tree provided us with good food, grilled haloumi and salad, minute steak and salad and a beautiful lemon posset with berry compote and a rhubarb crumble with home-made vanilla custard, while we viewed the Victorian pier in its peeling glory from the Victorian lacework terrace.
The barrage built to create a lake in the estuary of the rivers Taff and Ely as part of a multi billion pound regeneration of the Cardiff docklands incorporate a fish pass for the salmon and trout so that the fisherman upriver won't be disappointed. All part of the Cardiff experience, but no prizes for guessing which stood out for me!
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trish
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Go you Dr Who groupie...