A Welsch Experience

August 1, 2007
Cardiff and Caerphilly, Wales

I woke up way too early this morning, and met my partners from class and some of their friends for our trip to Wales. The bus ride was three hours long, and absolutely beautiful. We went through rolling hills, and across the bay into Wales. As soon as we got into Wales, everything looked really green. I think we went through a bit of marshland. We made a stop in Newport, then got off the bus in Wales, to be greeted by quite possibly the most disgusting public toilets I have ever encountered.

After arriving, we walked to Cardiff Castle, where we got on a hop-on, hop-off tour, my first one ever. We stayed on for one full cycle, which was about 55 minutes long. It was a beautiful morning, and the only time I felt chilly was when we were driving over the river and around the bay area. It was beautiful though. After one cycle, we got off at the Castle Cardiff, and bough tickets four a tour. The tour was not for an hour or so, so I went to Pizza Hut and ate their lunch buffet, having not eaten breakfast or lunch this morning. The tour was really nice, and this castle is also impeccably maintained. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed inside. The history of the castle was interesting, and the grounds were really nice as well. After the guided tour, we trekked up a tower (only 101 steps, but they were very steep). The views from there were really great ones of the city.

After the castle, we were trying to decide what to do because there is not much else to see in Cardiff. We decided to take a train to a countryside town called Bridgend, only to find out that there is nothing to do in that city after we bought our tickets. The guy at the train said, “What’s there to do in Bridgend?” He told us to go to Caerphilly instead. We went downstairs to try to exchange our tickets, and the lady asked us, “What’s there to do in Caerphilly?” We did not exchange our tickets and went back up the stairs, and the man asked us why we did not exchange. He called his friend over to confirm his belief that Bridgend is a nothing town. He also asked, “What’s there to do in Bridgend?” We told them we wanted to see rolling hills, wherever they may be. Alas, we exchanged our tickets and headed off to Caerphilly. It was a twenty-minute train ride, and when we got to Caerphilly we wondered what kind of decision we had made…until we found a fruit stand with some of the best fruit we have ever eaten in our lives. Then we walked a bit longer, and found the Caerphilly Castle, which is the second biggest castle in all of Europe (so probably also in the whole world). It was beautiful, and the backdrop was pure splendor, with stitched rolling hills all the way around. It really was an endearing place, much more charming than Cardiff.

We were only able to spend about an hour in Caerphilly before we had to take a train back to Cardiff. Back in Cardiff, we dined at good old Mickey D’s (I got a McFlurry), and then we headed to the bus station to go back to London. Right now I am on the bus and about to start the paper I need to write for my class.