Train travel in UK is not fun

 Man I'm tired. These travel days take a lot out of you. 

Left at 8:30 am so we could get something to eat before the train. Long ways from the air bnb to station. At least it seemed long with a suitcase and a backpack. 

We had no idea how Cardiffs train station worked. Yes we had come in there but we just left right away. In order to get out you had to scan your train ticket. So we knew we had to scan the ticket going in. Turns out the station is sort of like a subway only it's outside. It's has platforms, that's it. 

We went to the right platform and there were lots of people . Uh oh another mad dash like in London? Turns out they were going on different trains. We got there too early. So it's 5 minutes before our train is due and announcement is made : change of platform! Of course it was up another staircase. 

Then train is delayed 30 minutes. OK it’s all good, we`re on the train. Everything is copacetic. The Wales countryside is absolutely beautiful. Lots of sheep. Cows.

About four stops from Manchester, they announce everybody has to get off at the next stop because this train ain't going any farther. We have to get on a new train! So on to the new train, different platform.

Finally at Manchester. Time to find train to air bnb to Eccles. Well we decided to take the "metrolink". Turns out it's a light rail situation. Great. Get on. Proceed to move through downtown at literally 5 mph. It seems to stop every block. As time goes on it seems to be going 2 mph. This was the pace to Eccles. It was bizarre and funny.  It really wasn't funny. We were tired. So five hours later (ha more like 40 minutes) We finally get to Eccles. 

We thought we would be efficient so we bought a week card for the light rail at the station. Cost: $30. Found out the actual train is 10 minutes to Eccles. However weekly cost: $60 for 1 week per person. Can somebody tell me why the UK transportation system is so darn expensive?!! 

Goodby beautiful Cardiff from this slow traveller

 So goodbye to Cardiff. A cool city with so much more potential. 

I think Cardiff will become even better than it is now. There is a separation between the beautiful bay and the center.  If they can somehow make it easier to get down there this city will explode. 

You can take a bus to the bay but we chose to walk. It’s about 40 minutes and you walk through a not so nice area.  The bus takes 30 minutes. It’s the regular city bus and not a tourist shuttle or anything.

The bay front has some development but has so much more potential. I can see hotels and condos in its future. Lots more restaurants. More use of the water with boating. There is only one boat that goes around the bay. There is a brand new arts building for theatre, music, dance that is really cool. The Welsh parliament is down there.

In the 1980s the bay entrance was restructured so there would be more of a consistent level of water and the entrance wasn’t all sand during low tide. 

If you walk around central Cardiff and take it at face value you won’t be impressed. The fun is inside the buildings and arcades. They hides lots of independents shops, markets and restaurants. 

Cardiff isn’t fancy but the River Taff and the gorgeous park along it on the castle grounds make it beautiful along the gorgeous bay.

This slow traveller loves Cardiff Wales

 Interesting contrast between London and Cardiff. London has 9.5 million people and covers a huge area. Cardiff has 485,000 and is compact. 

London is frenzy, Cardiff is calm. The biggest difference I’ve noticed between the two is the people. Londoners seem posh. It seems like nobody goes out of their house without making an effort to look good. Not everybody, but most. 

I don’t want this to sound classist. It is not intended that way at all. The people in Cardiff seem like regular everyday people. Working people. They aren’t trying to impress anybody. They dress how they want. Casually. Very few people here are made up like models or celebrities.

I feel more comfortable in Cardiff. They are more my kind of people. They will look you in the eye. Say hello. In London no one said hello. It’s probably just the difference between a big city and a small city.

Wales is like the working class cousin of England. There are rich people here but they don’t feel visible. They probably shop in London. Spend lots of time there. 

Cardiff gets 20 million tourists a year. The bay is beautiful and it feels like that area is going to to explode in popularity in the coming years. Cardiff has lots of shopping. Central Cardiff has lots and lots of small shops of all kinds, many in arcades and shopping centers tucked away. Lots and lots of pubs. Beautiful green spaces. Lastly it has rich history. 

Cardiff is a place you have to explore in the nooks and crannies and alleys to find interesting things. It’s worth it.

Cardiff Wales medieval history slow travel

 You really have to dig for interesting nuggets. Like today seeing the remnant of the town wall in Cardiff that was built for defense purposes in 1100. 

I like to look up what are the oldest places. This came up. So I went to find it. I looked and looked It was across from Cardiff castle by Pizza Hut. I just happened to look in the alley behind Pizza Hut and there it was! Looking at it you would never guess it’s history. 

It was part of a 1.2 mile defensive built around the city. It was 8 ft high and 10 foot thick. There was nothing identifying it as this significant piece of history. Just knowing that was built 1100 years ago and seeing it is so cool. 

There are also remnants of a 3rd century Roman wall in the Cardiff castle walls. It is outlined in red on the photo. Unbelievable.

Cardiff fascination’ history to this slow traveller

I never planned to go to Wales thinking Wales? Boring. It’s anything but…

Loving history like I do, it’s an interesting place. To me, anyway. This was one of the big coal capitols of the world. At its height it moved 11 million tons through Cardiff harbor a year. I cant even imagine what that must have looked like with train car after train car being loaded onto ships. Ships coming in from all over. The town was built on it. 

It made a lot of people very rich. During the Victorian era. I’m sure Cardiff was a mix of the wealthy and the working class who worked the docks. People from around the world who crewed the shipped coming into the harbor settled here, representing many countries including Somalia, Yemen and Greece. The area around the docks became a multiracial community. 

After World War 2 coal production almost completely ceased leaving Cardiff in economic decline. Refugees came from war torn countries in the 1970-80s.

The bay was redeveloped in the 1990s into a place for entertainment and water activities. The Welsh parliament is there. There is a large arts center there.

Nowadays Cardiff relies on finance, tech, retail and tourism. Cardiff gets 21 millions tourists a year! 

Cardiff Bay in 1890s and today.

Beautiful Cardiff slow travel

 Beautiful day in Cardiff today. You can tell this is a port city because lots of seagulls flying around and calling loudly.  

I absolutely love Cardiff! It feels like you can breathe here and it’s not so dirty. There are so may less people and it feels more relaxed. Because of all this I am more relaxed. It’s nice.

I loved London, but like New York it is so fast paced and crowded. It’s like stepping into a whirlwind and trying to keep up with it. I’ve always  lived in the city but no where near that size. It’s fun to visit but wouldn’t want to live there. 

In order to really discover a city, I’m finding you have to look into its history. The basis of Cardiff and all of Wales for a very long time was coal production. It was once one of the biggest coal suppliers in the world. Brought lots of wealth here. Especially to Cardiff which had the port where the ships came in. 

In order to give the rich people something to do with their money back in the 1950s arcades we’re build in central cardiff. They are referred to as Victorian arcades. They are little shopping streets or alleys inside buildings. There are shops and restaurants. Really cool. The oldest is the royal arcade. 

I’ve only visited one but intend on going to all 8 of them.

Cardiff clear, Cardiff cloudy,etc.

 Cardiff is such a breath of fresh air. It is a much smaller city than London. It's under 500,000. The air is fresh. Everything is green. It's not congested. It's not hustle bustle. We don't have to use the train here. It's walkable or you can take the bus for really cheap. 

When we got here it was cloudy. We lucked into finding the bus to where we're staying. Then we went past it and had to walk back. No big deal. Our airbnb is very nice in a really cool neighborhood called Pontcanna. It has huge stone houses.

Todays weather has been interesting. Went down to central Cardiff for groceries. Beautiful and sunny.  On way back downpour. Took the bus partway. Get home sun comes out. Then thunderstorm. Then sunny again. Now thunderstorm. Really hard rain and hail. Thought the picture with galoshes appropriate.

When I looked at the forecast for the week we are here, I was worried. Rain everyday. On closer examination it looks like what happened today happens everyday.

Cant wait to explore Cardiff!