Cardiff Trip Day 2

[galadriel1010]

And oh look, I'm back to being exhausted by travel. I could barely think last night, let alone write a diary entry.


The problem with hostels is the people you're sharing the room with. Most of the time they're great - I only had two nights on my Australia trip that I would say were bad roomie nights, and one of those was because they were all men and I didn't realise.

Last night was one of the really bad ones. Worse than the previous worst, whcih was the Swedish girls who talked loudly until 3 in the morning.

We had a snorer. We had a snorer who didn't stop until past 7 in the morning, by which point my alarm was due to go off in under an hour. Putting my pillow over my head made the volume not physically painful, but she drowned out the traffic. So yeah, no sleep at all.

Having said all of this, the room itself is great. Two en suite showers and an en suite toilet, plus a row of sinks actually in the room, each bed has an individual light, the lockers are massive and the beds are among the comfiest I've ever slept in. The staff are great as well, and the cooked breakfast is worth paying for if you think you can get up in time (they stop serving at 9am).

I had the cooked breakfast and left the hostel at about 9.30 to walk across to the entrance to Cathays Cemetary, where I could catch the bus to Tesco. It's quite a long way over there, but the buses come at half hour intervals, so I had plenty of time to go in, get some lunch and flowers and get back out to catch the next one along, which took me down to Mermaid Quay.

First stop was Tesco down there for batteries (although I appear to have left my camera in Halifax :/), and then I went down to the memorial to leave the flowers. I got him red roses.

I still love going down there, because it's so much our place. I would classify visiting the Shrine as a truly authentic tourist experience, because there's no performance or staging going on. It's just us, and we did it because we wanted to for our own benefit. That's all kinds of awesome.

From the Shrine I went for a walk around the Bay to the Norwegian Church (which they're refurbishing) and tried to find the TI office down there, which appears to have moved or closed. Back along the Bay to Mermaid Quay again, where I wandered up the Plass and stood on the lift. It still didn't move.

I popped into the Milennium Centre TI office, where I bought a postcard for littleni and chatted to the assistant about Doctor Who and Torchwood tourists. One of the first things she suggested was visiting the Shrine, which is very cool in terms of its tourist value, and she told me that they get letters for the Shrine delivered there occasionally, and that they take them down to add to the collection.

She also gave me the email address of the person to talk to regarding tourism research in Cardiff, so yay for actually getting research done.

After that I meant to go up into town to do the museum, but I got on a bus going the wrong way and sort of gave up. I was so tired that I decided to see it as a message, especially as it was raining as well, and went to Tesco and then home. Bought the first issue of Baked and Delicious, which came with a set of 6 silicone cupcake moulds and a recipe for bitter chocolate puddings, amongst other things.

Got some more writing done back at the hostel and made it to 5000 words on my casestory fic, which is nowhere near enough but good going for a week's work. I need to get into the NaNo stride and get 2000 words a day, ideally.

Forced myself to stay up until a sensible time for bed before I collapsed into my pit.

Next entry

If you would like a postcard from Cardiff, I will need your address. PM me or something.

Comments

[littleni.livejournal.com]

Wow what a full day. I think the red roses were perfect for the occassion and I am glad the shrine is still there and still attended. TI sounds like they are on top of things when it comes to tourist value, good that you got some research value out of them.

BOO for snorers!!!

YAH for postcards!!

Look forward to your next update......

PS> GET SOME SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I had no idea the shrine was still there! I really must get myself to Cardiff at some point...

[lefaym.livejournal.com]

I'm glad people are still going to the shring. ♥

And I would love a postcard! Do you still have my address?

[mcparrot.livejournal.com]

You're an amazing woman. After Australia I didn't think you'd stay in youth hostels ever again. I love your take on travelling the world - inspiring and yet, slightly hopeless at the same time. Real life in other words.
Do you even have any contact with our old friend Harry? Wonder what she's up to? Is she still anywhere near Cardiff. God I'd love to get there one day.

[cb-eaglemaniac.livejournal.com]

Aw, that's so fantastic that the tourist info people will add letters to the shrine. <3 That makes me all kinds of happy; happier, even, than when you go down there and see a big throng of people crowded around discussing it. I don't know if they're Torchwood fans, but seeing elderly men and women pointing out different poems or pictures is just so cute. =P

I've never stayed in a hostel before; I think the roommates part would be the worst for me because I get annoyed enough with my housemates and we're at least in separate rooms! haha!

I might be down to Cardiff sometime in the next week; I haven't been to see Castell Coch or Caerphilly Castle yet and would like to make a day of it while I'm not swamped with school work. If I end up going I'll drop you a comment and if you're not too busy with your own stuff maybe we could meet up? It's a possibility anyway! =)

[ms-bekahrose.livejournal.com]

... And that is why I don't think I could ever sleep in a hostel.

Nothing against hostels or the people who sleep in them, but, I snore, you see? And I'm hyper-paranoid about my snoring, and I would feel so bloody awful for ruining another person's experience.

The Shrine sounds really awesome, and the TI people sound even more amazing because they will add people's letters to it. To me, that is going above and beyond their jobs.

I would love a postcard, but let me know if it's a feasible thing, I don't know what the postage is like over there and would hate for you to be paying a crazy amount to send a postcard to me.

[fide-et-spe.livejournal.com]

Oh it's a nightmare with the snoring, also because it's a stranger you can't go and turn them, which can work well. I now always get my own room everywhere, which costs a lot, but I have the problem of snoring if I have hayfever or a cold, and I have had really cross friends before when I've shared rooms. It's hit or miss, but I decided to stop even taking the chance. I just can't bear how guilty I feel the next day, and it's a strange feeling because at the same time you can't help snoring, so you get cross about that as well!

So pleased to hear the shrine is going strong. You know I'd love for it to be going strong even after Miracle Day. One of the things that upset me was recently, with all the new series posts, reading fans saying how the shrine is mental and another sign that Ianto fans are lunatics etc. Whereas I think it's actually a really nice thing, totally harmless, and why not?