Cum declaram cu muuult timp in urma, dupa ziua petrecuta in Londra nu am apucat sa stau decat o zi acasa, caci, asa cum spuneam, Pauline s-a intors cu sora ei si o prietena, si ne-au propus o alta destinatie: Cardiff. La inceput ezitam, eram destul de obosita, dar m-am gandit apoi ca nu se stie cand voi mai avea ocazia sa calatoresc, mai ales cu fetele, iar Cardiff era o destinatie pe care imi propusesem sa o bifez in timpul anului petrecut aici.
Asadar, am rezervat bilete prin Megabus cu o zi inainte (sambata), am pregatit sandvisurile, am dormit putin (din nou), caci autocarul pleca destul de devreme din Coventry (pe la 06:45). Cum nu eram decat noi in autocar, cel putin pana in Birmingham, ne-am permis sa ne intindem care pe unde am apucat si sa dormim. Nu ca nu am fi facut asta si cu "public", caci si cei care s-au urcat la opririle ulterioare au facut acelasi lucru. M-am trezit la un moment dat si mi-am dat seama ca nu mai suntem in Anglia, ci deja in Tara Galilor (Wales). Primul reper a fost peisajul minunat, ce nu il gasesti prea des in Anglia, cel putin nu in Midlands. Apoi, indicatoarele de pe marginea drumului erau bilingve si am constatat cu stupoare ca galeza nu seamna absolut deloc cu engleza si ca nici macar anumite cuvinte de baza, care sunt cat-de-cat universale in diverse limbi, precum 'student', 'centru', nu sunt comune. Nu mai spun ca pana si denumirea tinutului este total diferita - Cymru in galeza...
Am ajuns pe la 10:00 in Cardiff, era pustiu pe strazi si ne-a luat ceva vreme sa gasim un loc unde sa putem dejuna, caci ba nu erau inca deschise, ba nu functiona ceva esential in bucatarie. Am aterizat, intr-un final, intr-un local foarte dischisit, cu bar/bistro la parter si club la subsol. Localul era de gay, deci va imaginati ca era mult mai stilat decat multe altele din zona. Micul dejun a fost mare si bunicel, dar carnatii nu mi-au placut de nici o culoare, deh, cred ca erau englezesti, Richmond. In timp ce mancam si inclusiv cand am iesit din bistro a plouat, intr-un mod tare ciudat, dar eu am fost pregatita, venisem cu umbrela de acasa.
Ne-am plimbat putin pe strazi, am ajuns la Castelul Cardiff, am vrut sa il vizitam, dar am decis ca e prea scump (nu mai stiu cat costa, tin minte doar ca ni s-a parut prea scump), asa ca ne-am intreptat spre mare, oprindu-ne, pe drum, in Catedrala.
Scrambled eggs, fasole, carnati, bacon...Mic dejun traditional...
Locul unde am mancat...
Castelul
Catedrala, mult mai simplista in interior fata de altele pe care le-am vizitat pana acum
Stadionul
Desi nu a fost soare, am avut noroc ca nu a mai plouat apoi si nici vantul nu a fost atat pe puternic pe cat ne asteptam. Dupa un drum destul de lung (aproape 30 de minute, pe jos), cumva prin mijlocul pustietatii, am ajuns la MARE. Bine, impropriu spus mare, caci era de fapt un golf. Chiar acolo se afla Millenium Centre, pe care chiar voiam sa il vad (pt ca era singura chestie de care stiam in Cardiff, caci atat apucasem sa citesc pe internet inainte sa plecam). Credeam ca e o sala de expozitii sau ceva de genul, dar este doar un complex pt spectacole. Tot in jur mai este un fel de catedrala (cred), cea mai veche cladire din oras, daca imi amintesc bine, si Biserica Norvegiana, transformata acum intr-un fel de muzeu, dar la care nu am mai apucat sa ajungem.
Mijlocul pustietatii si Milenium Centre
Nu stiu daca se observa, dar de pe coloana din stanga curgea apa + Catedrala de care spuneam
Nu era soare, dar era totusi multa lumina. Normal ca ne-am luat ochelarii de soare! :)
Am mai pierdut apoi vremea plimbandu-ne prin zona, care era destul de animata, banuiesc ca majoritatea oamenilor erau tot turisti si, la un moment dat ne-am hotarat sa luam un vaporas ca sa ajungem in Port...banuiesc ca ala era port, oricum, eram intr-un loc din care nu mai vedeai pamant daca te uitai in larg, doar o groaza de pescari in jur (neamatori, judecand dupa echipamentele detinte). Am stat un pic pe acolo, pana ni s-a facut frig si foame; plus ca nu puteam ramane mai tarziu de ora 16:00, cand vaporasul cu care am traversat facea ultima cursa inapoi (caci altfel banuiesc ca trebuie sa mergi destul de mult pe jos ca se te reintorci in golf). Realizez acum ca nu prea am ideea pe unde am fost exact, doar am ramas deschisa sugestiilor fetelor, fara sa fiu 'la carma' si chiar e minunat asa, doar sa te relaxezi si doar sa te lasi purtata de situatie...
La intoarcere, dupa cele 30 de minute de mers pe jos pana in centrul orasului, ne-am oprit intr-un bar sa bem ceva, iar apoi am decis ca ar fi cazul sa mergem spre autocar, sa nu avem vreo surpriza si sa nu ajungem la timp, mai ales ca nu stiam exact unde e statia de plecare. Surpriza a existat, dar nu din partea noastra: autocarul a intarziat cam jumatate de ora, caci venea din Londra, unde se desfasura un maraton, timp in care noi voiam sa mergem la toaleta (ne bazasem pe cea din autocar). Dar, ce sa vezi, era defecta! Am crezut ca facem atatc de panica! Noroc ca sofetita a fost draguta, caci eram multi in aceeasi situatie, barbati si femei deopotriva, si la prima ocazie (dupa vreo 2 ore, totusi!!!) a oprit intr-o parcare ce avea si toalete publice, moment in care a inceput o competitie - cine ajunge mai repede la baie.
Sigur eu sunt de vina, va spun eu, am o karma proasta in ceea ce priveste autocarele! Si bine ca a oprit atunci, caci traficul a fost extrem de aglomerat in zona Birmingham-ului, astfel ca am ajuns in Coventry cu cel putin o ora intarziere. Pun pariu ca in Romania nu ar fi dat doi bani pe faptul ca aveai tu nevoie la toaleta, desi gasesti benzinarii pe toate drumurile...
La intoarcere, dupa cele 30 de minute de mers pe jos pana in centrul orasului, ne-am oprit intr-un bar sa bem ceva, iar apoi am decis ca ar fi cazul sa mergem spre autocar, sa nu avem vreo surpriza si sa nu ajungem la timp, mai ales ca nu stiam exact unde e statia de plecare. Surpriza a existat, dar nu din partea noastra: autocarul a intarziat cam jumatate de ora, caci venea din Londra, unde se desfasura un maraton, timp in care noi voiam sa mergem la toaleta (ne bazasem pe cea din autocar). Dar, ce sa vezi, era defecta! Am crezut ca facem atatc de panica! Noroc ca sofetita a fost draguta, caci eram multi in aceeasi situatie, barbati si femei deopotriva, si la prima ocazie (dupa vreo 2 ore, totusi!!!) a oprit intr-o parcare ce avea si toalete publice, moment in care a inceput o competitie - cine ajunge mai repede la baie.
Sigur eu sunt de vina, va spun eu, am o karma proasta in ceea ce priveste autocarele! Si bine ca a oprit atunci, caci traficul a fost extrem de aglomerat in zona Birmingham-ului, astfel ca am ajuns in Coventry cu cel putin o ora intarziere. Pun pariu ca in Romania nu ar fi dat doi bani pe faptul ca aveai tu nevoie la toaleta, desi gasesti benzinarii pe toate drumurile...
In cazul in care v-ati intrebat ce inseamna dragonul, cand v-am dat indiciul referitor la destinatie: este simbolul Tarii Galilor!
Si ca sa vedeti cum suna/arata limba galeza...
De la stanga la dreapa: sora Paulinei (Lou); Fiona; Pauline;
prietena Pauline (Margot) si eu.
Si gata, c'est fini la comedi! Cand am inceput sa scriu postarea, mi-am dat seama ca am uitat sa imi cumpar un magnet din Cardiff, pt colectia din Bucuresti :( Eh, data viitoare!
Realizez ca nu reusesc sa scriu de mai mult de 2, maxim 3 ori pe luna pe blog. De multe ori e vorba de lipsa de timp, alteori de inspiratie, cateodata simt ca scriu degeaba...Mai am cateva (multe) lucruri de povestit, am ramas mult in urma si ar fi pacat sa nu vedeti unele poze (cei care nu le vad pe Facebook), iar apoi o sa hotarasc 'soarta' blogului. O sa urmeze si o perioada monotona la un moment dat, deci sigur nu voi avea chestii interesante de scris.
Acum trebuie sa inchei postarea, caci sunt enorm de multe lucruri pe care trebuie sa le finalizez in perioada asta (pana vineri).
Revin!
PS: La multi ani, copiilor! Se presupune ca a venit vara, nu? Nu si in Anglia - azi a fost vreme foarte ploioasa...
Later Edit: Soarele s-a intors in Coventry! Yeeey! O sa ma bronzez! Din nou! :D
........................
Around the Albion: Cardiff!
As I was saying a looong time ago, after the trip to London I only spent one day home since Pauline proposed us to go to another destination: Cardiff. I was hesitating a bit at the beginning, but the I thought that I might not get the chance to travel there and surely not with the girlies. Plus, I actually planned to see Cardiff this year.
So we booked Megabus tickets the evening before (on Saturday), we prepared some sandwiches, we slept just a bit (again) because the bus was leaving Coventry very early (06:45 a.m.). At least until we reach B'ham we were alone in the coach so we took the best seats and tried to sleep. I woke up at some point and I realised we're not in England anymore, but already in Wales. The first hint was the beautiful landscape, the type that you can rarely see in in England, or at least in the Midlands. Then the traffic signs were bilingual and I was astonished to see that the Welsh language has absolutely nothing to do with English. Not even some basic words that are similar in different languages ('student', 'centre') do not sound alike. Even the name of the region is totally distinct in Welsh - Cymru...
We arrived in Cardiff at around 10:00 a.m., the streets were quite empty and it took us some time to find a place to have breakfast - some were not opened yet, some had malfunctions in the kitchen. We finally ended up in a quite posh place, with a bar/bistro at the ground floor and a club below. It was a gay venue, so you can imagine it looked far more stylish than anything around. The breakfast was pretty big and good, though I didn't like the sausages at all, I guess they were English, Richmond. While we were eating and even when we got out a very weird rain started, but I was prepared, I had an umbrella in my bag.
We wandered a bit on the street, we got in front of the Cardiff Castle, we thought about visiting it, but we decided it was too expensive (don't remember now how much, just that it seemed a rip-off), so we headed to the sea, with a pit stop at the Cathedral.
Though it wasn't sunny, we were lucky it stopped raining and the wind as strong as we expected. After a pretty long walk (around 30 minutes) in the middle of nowhere we reached the SEA. Oh, how I missed it! Well, not really the sea, to be honest, it was rather a bay. Right there it was the Millennium Centre, a place I really wanted to see (because it was the only sightseeing thing I knew in Cardiff, it was all I got to read on the Internet before leaving). I though it's something like an exhibit place, but it's just a show venue. In the same area there is this cathedral (I think), the oldest building in the city, if i remember correctly (the red-bricked building in the photos). Just a bit further there is the Norwegian Church, a museum now, but we didn't get the time to go and see it.
Then we waisted some time walking around the quite animated area. I assume most of the persons there were tourists...At some point we decided to take a barge to get to the Harbour...I think that was the harbour. Anyhow, it was a place from where you could only see the sea and nothing else. There were A LOT of fishermen there, professional ones, judging by their gears. We stayed there until we got cold and hungry; plus we couldn't have stayed later than 16:00, because that's the time when the last barge can take you back (otherwise I assume you have to walk a lot to get to the bay). I actually realise now that I don't have a clue of what I've visited exactly, I was just saying 'yes' to the girls' suggestion. I wasn't in charge of the sightseeing and it was great just to relax and go with the flow...
On our way back, after the 30-minutes walk to the city centre, we stopped by for a drink in a bar, then we thought it's wiser to head to the bus stop, in order to avoid any unwanted surprises, especially since we had no idea were the stop was exactly. There was a surprise, but not from our side: the coach was a half a hour late, because it was coming from London, where there was a marathon that day. Meanwhile, we really wanted to go to the loo - we didn't go it the bar just before leaving, we were counting on the one in the coach. But, what do you know, that one was out of order!!! We thought we'll be having a panic attack! Luckily we had a nice driver and since we were many persons in the same situation (both women and men) and she pulled over as soon as possible (2 hours later, though!!!), in a parking line where there was a toilet facility.
I'm sure it's me to blame, I'm telling you, I have a bad karma when it comes to buses/coaches! And thankfully she stopped then, the traffic was hectic around B'ham, so we arrived in Cov at least one hour late. I bet in Romania they wouldn't have bothered that you need to go to the toilet in a similar situation, although you come across with gas stations (and consequently toilets) on every road...
PS: Happy Children's Day to all the kids out there! It's supposed to be a summery time now, right? Well, not in England, where it rained the whole day...
Later Edit: Sun is back on track here in Cov! Yuppy, going to get tanned! Again! :D
Realizez ca nu reusesc sa scriu de mai mult de 2, maxim 3 ori pe luna pe blog. De multe ori e vorba de lipsa de timp, alteori de inspiratie, cateodata simt ca scriu degeaba...Mai am cateva (multe) lucruri de povestit, am ramas mult in urma si ar fi pacat sa nu vedeti unele poze (cei care nu le vad pe Facebook), iar apoi o sa hotarasc 'soarta' blogului. O sa urmeze si o perioada monotona la un moment dat, deci sigur nu voi avea chestii interesante de scris.
Acum trebuie sa inchei postarea, caci sunt enorm de multe lucruri pe care trebuie sa le finalizez in perioada asta (pana vineri).
Revin!
PS: La multi ani, copiilor! Se presupune ca a venit vara, nu? Nu si in Anglia - azi a fost vreme foarte ploioasa...
Later Edit: Soarele s-a intors in Coventry! Yeeey! O sa ma bronzez! Din nou! :D
........................
Around the Albion: Cardiff!
As I was saying a looong time ago, after the trip to London I only spent one day home since Pauline proposed us to go to another destination: Cardiff. I was hesitating a bit at the beginning, but the I thought that I might not get the chance to travel there and surely not with the girlies. Plus, I actually planned to see Cardiff this year.
So we booked Megabus tickets the evening before (on Saturday), we prepared some sandwiches, we slept just a bit (again) because the bus was leaving Coventry very early (06:45 a.m.). At least until we reach B'ham we were alone in the coach so we took the best seats and tried to sleep. I woke up at some point and I realised we're not in England anymore, but already in Wales. The first hint was the beautiful landscape, the type that you can rarely see in in England, or at least in the Midlands. Then the traffic signs were bilingual and I was astonished to see that the Welsh language has absolutely nothing to do with English. Not even some basic words that are similar in different languages ('student', 'centre') do not sound alike. Even the name of the region is totally distinct in Welsh - Cymru...
We arrived in Cardiff at around 10:00 a.m., the streets were quite empty and it took us some time to find a place to have breakfast - some were not opened yet, some had malfunctions in the kitchen. We finally ended up in a quite posh place, with a bar/bistro at the ground floor and a club below. It was a gay venue, so you can imagine it looked far more stylish than anything around. The breakfast was pretty big and good, though I didn't like the sausages at all, I guess they were English, Richmond. While we were eating and even when we got out a very weird rain started, but I was prepared, I had an umbrella in my bag.
We wandered a bit on the street, we got in front of the Cardiff Castle, we thought about visiting it, but we decided it was too expensive (don't remember now how much, just that it seemed a rip-off), so we headed to the sea, with a pit stop at the Cathedral.
Though it wasn't sunny, we were lucky it stopped raining and the wind as strong as we expected. After a pretty long walk (around 30 minutes) in the middle of nowhere we reached the SEA. Oh, how I missed it! Well, not really the sea, to be honest, it was rather a bay. Right there it was the Millennium Centre, a place I really wanted to see (because it was the only sightseeing thing I knew in Cardiff, it was all I got to read on the Internet before leaving). I though it's something like an exhibit place, but it's just a show venue. In the same area there is this cathedral (I think), the oldest building in the city, if i remember correctly (the red-bricked building in the photos). Just a bit further there is the Norwegian Church, a museum now, but we didn't get the time to go and see it.
Then we waisted some time walking around the quite animated area. I assume most of the persons there were tourists...At some point we decided to take a barge to get to the Harbour...I think that was the harbour. Anyhow, it was a place from where you could only see the sea and nothing else. There were A LOT of fishermen there, professional ones, judging by their gears. We stayed there until we got cold and hungry; plus we couldn't have stayed later than 16:00, because that's the time when the last barge can take you back (otherwise I assume you have to walk a lot to get to the bay). I actually realise now that I don't have a clue of what I've visited exactly, I was just saying 'yes' to the girls' suggestion. I wasn't in charge of the sightseeing and it was great just to relax and go with the flow...
On our way back, after the 30-minutes walk to the city centre, we stopped by for a drink in a bar, then we thought it's wiser to head to the bus stop, in order to avoid any unwanted surprises, especially since we had no idea were the stop was exactly. There was a surprise, but not from our side: the coach was a half a hour late, because it was coming from London, where there was a marathon that day. Meanwhile, we really wanted to go to the loo - we didn't go it the bar just before leaving, we were counting on the one in the coach. But, what do you know, that one was out of order!!! We thought we'll be having a panic attack! Luckily we had a nice driver and since we were many persons in the same situation (both women and men) and she pulled over as soon as possible (2 hours later, though!!!), in a parking line where there was a toilet facility.
I'm sure it's me to blame, I'm telling you, I have a bad karma when it comes to buses/coaches! And thankfully she stopped then, the traffic was hectic around B'ham, so we arrived in Cov at least one hour late. I bet in Romania they wouldn't have bothered that you need to go to the toilet in a similar situation, although you come across with gas stations (and consequently toilets) on every road...
I can see now that i only manage to write on the blog twice, maximum trice a month. Most of the times it's because I'm very busy or I lack inspiration and sometimes just because I feel I'm writing in vain (I don't think this blog reaches the persons it's supposed to)...I still have (many) things to tell you about, I'm way behind and it would be a pity not to show you some photos (if you can't see them on my Facebook account) and then I'll decide the future of this blog. There is a very dull period coming up next, so probably I won't have much novelty to share anyway.
Now I've done the translation, me going to bed!
But I'll be back soon!
Now I've done the translation, me going to bed!
But I'll be back soon!
PS: Happy Children's Day to all the kids out there! It's supposed to be a summery time now, right? Well, not in England, where it rained the whole day...
Later Edit: Sun is back on track here in Cov! Yuppy, going to get tanned! Again! :D
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