Cardiff Stories

I highly suspect this will only be part one, as my trip is only half over. But already quite a few things that I find noteworthy have happened.

So I've gone to Cardiff for a few days, and so far the weather as been absolutely gorgeous. Cardiff really is a beautiful city.

My first little noteworthy thing isn't very exciting. I went out to dinner the other day, and I happened to sit near a person who I believe was a food critic. The only reason I payed him any attention was because, upon sitting down, the waiter came over to give each of us menus and joked "One and one - or we could make it two!" and the man at the other table joked in response with a comment about matchmakers. Then we talked for a minute. He told me about other Italian restaurants in the area he'd eaten at. And that was that. Later he took a picture of his meal.

The second event was a little . . . off-putting. As I walked about the shopping district, I noticed a pair of police officers going about. And they were carrying machine guns. Or some kind of large guns. I don't know anything about guns. Now, I don't find police walking around with such large guns comforting. And then as I was leaving, two black vans drove in the area and unloaded about a dozen or more of these police officers. I have no idea what it was about.

The last event still has left me with question. I started off my day going to Cardiff Castle, and I noticed while I was in the keep a small camera crew. Just two guys for the camera, and one man for the screen. I thought "oh, its some kind of documentary for the site. Neat." and moved on. Later I went to Bute Park and went to sit by the standing stone circle and read for a bit. When I looked up later, the same camera crew was there. Not only that, the one man was talking to a family of four. I wasn't close enough to hear what he was saying clearly, but I do know he was talking about investigations and Stonehenge.

My question about what the was doing grew because - Cardiff Castle and a stone circle. Those have nothing in common. Cardiff Castle's oldest remains are Roman; a stone circle dates to Neolithic or Bronze Age. Maybe I could buy Iron Age. But Roman? Don't make me laugh. So what were they doing? Was it a documentary on something specific, or just on Cardiff in general? Unfortunately, there wasn't a break that would let me go and ask.

I've of course done other things here in Cardiff. However those are the things I've found that make the best stories so far. I'm sure there's more in store.

Paree Holds the Key ...

... to your wallet.

As I was free of classes this past week, I decided to take a trip to Paris. All alone. Terrifying but fun.

Day one: the Louvre and the Eiffel tower. Not much outside of that. I don't think I can say any more on them that hasn't been said. Didn't go up the tower, though. I don't like heights.

Day two: Versailles and by the gods was it perfect for it. Super warm and sunny, which was ideal for roaming the gardens. I didn't quite get to see everything, as it was way to big for that to be possible, but I saw a lot. The palace itself is incredible, of course, and there are the extra estates that I visited to. The queen's hamlet has a farm, which features ginormous cute bunnies (one's fur looked like a guinea pig!), sheep with their adorable lambs, and some donkeys that were hoping a couple opening a packet of wet wipes were food. Super cute. I used up most of my memory card and I was seriously tired by the end of it all.

Day three: much more relaxing. Visited the catacombs of Paris, which took longer than expected (that LINE! It was over an hour!), then had lunch before visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elyses. I didn't buy anything there, mind you. I'm not really a "fashion" person. Over all, it was more relaxing than the previous day.

Other little things about Paris - well, it's Paris. I used the metro to get around, which was convenient. Some of the stations were pretty cool! Louvre-rivoli (don't quote me on that being the station. I don't have a map, so its from memory and I don't actually remember it) had replicates and Egyptian, Roman, and Greek statues in it, which I thought was awesome. One time a guy brought an accordion on board and played his way down the car. Other time I passed a guy playing a sax down there, as well as a violin. If you stay in Paris, definitely use it to get around! Fair warning: it can be crowded at certain hours.

The restaurants are, of course, great, but I will definitely say I noticed a difference between their service and that of North America's. They're a lot . . . more relaxed. Often they expected me to just walk in and pick a seat, and the service was usually slow. Glad I packed the kobo in my purse! I read a fair bit during meals and over all it usually took well over an hour, or closer to two. I also recommend checking out the Passage du Grand Cerf. It has some neat shops, and I utterly loved some of the jewelry ones, though many things were more than I was willing to pay . . . they were pretty, but I'm not one to wearing a fairytale hairband. 

I think that's enough for now. I feel refreshed and recharged for writing, so I think I'll hurry back to that!