Day Trip to Cardiff

Our first week of classes was long and draining, so by the end of the week, we were definitely ready for a break. That's why, when Saturday morning rolled around, Amy, Chelsi, Madeline, Megan and I boarded a train for Cardiff.

To those of you who watch Doctor Who or any of its spinoffs, I'm sure you understand why I was a little excited to go to Cardiff for the day. Sure, there's wonderful shopping and marvelous museums. An interesting pairing of old and new architecture across the city. Restaurants to try and attractions to see. But then there's the Doctor Who Experience.

After an hour-long train ride through the (severely flooded) English and Welsh countrysides, our group split into two. Amy and Madeline went in search of museums and shopping, while Chelsi, Megan and I set off for nerdier attractions. We decided to walk just over a mile from the center of Cardiff down to Cardiff Bay, and we were very grateful for signs pointing us in the right direction. Once we arrived, we bought our tickets and in we went! It's safe to say that I spent the following hour or so completely geeking out, especially as we toured the exhibition hall, which had all the costumes of the doctors and recent companions, plus a look at the many bad guys that the Doctor has encountered.

We rejoined the rest of the group at a local pub for lunch, and then we set off for the local castle. Yes, the "local" castle. We had at least 3 options from which to choose, and our selection was the closest, right on the edge of the center of town. We bought our tickets (and got discounts with our Doctor Who receipts) and our tour of the castle started with a walk along the battlements. When we reached the furthest we could walk, we descended a level to walk back through tunnels that served as bomb shelters in WWII. We emerged on the castle green and began the ascent up to the old tower. Steep stairs guided us into the stone structure, which hid a small green of its own. Our last stop was the apartments, which are still fully furbished. We walked through ornate banquet halls and a beautiful library among other rooms, all fit for royalty.

Finally, we walked back to the train station, ready to head back to Bath after a long day. We hung around the train station waiting for our train to come up on the monitors with the platform number, but as soon as it did, its cancellation was announced! We rushed to the ticket office, where the attendant kindly rerouted us to Swindon, where we could switch trains in order to get to Bath. We ran up the stairs to the platform just in time to watch the train pull in and hop on board. A few stops later, we arrived in Swindon and gathered our things. To our dismay, the train we were initially supposed to board - which would have brought us to Bath on its way to Bristol Temple Meads - was also cancelled. The information desk was temporarily unmanned, so Amy and Chelsi looked for other options while the rest of us waited for an attendant. Luckily, we were able to hop on a train heading past Bristol that would stop in Bath on its route. The train had been delayed, which meant that instead of departing 10 minutes before we arrived, which could have been devastating, we had just a 10 minute wait. At last, after a long day, we finally traveled the last leg of our journey. It felt wonderful to get back to Bath.

Cheers!