Cardiff Chronicles

Hi, me again. So much to talk about from one school week. Well, here it goes.

On Tuesday I finally visited my first big museum: the National Gallery. I know, I’m amazed an art gallery was my first too (it was more out of convenience, but Mom and Amber don’t need to know that). After strolling through countless paintings of good old Mary and Jesus, and walking through paintings of Mary and Jesus, and walking through paintings of Mary and Jesus, I made it to the recognizable names. Of course, some of the recognizable names painted, you guessed it, Mary and Jesus, but there were non-religious ones too. I saw some classics- one of 4 of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and a large one of Monet’s “Water Lilies.” I even spent at least 1 1/2 minutes at “Sunflowers.” Additionally, I saw unfinished works from Michelangelo and finished works from Raphael, Manet, Picasso, Rembrandt, and Da Vinci.

At the gallery, I met up with a group of friends to go directly to my first Premier League match! West Ham was playing Watford at home at London Stadium, where track and field and other Olympic events were held back in 2012. The stadium is huge- it could fit at least 80,000 people. It made for a fun time leaving the stadium, where everyone was funneled into one exit for about an hour. We sat in the 71st row in the upper stands and got a perfect view of the field; it was almost as if we were watching on the telly. West Ham ultimately won 1-0 on a deflected shot in, which was a bit of an anticlimactic goal. Honestly, the environment at the EFL Championship game I went to was better, probably because of the sheer size of the stadium which makes it difficult to unify a stadium. Regardless, it was still a ton of fun.

After a good night’s sleep I hit the ground running (literally) to my Wednesday class. I guess the tube isn’t always as reliable as I thought, considering I had to wait 15 minutes on one of the platforms waiting for the next train. However, I eventually made it and we went to the Imperial War Museum from class. We explored the WWII floor, which had many interesting artefacts; I’ll have to stop back soon for the other floors. After this, the program hosted a Harry Potter walking tour. We saw lots of specific scene locations, including Leadenhall Market, where Harry and Hagrid struck up conversation walking up to Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. No, not Sorcerer’s Stone. The Brits like to do things differently. Or, I guess, the Americans do.

I woke up early the next morning (4 day weekend, remember?) to leave for my first weekend trip: Cardiff, Wales. A few of my friends and I decided to make the short trip for a whopping 15 pounds round trip via the coach. We made the coach with 5 minutes to spare- I presume that Dad will be reading this, impressed with my timeliness. Wishful thinking, maybe. But after a pretty ride that I missed 2/3 of with a proper jolly ol’ REM cycle, we made it. We immediately hit up a lunch spot called Jojo’s Kitchen where I had a pulled pork, stuffing and apple sauce sandwich on bloomer bread. A small store, we struck up conversation with Jojo herself, asking what to do on our two day trip. She gave us many suggestions and set the tone for how nice the Welsh are. Still hungry, I thanked Jojo by buying a sausage roll for the road, one of her most popular items, and I could see why.

After a check-in to our airbnb, a cute little apartment right down the road from our new friend, we made our way to nearby Bute Park before hopping on a river bus to Cardiff Bay. The quick boat ride took us all the way across the city in about a total of 30 minutes and a distance of 1.5-2 miles. Yeah, the capital of Wales is pretty small. On the ride there, we saw Principality Stadium, which hosts their national rugby and football matches. Once we reached the bay we walked into their Millenium Theatre, debating room of the Welsh Parliament building (the Senedd) and then walked back to our home for the night. We decided that Italian was the move for dinner and, after watching some Olympics, headed over. I got a delicious pasta dish comprised of tagliatelle, chicken and mushrooms, which I’ve recently taken a liking to. Expanding your palette is good for the soul and the stomach. That night we hit up The Live Lounge, a bar/club full of local Uni students. We met countless Welsh, each fascinated about why an American was in Cardiff. It was a mutual fascination and a fun time; the highlight was probably my conversation with one Welsh guy about how great Ted Lasso is.

After a short night’s sleep we hit the ground running to Bigmoose Coffee Co, a wonderful place that donates their profits to homeless people and mental health organizations. Some savory French toast accompanied my latte and before I knew it, they were both gone and we were off. We visited the oldest record store in the world, had some Welsh cakes (10/10), and walked around a bit more before making our way to Cardiff Castle. A castle from the 1100’s and an uncovered Roman Wall made it an intriguing destination, especially as it’s located right in the heart of a city. Guarded by an animal wall and a moat, one circular tower remains of the old structure. Afterwards, we made a quick visit to the Cardiff National Museum (full of natural history and art) followed by a stop at Gassy’s, the local student pub. A burger and some lemonade (which is just sprite with a lemon in it- it’s no Minute Maid, I can assure you) made for a satisfying ending to a satisfying trip.

The next morning in London I had to get up early for a trip to Westminster Abbey. Trudy, my favorite tour guide, took us around the beautiful church, which is arguably more about who is buried there than the church itself. Many past kings and queens, authors like Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll, scientists like Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking, and an unknown soldier from WWI lie there. Considering Carroll has come up twice in 3 blogs since coming over here, I feel like I have an obligation to read Alice in Wonderland. Other parts of the church included Britain’s oldest door, the coronation chair, and some beautiful architecture.

I hope you’re not getting too bored yet because there will be more to come. But for now, it’s time to go to bed while listening to a group of 5+ girls across the street scream a song at the top of their lungs.

Cheers :)