From Cardiff to Norwich (through London)
Right now I'm riding with the best (i.e. the cheapest) bus company in the UK – Megabus. As bonus these buses are also relatively empty. Which is nice. I hope they stay that comfy as a ride from London to Manchester and back on the weekend (they did not!). Just before getting on this bus I tried out crossing the street under the nose of traffic wardens with a red light. In Germany it would have cost me 60 €. Here it was perfectly alright.
Currently I'm riding through Bristol that seems like a nice city as well. They seem to have mixed old and new relatively well... if you ignore some buildings... that is at least how it seems from the bus window.
Anyway as I'm blasting through Bristol suburbs I look back at the few nice days I had in Cardiff. I was taken there by a small propeller plane organized to me by Aer Arann. Weather wise it was such a lovely a day (hum Sinatra's Come Fly With Me while you read it) and so I took off into the blue. Up there I could see Ireland (and later Wales) in their true beauty.
After landing the first thing I noticed about Wales was the language they have their signs in. If the irish version of Celtic could be perceived as a language (the wovels and consonants are pretty much combined into word-like words) then the Welsh language is foremost dominated by consonants. In a way resembles Polish :).
Secondly, to my discontent the British are using the old-fashioned two-tap system even in modern toilet facilities. A perfect example how sometimes traditions outweigh innovation :(
Thirdly I found out that people here (actually in the whole UK) really dig CCTV. I saw this combination of letters in Ireland as well, but there I didn't really notice them. But here already in the first train I took I was told to smile and to know that these cameras are here for my safety. Later on I learnt that they are pretty much everywhere one can imagine (three on this very Megabus) and London has half a million of them. At least it seems relatively easy to run a Big Brother show here. At this point I really advise you to read the "V for Vendetta" comics. Or see the movie. Or do both.
Fourth it appeared that red brick building is undoubtedly British' national heritage. It is everywhere! But as I was riding on a train from the airport to central station I had to admit that all these red-yellow-brick chimneys really added up to the beautiful sunset at the Bristol Channel.
The reason I came to Cardiff were two good friends of mine (Tatiana and Tajo). Great people! In fact they are so cool that even my brother studying in Norwich decided to visit them with me. For the two evenings spent there one could go to see 50 Cent and/or Foo Fighters. But we decided to spend the evenings enjoying the fabulous company of each other.
We even tried to go clubbing on a Monday evening, but the club was too crowded. Instead we enjoyed the spectacular masochistic freak-show of some half naked people waiting in the queue. Despite the fact that it was around 3 degrees Celsius some people still didn't seem to know the terms "cold" and "cloakroom" and were waiting outside, dressed up the way I would feel cold inside. Probably it had to do something with the alcohol..
Later that night I was reminded how small the world is by accidentaly meeting a guy from Konstanz in a random Cuba-bar.
Now I will end my blogging here and use the rest of my route to Norwich (as long the battery lasts) to finish my homework due to Friday.
Tatiana & Tajo: many thanks for hosting and being with us! I'm looking forward to seeing you again!
My pictures
Tajo's pictures (browse left)
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