28 May 2010

Diff Diff - Cardiff, Bank holiday weekend, why not??!! Taxi to the train station, 4.5hour train ride with two changes, taking an extra 15minutes to get to your hostel because you printed off google map directions for driving instead of walking - STUPID! But nevertheless I made it and I even got a hug from Toods on arrival albiet delayed but given one the lss (she is not usually a big hugger, but watch this space there is more to report on this!!). The hostel was great, recommend it, NosDa. It was on th edge of the river 5 min walk to town and train station and you could eat your breaky looking at the Millenium stadium so if you are comming fo an AB game try stay here! I stayed in an 8 bed gal dorm, was a tad wierd as when I went to bed at midnight the other peops were sleeping with the light on, maybe it was so they could catch a glimpse as i got into me pj's, but I thought to heck with it I am turning it off. I did have a thought that perhaps one of them could be scared of the dark, but tough, if that was the problem then book a single room! Well 5 minutes after I did that I heard some wierd sound like crying but it soon passed, phew! Please note here that I am sleeping on lower bunk.

29 May 2010

Showered, put my bags in Toods and Manny's room for safe keeping and hung my towel on my bed to dry and identify that this bed was mine then headed for a free continental breaky with all you can drink OJ, YUMMO! Today I went all out and had one of nearly everything, all three cereals, 2 toast spreads, white and brown bread, a coffee, OJ, OJ, OJ, OJ, OJ, and stole 2 banana's for a snack later! (We are not here to 'play' with spiders)! Well today unfortunately twas not shinning with summer goodness, opposite really felt like I was back in Wellington all weekend with windy windy wind, but today we also had rain to battle! Good ol Manny had anticipated sun so didnt pack a jacket, or jersey as wanted to travel light, even though they drove down, he learnt to regret this!! On several occassions, all i can say at his point is that he is glad i came to cardiff!! Despite the rain we managed to snavel up some umbrellas for free from lost property (THANKS NOSDA!) and head out to to the centenery walk of Cardiff. We soon came to realise Cardiff is not really known for its tourist sights but will highlight a few and then detail how we added our own fun the the tour!!

• CARDIFF MARKET - Massive onions were pretty amazing!!! Check out the pics of them and also they demonstrate that they are very non PC in cardiff look at how they label their meat!!!! Another highlight was rocking up to a stand selling football (you learn not to call it soccer here after you get told off three times) memorabilia and i was looking for a wales flag patch. Toods asked me if I was supporting a football team yet, I replied, no not really, then I thought, I am temporarily from Blackpool, Blackpool conveniently beat Cardiff the previous weekend and we got into the pemiership league, so I casually reply, oh well actually BLACKPOOL. Pahaha I didn't look at the man, but toods did and said h gave me a glare and a strange look, me on the other hand loved it!!
• THE ROYAL HOTEL - Well as we were walking down he street we happened upon a man dressed up to the nines, mean I have not seen a number 1 outfit like it. So we ask for a photo, and he obliges. He then explains that there is a wedding expose on in the otel did we want to go? Well . . not really but then I have a bright idea, there could be free stuff, lets go!!!So we head on up to level two only getting slightly disorientated we waltz on into the function room set up with wedding displays and right away we are pounced upon by a lady at the first stand and she ripped int asking questions "So who is getting married?" We look at each other dumbly, um none of us, "well who is hnking about geting married?" Toods basiclly looked at me and said Abbey?, so rather than lying i came clean, well not totally i wasn' teling her i was scoping for freebies!! I said we might be one day and would just like to have a look around and we quickly skuttled off. We soon realised that it was a very intimate expose and that there wasn't much for free. I did pick up a card for a Mr David Finch - Professional Toastmaster aka he dude that was so well dressed down n the street. So as we left and Davey boy asked if we got everything we needed, I flashed him.......his on card and a cheeky smileand said we sure did hahaha he loved it. So if anyone is looking for a toastmaster for amy occasion requiring formal elegance hit me up I know your man!!
• ANGEL HOTEL - We called into the pub apparently every man and his dog gathers here before a big rugby match, and Toods rocked up o th bar andasked for 2.5 Brains. I thought that as pretty funny considering Toods is a brain and sort of reminds me of the joke, when gd was handing outbrains you thought he was giving out milkshakes so asked for a thick one, so I laughed pretty hard, barman obviously didnt get it, to him we were just ordering 2 pints and a half pint of brains beer. I got him back though when he discovered we were from NZ he asked us hat we were doing here, I responded sying that we have moved to the UK, then realised thats not very helpful so added, well actually I am living in BLACKPOOL. Haha score 2 for me, nil for Cardiff.
• CITY HALL - This is where we discovered a wedding had jut take place as people piled out of city hall dressed up with flowers on. What a day weddings just continued to follow us. So we thought heck lets hn about and catch a glimpse of the bride. Waiting, waiting, then people gathered for a photo butwhere was the bride, just before Toods asked that exact question, I realised HE was right there centre stage, haha a CIVIL UNION!!

That night we had a quiet one as Toods was in prep mode for the race for life 10km run tomorrow so we hit up Waggamama's for tea and then Sex and the City 2.

On return to the hostel I discovered that my bed had been stolen and there wasn't a free clean one for me, uh oh. SO we bailed up the reception staff who came for a geez, I said I would make up the spare looking bunk that hadnt been changed today, if he could get me some spare sheets id make it up and sleep there. Minor debarkle, no fresh sheets, but he came back and said that "I was lucky (trust me he was lucky) that someone wasnt staying anymore so a bed was free" problem averted. Haha some girl stole me bed and had to sleep in me sheets!! That'll teach you for being a thief!

30 May 2010

Toodies ran up a storm, non stop 10km in 60mins, and I even got a a sweaty hug at the end, Toods in the UK is amazing (she actually inspired me to pick up my act in the jogging dept and push myself a bit harder when I am lugging myself round Stanley Park).

On the way home we called into a dairy to check out the booze, we found it in a large fridge which had a sign on it 'this is a fidge' Oh Cardiff really???

Before I even had a wine the barman was thinking of refusing me service when I said we didn't want Sardonay (what the feck is that soapy wine, wine mixed ith sardines) but I quickly recovered and we hit the wines and had a few games of pool followed by more drinking and card games. We were playing outside in the picnic area in the sun. We had some music playing from thebar which Manny said sounded like music from the Nutcracker, Swan Lake or Chikofsky. So I encouraged him to have a dance to which Manny responded, "well i would if i had my ice skates, Abbey!" Pahaha Oh Manny Nutcracker and Swan Lake were ballets before ice!! Beaut!

We hit up mexican for diner with 2 for 1 cocktail jugs then mosied around the pubs. One highlight was Manny getting trashed in the pyramid card game it is leathal when you play with using your fingers for measurements not just willy nilly mouthfulls! We danced up a storm at 10ft tall club then we walked home, Manny decked out in my very feminine leather jacket, what a jock!

31 May 2010

All you can drink OJ came in handy this morning. We packed up and headed out on tour in the car. We travelled to BARRY about 20min out of town, We hit up the beach for a stroll and an icecream, both very nice (water a bit dodge looking) and then swang by Cardiff bay for lunch. Toods and Manny saw me off, final hugs and I settled into my return train journey.

I'll be back in Nov Cardiff to cheer on the AB's smashing the welsh at Millenium stadium!!