Mid Term Trip day 6 and 7

So I read my last blog again because to be honest I could only remember the first paragraph. I was honest to god falling asleep when I wrote it. I can also say I am quite proud of myself, I mean not half bad for someone who literally had her eyes closed for half of it. I think I will tribute it too all those long nights in highschool and all those 80% essays written in much the same state of mind. It gave me good practise I guess. So I shall finally complete my mid term trip tales and then write about the weeks following as it has now almost been two weeks since. God I am lagging eh? So on to Day 6!

As you may or may not remember I was in Cardiff when I left off in the comfy hostel. I probably should have taken a shower the next morning but it was to much of a hastle, so I put myself together as best I could, packed my things and headed down to check out with Kari and Jacinta. The other four were sleeping in and so we had told them the night before we would meet up with them later. We grabbed breakfast (FREE!) before figuring out where we wanted to go and how to get there. There were a few seconds when we had already left when it was a bit iffy since I apparently dropped the map I had grabbed in the hostel. Luckily Kari has an amazing sense of direction or an awsome memory since we just kinda trouped after her for a while before we came upon Cardiff Castle. We were there pretty early so there were barelly many people there yet. Jacinta and I were able to put our luggage down in a holding area while we looked around. It is huge!

First we went on a tour of the house part of it. The guide was very good, kinda stuffy, but he knew his stuff and was quite good at explaining it to us. This part of the castle was newer and used when this certain family owned the castle and used it as there house a few months out of the year to live in (18th and 19th century). It was owned by one of the wealthiest families in Britian. They apparently had many other "houses" around Britain. There was real gold leaf on the ceiling and elaborate paintings and carving and marble and such everywhere. There were some of the wood in the ball room apparently came from Halifax, which of course excited us. Another Canadian connection was in a room were a couple beavers were carved into the fireplace. The guide said that whether they were Canadian or American beavers was to our own opinions and we all scoffed, because everyone knows beavers are all Canadian. Also as we were going into a certain room the guide said (after pointing out all this elaborate marble work and wood carving and gold leaf), "could you imagine living in a real Castle, having it as your home". I said quite seriously, "I can`t even imagine living in a castle." To which Kari replied "Libby, we DO live in a castle." Well then. Of course we had a good laugh over that one, Oh Libby.

After the tour we decided to go on the audio tour around the walls and to the centre dungeon thing. First we were shown this hilariously epic 15 minute movie about the castle then we were given our guides and taken along the wall of the castle as well as to the middle dungeon thing with a real mote around it. There are pics on Facebook that I will eventually label. There were a lot of staris to the top, but we made it. I got some amazing pictures of Kari and Jacinta, they took some good ones of me in return and then we departed to the gift shop (not forgetting our bags I promise). Next we hopped onto the open top bus tour of cardiff. I recomend this as it was only £6 for students and it takes you all over Cardiff with a guide telling you about the site and stuff. There are at least ten stops too where you can hop off and hop back on again. The ticket lasts you two days and it is basically a great deal. We sat up there until it took us to Cardiff Bay and the site of Torchwood! The guide told us it had been all torn up the week before as they were shooting an episode of Torchwood where the office thing gets blown up! So cool, it obviously was fine when we saw it as our pictures prove. We all took pictures of eachother and generally freaked out as we love Torchwood. We walked to the water and got pictures next to the entrence of the doctor who thing. Kari got some baeutiful pictures of me, which was really exciting. She told me at one point to take off all my bags as I looked like a pack horse (all in fun) and I must admit I did. I had one backpack on, a strapped bag at my front and a purse at my side. I am glad she told me to drop em cause the pictures would not have had the same quality if you know what I mean.

Next we were going to go to the Doctor Who exhibit but it was closed for renovation so instead we hopped on the bus and made our way back to the castle to explore the shops around there. We came upon this one used book store at one point and you can imagine how long we spent there. It was amazing, had some really good stuff for really good prices. But no worries I decided to save my money for another day. Or food purhaps. It was at this point we met up with the other four and I departed from Kari and Jacinta. They were going home (to Bader) and I was going to stay with the other four for another night. Kari and Jacinta were awsome and took my backpack so that I only had to carry one (technically two) bags. So the four of us wandered around window shopping until I mentioned I hadnt eaten since breakfast some 9 hours before (I had forgotten) and we all decided we were hungry and started a hunt for a good and cheap fooding nest. We came upon a tavern pub thing and it was another one of those places you have to go to the counter to get your food. We went up two and three at a time. When Varsha, Shandice and I went up we were befriended by a couple guys in their late twenties. They described us in (in their drunken manner) as the one who talks a lot (Shandice), the one who knows everything (Varsha) and the one who doesnt say anything at all(me). Give me a break I was hungry and willing to bite into the next thing I saw...oh you dirty dirty minds! I didnt mean it like that! So I got a Magners this time (another type of cyder, but one you cant get in Canada). So after we ditched them we sat back down and I sipped my Magners. So I am not a light weight, but having no food can effect you, if you know what I mean. So I felt the Magners and my arms started to do the flaily thing a little, but not too bad. This group is hilarious, especially when not drinking. I basically was constantly laughing the whole night and next day.

The others had gone to the hotel already and left their stuff there as they were not allowed to check in. We got on a bus to go to our hotel which was a good 30 minute bus ride if not longer from Cardiff Central. The girls started chatting with some youngens on the bus. One guy was drunk and basically insulting Americans the whole time and the girls around him were trying to be nice and make up for him veing kinda rude. He kept appologizing after he would say something insulting which only made it weirder. Shandice is from the states kind of, she moved to Canada when she was a little older, so I think thats what got him started. He eventually got off and we all had a big laugh about it. The lodge itself was pretty good, clean and with a tv in the room. The rooms were small and squishy, but to be honest I liked it that way. I shared a room with Shandice, Varsha and Steph were together and Sarah was really excited to have her own room. The others decided to go out to some clubs and dance and stuff, but I was questioning whether I felt like it. What deadened the bolt for me was when a Chef Ramsey program came on and I was glued to the screen, it was amazing, I couldnt leave now. Plus the taxi and bus fair there and back plus the drinks wasnt worth it, especially when I had chef Ramsey. I also wasnt feeling great so I figured it was a win win. That night was basically speant with me taking a shower, watching chef Ramsay and then reading some of my magazines and watching some angsty movie about a girl with massive issues, then going to sleep.

The next day started with everyone getting their stuff together (them leaving their stuff again, to be picked up at the end of the day) and then us all making our way into town. I was treated to all the fun drunken stories of the night, including them accidentally walking into a gay bar/club. Apparently they were like "this is awsome, look at all the guys." Then they all one at a time realised there was something off. I think they left fairly quickly if you know what I mean. So we got to town and since it was a little afternoon we decided to grab lunch. We went to pizza express and had some amazing pizza as well as indulged in amazing dessert. OMG, it was soo good! mmmmmm. Sorry we havent had much in terms od food this week, I think tis leftover week or something, I miss real food! Anywho we then went on the open bus tour again (which I got free since I stil had the ticket from the day before). We went down to the bay, got more pictures and wandered around. Steph and checked out the Doctor Who exhibit as it happened to be open that day (boo). It wsa cool, not as elaborate as the London one, but still cool. We next went and met up withthe other three at the bus station. Thats when Shandice`s ticket got blown away in the wind and her and Sarah chased it accross the street and into the fountain. Varsha, Steph and I watched as the two of them attempted using a stick to prod it out, then failing having to take off their shoes and socks and roll up their pants to go in after it. Oh the life of a student. This was of course accompanied by Varsha laughing so hard she knocked her head on the metal pole next to us, giving off a reverbrating ring. We got on the bus and made our way up to the main shopping area to shop and window shop and such.

We shopped for an hour or two, concluding in one store of which i bought a lovely pair of leg warmers. It was one of those indy, punkish shops, which made me laugh because they were selling various forms of drugs (legal) in the front case. Dont ask why it made me laugh, it just did. I then got a strange urge for MacDonalds, something I havent eaten literally for years, so we went there for our supper. By this time it was 6ish 6:30ish and fully dark out. I decided while they went to get their stuff I would walk to the train station alone since it was silly to chip in for a taxi when I didnt need one. I think it was the only time I have been nervous walking around in a strange city alone at night. Not because it was dangerous at all, I mean I stayed on the main roads for gods sake, but for some reason I got nervous. But I obviously made it to the station and obviously the others met up with me. I grabbed another magazine that had free dark chocolate in it, which made me really happy. We had to wait for a little bit for the train so we scoped out some pretty boys. The first train to london was fine. Then we took a subway to a different station, which was also fine. We had to wait a while in the London Station, so Sarah and I plaed agame where we watched the big board that said what platform had what train coming to it and cheered everytime they announced on it the platform the next train had t obe at. They usually announced it a couple minutes before the train was to leave, so thats what made it so exciting. We eventually made it to the right platform and then we were told to make sure we were on cars 1 to 4 as 5 to 8 were going somewhere else at one point when the cars split. Not this again. So this one nice guy tells us that the back 4 are the ones we want to be on. (it was right it was coaches 1 to 4). We sat down for a bit and after some time it is announced that coaches 5 to 8 were going to polegate(our stop). This nice lady behind us told us that we had time to switch if we wanted to wait (she was from Toronto). So we waited then made our way to the back. I had to stand as there werent enough seats not next to creepy people. After a few more stops we are told that the next stop is when the trains are seperating and to make sure you are on cars 1 to 4 if you are going to polegate. So we fairly grouchily force ourselves awake and rush to car 4 right bofore the switch. We luckily all got seats and quickly fell asleep. I woke up some time later and decided it wouldbe a good idea to listen to what stop was next. Except I had already missed that and what I heard next was the train stop and the announcer say "Polgate Station." You should have seen everyone jump. One second they are fast asleep, the next they are popping up, swooping their stuff into their arms and high tailing it off the train. We all got off in one peice and luckily we only had to wait around 10 minutes for our taxi before loading our stuff and making it back to Bader Hall.

We made it back around 1:30am and me expecting Angie to be asleep tries unsuccessfully to sneak into the room only to find Angie still awake and chatting with Kevin. So I now have renewed energy and decide to show her all the stuff I bought and chat with her and Kevin for another hour before I fall fast asleep in my own bad at last. THE END. Not quite actually, let me tell you has it been an action packed week and a half. So just watch out for the next installment of my life. A preview eh? Well lets just say we have to cover Libby and Angie`s decorating debacle, my film seminar, HALLOWEEN NIGHT, as well as my shopping experience in Brighton. Till next time!