Visiting Dr Who in Cardiff

the thing about visiting a city for a very short time is that your view of the place can be shaped by all sorts of randomness aspects of your experience. Like the weather or where you stay...

Cardiff was on our itinerary for one thing - the Dr Who experience.

Our chosen accommodation - just because of financial constraints (did I mention that deciding to sell your house and buy a new one just when you have an overseas trip booked is a REALLY BAD IDEA) was an Ibis budget. Turns out that this was one step below my comfort level...

The other thing about Cardiff is that it is on the coast. In Australia this may make you think of sun- drenched beaches. In Britain our experience is that it should make you think of gale force winds and driving rain.

We arrive in town and do our usual initial search for food. Cardiff actually has a really nice pedestrian area in the middle that locals cycle through. At least I am sure it is lovely when the gale force wind previously mentioned isn't blowing.

We pass the castle in our travels. I can't quite believe it - but I think we are actually OVER castles. Because passing the outside is all we want to do.

Eventually we find a pub that does a really reasonable carvery. It is Sunday night - so I guess someone who was more attuned to sport than I am would EXPECT the football to be showing on multiple large screens and crowds of people to be reacting to every goal. Luckily it was soccer rather than rugby. This makes me feel uncomfortable - but I am like that about sport.

Dani and Grant let me sit inconspicuously at the table and fetch the food. When it arrives this is a HUGE serving of delicious roast.

While we are eating the rain starts. At 45 degrees.  We arrive at our unlovely budget hotel soaked to the skin.

Next morning it is off to Dr Who! We catch a bus through the drizzle and are there for the first show of the day. The whole exhibition is excellent. A theme park style adventure with the Doctor followed by an exhibition of all kinds of memorabilia. Both Whovians enjoyed it immensely.

The drizzle was well and truly set in by the time we emerged. Undaunted, we go for a walk around the Cardiff docks area. It reminds me a little of the darling harbour area in Sydney. There are lots of pictures of it with blue sky in the background - we feel these must have been photoshopped. But somehow cold and unappealing on a cold and drizzly day. We head back to the shopping plaza and try to figure out what to do. Somehow we don't find the prospect of visiting the castle appealing. We also can't seem to find a cafe and end up in a shopping mall cafe  - pleased that it is dry and relieved not to be walking any more.

Cardiff redeems itself a little when we find a nice pub for dinner - the Duke of Wellington - and the rain stops.

So - not a place we will be keen to head back to. Possibly should have been back on the road right after Dr Who. Oh well - sometimes you just can't tell until you are there.