The really cool cemetary at Llandaff Cathedral.
I just couldn't face "the full fry" this morning. I could still feel the cholesterol in my veins from yesterday's breakfast. So, I caved into my California instincts and went for the fruit and yogurt breakfast. After breakfast, I checked out of the hotel and went over to Paddington Station.
I neglected to mention it before, but the only way to get around London is by tube. Yes, it can be very crowded. But, it's the easiest and cheapest way to get around London. Make sure you get a day pass to ride. The cost is £3.50. You can purchase them only after 9:30 a.m. on weekdays; but, they're available anytime on weekends. It's actually a pretty good value.
Speaking of passes, I purchase a rail pass that provided me with five days worth of unlimited travel anywhere within the U.K. or Ireland. The pass also came with two ferry tickets that could be used on the Stena Line for a round trip to Ireland. The passes had a one-month valid period, which starts from the day one gets them validated (usually the day of your first train ride). Since I had the pass validated on July 31, I had until August 31 to use them. The days that you can use them don't have to be consecutive, they just have to be within that month. For instance, I used the pass for the first time on July 31 and didn't use it again until August 7. The cost for the pass was $359. The cost if I had bought individual tickets on each of the train and ferry rides that I took would have been $351. The $8 difference was more than made up by the convenience of the pass. However, I wouldn't recommend this pass for everyone. Even if you need the ferry tickets, unless you are going to make a lot of trips by train or plan to make several long trips, it isn't worth the cost.
I got on the train at 10 a.m. at Paddington Station and arrived at Cardiff Central at noon. It was my first visit to Wales. I was immediately greeted with signs written in both English and that indecipherable Welsh language. To give an example of Welsh, Cardiff Bus is Bws Caerdydd. Too many consonants for me. Anyhow, I wondered north about a block to the Cardiff bus terminal. Buses are the only form of public transportation around Cardiff. Thus, it's pretty easy to find a bus going somewhere. The locals seem to have the schedule memorized as to when buses will appear and where they are going. However, tourists aren't so lucky. I never found a map or a bus schedule at the main office or on any of the buses. The buses have information on the front of them telling you the major stops which they will make; but, they don't give detailed route information. As a result, I had to rely on the kindness of the bus drivers to tell me where my stops were. And they were very helpful. As for the price to ride the bus, a day pass is £3.25 for adults. However, a party of four day pass is only £3.75. The pass is good for two adults and two children. So, if you're traveling with companions (like I did), the party of four day pass is a much better value.
The owner of the B&B in which I stayed said that her place was located across the street from a bus stop, which was called the Merino Theatre bus stop. Thanks to the kindness of the bus driver, I was able to get off at the right place and arrive at my B&B. The B&B is located at 167 Pantback Road in Rhondda, about six miles north of the center of Cardiff. It's run by Mrs. Breda Willich. The phone number is 01222 618174. She has three room available, none of which have bathrooms. She charges £14/person/night. I found the rooms to be nothing extraordinary, but, they were comfortable and clean, with televisions in each room. All the rooms are upstairs, while the shower is downstairs. People with physical limitations should not stay at this location. There are several pubs and restaurants that are a five minute walk from the B&B.
After dropping off my luggage in my room, it was back on the bus into Cardiff. Cardiff didn't impress me. It is a town built on relatively recent money. As a result, most of the old things that existed in the town have been bulldozed over and replaced by newer structures. Also, there didn't seem to be much to do in Cardiff. The town is rather spread out, without a true center. As a result, people seem to be always on the go, but never doing anything.
With a lack of tourist stops caused by the relative newness of the city, I visited what seemed to be the only thing of interest to visit, Cardiff Castle. After a tour, I headed across the street to do some window shopping. I was surprised to find that one of the places was a cyber cafe. I decided to take advantage of the situation and send some e-mails back home. Then it was back on the bus for a trip to another site that Lonely Planet had described as a place worth visiting: Llandaff Cathedral. After my visit there, I sat at a bus stop for about 45 minutes waiting for the next bus downtown (I really wish Cardiff Bus would make bus schedules available). Anyhow, by the time I switched buses downtown and got back to my B&B, it was almost 9 p.m.
While the thought of simply heading off to bed was appealing, the growling noises from my stomach reminded me that other basic needs had to be addressed. Breda told us of a restaurant called The Mason's Arms about a half a mile west of her B&B. Having spent enough time either waiting for or riding on Cardiff's buses, we decided to take a stroll in the late evening light to the restaurant. It turned out to be a good recommendation. While all the typical British food was available, there were some extra items (specifically the deserts) on the menu that put The Mason's Arms a step above the typical pub. The prices also distinguished it from the neighborhood pub. Most entrees cost around £7. However, the portions and the quality of the food made The Mason's Arms a good choice for dinner.
Having stuffed ourselves, we were actually grateful for the half mile walk back to the B&B. We slowly made our way to our rooms and went to bed.
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