Arrival in Wales

The flight was good. Yet again there was no one directly next to me in economy. I almost got stuck in an aisle seat but at check-in a single window seat was open to grab.

I had heard about the famous UK bad weather but it was a beautiful day. England looked lovely as we descended to Heathrow.

Entering the UK was all automated. We scanned our passport photo pages into a machine that took a photo of our face and ushered us past. A few people were directed to go visit a human somewhere. Efficient.

We took a Heathrow Express train to London Paddington Station and got on a Great Western Railway train bound for Swansea. The ride out to Cardiff was beautiful.

On the train an attendant came by to offer complimentary tea, coffee, crisps, and biscuits. I had a cup of tea and some lentil crisps. ([Concerned wife voice] “Derek never has a cup of tea at home”)

The trains were all basically on time and we got to Cardiff around 19:10. It stayed quite light until past 21:00. Cardiff Station is charming.

We took taxis the last two kilometers to the hotel, which is near Mermaid Quay at Cardiff Bay.

It was around 05:00 Japan time, but it felt wasteful to just sleep, so I headed to a pub called The Eli Jenkins. Experiencing a pub was high on my list of goals for the trip.

It was a good Guinness and nice time. I ordered and paid for fish and chips but the kitchen sent word that they were out of fish. Very unfortunate. But the smothered chicken dish with breaded breast meat and Monterrey cheese and bacon and barbecue sauce was great. And they made my next pint free to make up for the mixup.

A diverse group of men was watching a Leicester City versus Liverpool football match. Liverpool was the crowd favorite and obliged by winning three to zero. The goals elicited great excitement in the pub. It was a pleasure to watch them watch and enjoy themselves. They had no idea I was a secret Japanese tourist.

The area near Cardiff Bay is nice enough. Very spacious. There were not a lot of people about, but it was a Monday evening. I expected more old buildings. It seems there has been a redevelopment of this area intended to create lots of commercial activity. Not super attractive to this old-timeyness enthusiast but to each their own.

Now I will go downstairs and eat breakfast and walk the town. Today is the big free day.