Playing Tour Guide: Swansea and Cardiff

It was the Thursday before Halloween. This day was particularly exciting for me as it meant my good friend Jason would be visiting me from Paris (where he is currently studying abroad). After being cut-off from my life back home and transplanting myself in another country, this would be a very welcome visit. Strangely, we don't even see much of each other in America (going to separate colleges), which makes it all the better!

Unfortunately, he did not arrive early enough (but still early) to catch the chunnel (nickname for the Eurotrain that goes in the Chanel tunnel). Because he missed that, he also missed his bus from London to Swansea. Subsequently, he arrive at around 2 a.m. and misssed the Hogwarts Society's Deathday Party (Halloween party, but named after Nearly Headless nick's party in the books where he celebrated the day he died) he was supposed to go to with me that night.

Still, I was thankful he arrived safe and sound. As I had neglected to give him my phone number, he had no way of getting in contact with me once here. And wi-fi is never a guarantee. What is especially concerning is that the wi-fi on campus requires you to register your device to the network through your student identification information. Although unlikely, his campus uses the same wi-fi and so he was already connected. Amazing luck.

I wanted to get an early start the next day so that I could show him the Gower and Cardiff, but we did sleep in a little. We wanted to go to the Gower still and planned on it, but it started to become more and more unfeasible. We could go, but it would mean having very little time in Cardiff. (As it was we didn't see much of Cardiff.)

Plus, he wanted a hair cut. Apparently he had heard horror stories about people in France getting very bad hair cuts due to a language barrier as well as being severely overcharged for what they did get. This meant he could see the city centre of Swansea, which I had come to love. Lots of neat little stores and always street performers. Some guy with a doughnut stand in the same place everyday making that area smell of sweet cinnamon.

I found a place called Mr. Dapper, which is a very British sounding name. Most hair places I have come across here have been barber shops, while in France there are mainly salons. We thought this was funny as due to our situations, our places should be swapped. Luckily, though, as a girl I can get away with going a year without a haircut if needed. It might get a little shaggy at the edges and perhaps not as styled as I would like it to be, but length is never an issue. As a guy, Jason needs much more frequent haircuts. My dad and brother always complain about it getting in their eyes when it gets too long and I think this was the situation Jason was facing as well. 

 After the haircut, I showed him Swansea Castle. There is just something amazing about a 12th century castle in the middle of a 21st century shopping center. Very close to a McDonald's to boot. What I found funny was Jason's reaction to the grass around it. In Paris, you are not allowed to walk on the grass. No such rule exists here, and so he took great glory in being able to step on the grass. It almost seemed to impress him more than the castle.

This was actually taken during a prior trip to the city centre.

Dylan Thomas is a big part of Swansea heritage as he was born in the city. Because Jason had recently gotten into Bob Dylan who references a lot of Dylan Thomas (a lot of Dylan, I know), Jason was quite interested in this. There are some 3D pictures on walls around the fountain, and one of those was a very strange on of Dylan Thomas that Jason adored. And myself as well, as I had noticed it for the first time then.

Above it says "Castle Square" as that is the location.
Below is  plaque identifying him as Dylan Thomas thinking about writing a book.

I also introduced him briefly to the Swansea Market. It is the largest indoor market in Wales and operates every day of the week. Although I did confess that I didn't go there often. Jason didn't understand this as he always goes to the farmer's market in France which is only open once a week. However, when I pointed out that it wasn't very inexpensive like the one in France, he understood. The pound hurts me as a currency.

When we first entered the market, the veterans were out handing poppies out for Armistice Day later in November. I felt we should donate to their cause since they were kind enough to badge us, to which they responded in kind by giving us bracelets. I would have been happy just with the poppy. I think it is great that they go out there and spend their time trying to help others.

Once all of this was through...we officially called off going to the Gower. Timing was just not with us. However, now we had a lot of time to kill before going to Cardiff as the bus didn't leave for about an hour (I think). So I took that as an opportunity to show him the marina and the beach. I personally hadn't even been to the marina yet. It had always been there and I generally knew where it was...but I just hadn't gotten around to it.

That's the problem with exploring your actual study abroad location. The things will always be there, and so you keep telling yourself that you will get to it later. But as I had a visitor later became now.

From the marina, we walked along the beach. I think this stretch of beach is a bit nicer than the stretch directly across from the school, but nonetheless I was still a little used to the beauty of it. Now take a guy used to fairly frequent trips into the Marin Headlands and was now landlocked in Paris.

It was even more spectacular to see through his eyes. France is nice, but it is very busy and full of city life. Swansea, by comparison, is a very relaxed coastal town. Although as a college student I have many scholastic worries as do my peers, the rest of life can move at a slightly slower pace. It is perfectly acceptable to just go for a stroll along the beach on a sunny weekend (in fact, sun is so rare that it would be a very good idea to enjoy it whilst it is there).

Eventually we made it back to the coach station in order to catch our bus into Cardiff. We reflected a lot about our lives on that bus station. I would often remind him to look out and take in the Welsh landscape and not regret about errors made in the past. We all have them. But right now we are living in France and Wales...so doing very well for ourselves.

I took him around Cardiff Bay first. It wasn't the sunniest of weather, but I suppose that the typical view for Cardiff. I also showed him the memorial on the bay for a character on the show Torchwood who died.

 Afterwards, I wanted him to taste some of the local cuisine A.K.A. Quavers. A.K.A. the best snack food to grace this earth. Because I also told him that skittle were weird here in that they had black currant flavor instead of grape, we also bought some of those and ate both our treasures on a bench by the water.

Jason too discovered the magic that is Quavers. Cheesy, light, and with a slight onion flavor. Absolutely addictive. The skittles were...interesting. We each had a few before coming across the black currant ones. They weren't as bad as I would have thought...yet still not very good. We took the rest of the skittles on the road, while I showed hm the area right behind us.

I told him that this is what I wanted to show him of the bay. The Roald Dahl Plass.

Again, these photos were taken previously. It wasn't that sunny when we were there.

I wasn't sure if he would find it really stupid or really cool as I did. Luckily, he thought the latter. After all, this author was our childhood. He took a moment for pictures before we moved on past to the Millennium Centre. This is a famous part of Cardiff. But what he found so funny about it was the fact that they would be playing Shrek the Musical at the end of this year and the beginning of next.

From there we wandered around the city centre. I told him that it was far more impressive after a rugby match. People out in the city goofing around, cheering for their team, and vendors trying to sell out the rest of their wares.  Although it was dark, I insisted on showing him one last thing before we bussed back. He wanted to head back to Swansea, but I promised him that the thing was really cool and about to be taken down. Never again would it be put back up and that this was a once in a lifetime thing to see.

He trusted me and was so glad that he did.

Yes, of course I showed him the giant rugby ball in the castle. Even in the dark, it is cool. The only other thing I showed him (as it was right across the street) was the "Historical Wales" shop. Simply because I thought it was hilarious that a store with that name sells mainly London souvenirs. Plus, we saw this odd sight in the window:

Well daffodils are the national flower. And sheep are everywhere...so I guess this makes sense as a Welsh display?

We then headed back to good old Swansea. I promised him a "cheeky Nandos" (not really cheeky as it was planned). This is a huge chain and a big deal in the UK, and so it was definitely a cultural experience for him.

Jason adores spicy food and went for the hot style food. Apparently it was the first spicy food he had had in a long time. And although I was too afraid to test it out, he confirmed what the Brits all said. The extra hot peri peri sauce is not as spicy as the regular hot.

After Nandos we grabbed him some UK goodies to bring back to France (including his own bottle of Nandos peri peri sauce) at Tesco. We also grabbed some lunch and breakfast supplies for tomorrow. Because tomorrow we would spend a good chunk of time on a bus on our way to...Stonehenge!!!!!