Cymru or Wales

So I know that this is a blog about my time in Ireland and I know I was only just saying how in love Dublin and I are and that our relationship is getting pretty serious. I mean we are already living together. That being said I decided that I needed some space so I hopped over to Cardiff to see an old friend from Santa Fe who was living there. I arrived last Wednesday after a short flight in a tiny plane. Really tiny. The kind that you have to get on directly from the tarmac and you enter from the back of the plane because there is not a door at the front of the plane. The captain announced that there would be a lot of turbulence due to the weather and small size of the plane. The plane was practically falling out of the sky and as I was praying for my life and trying to calm down, reassuring myself that I am an adult and can handle a little turbulence; the girl sitting next to me started shouting in her native tongue (I think she was Eastern European). She also had never been on such a tiny plane, she later explained to me. I told her the turbulence was to be expected and she calmed down. Anyways as I was saying I arrived in Cardiff and found that Wales really was as beautiful as I had been told.

The following day my friend and I went to see a play called Fly on the Wall in a small town to the north of Cardiff. We had to take a train and bus to get there but it was worth it. The play was based on circus technique, emphasizing physicality and using aerial and acrobatic technique. The play was a reflection on politics and protests, particularly the recent protests against the bank that have been taking place in London. As the world we live in seems to become more turbulent (see what I did there?) it was refreshing to see a unique piece of theatre reminding us what it means to be a citizen and play an active role in your country.  After the performance I met the cast because my friend was a friend of the director's and we helped them take down the set in exchange for a lift back to Cardiff.

On Friday I wandered around Cardiff and spent the afternoon in Sofia Gardens, a large park that was once the private grounds of the castle that is in Cardiff. I wonder what the former inhabitants of the castle would think of their grounds being open to common peasants.

Saturday we went on an adventure to Swansea to see the Gower, a scenic coastline. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen (next to Ireland of course!). Above the sea there was an old castle which we hiked to and from there we could really take in the coast. It was a perfect warm day made for basking in the sun and for the first time in months I got a tiny bit sunburned. (I took so many pictures that I would love to share but the battery on my camera died and it seems that I don't have my charger. As soon as I get that sorted I'll figure out how to post photos here.)Then we trekked through the woods, where there was wild garlic growing, to get to the road in order to catch a bus back into Swansea. We waited. And waited. The bus didn't come. We needed to get to Swansea otherwise we would miss the train to Cardiff. It is times like these were the romance of traveling is amiss and you begin thinking really it would be much better to have your own car rather than rely on public transportation. So...we hitchhiked. (Mom it's ok!) A very kind German woman pulled over and took us to the bus. She was a yoga therapist and had moved to Wales because she fell in love with a Welshman who is now her husband. She told us that she had a son our age and that she would have wanted someone to pick him up if he were stranded. We discussed how the hitchhiking culture has sadly changed, and what was once a safe, free way to travel and meet interesting people is now seen as quite dangerous. I also was envious of my friend that I was visiting because as a man he perhaps feels more safe in situations like hitchhiking, whereas I, as a girl, am forced to be more guarded. But I am grateful to the kind woman who stopped to pick us up, and feel that her kindness only goes to show that there is still hope for this thing we call humanity. After finally making it back to Cardiff we went out with my friend's mates to a birthday party and then on to a club to go dancing. Oh what an exhausting, exhilarating day.

On Sunday my friend and I came upon free tickets to the tour of the London West End production of We Will Rock You. Let me say, I am glad the tickets were free because it was probably the worst piece of theatre (it pains me to even call it that) I have ever seen. Don't see it. Ever. I am usually not this harsh but really it was truly disappointing. Basically it is a musical based on the music of Queen and the plot was lacking to say the least. I like Queen but not enough to sit through two hours of it. Ironically the musical was a commentary on how the music world has become false and synthetic, leaving rock behind for dead and only looking to make financial profit.  Really the musical is a false, synthetic piece of theatre and its only purpose that I am aware of is financial profit. Perhaps I needed to be one of the 60 year olds who grew up in the age of rock and seemed to love the show to better appreciate it. Oh well.

Monday I returned back to Dublin and I must say it feels very good to be back. I can say it feels good to be home. I found in my short time away I really missed Ireland, although Wales truly was lovely and I'd love to go back and explore the rugged landscape to the north. But it seems Ireland is the place for me so I am happy to have resumed my love affair here.

Alright that's enough rambling for me. I'm a bit tired and this is long so I won't edit before I post, sorry for any typos. I corrected a ridiculous one from my last post.

Till next time!