Day 5 Cardiff in Wales / Wexford in Ireland
(5 Nov, 2018)
Morning walk in Cardiff
Morning started with superb breakfast. I don’t know if other travelers feel the same but seeing pancakes, scorns, several flavors of yogurts, dice cut fruits for yogurts were neatly arranged in the kitchen, I felt it was really superb .
What hit me the most was almond milk and coconut milk. They are expensive in my home country so that it was something exceptional for me to see them served just for backpacker hostel’s breakfast.
This is the exterior of the hostel I stayed. It was like a lovely house in a story.
The river looked in different impression in the morning. It wasn’t a very bright day but still nice to take a walk along the river. I had only 1 hour and half for sparing time in Cardiff to take a train to the ferry port in this morning. The time table wasn’t so flexible so that I ended up like that but I could enjoy Cardiff even in such short period of time.
Crossing the river bridge, I found a nice park called Bute Park.
Autumn trees were beautiful and the park was so huge. It made me think that I should have checked out the hostel earlier to be in here more. I stayed there till the Cardiff market opens at 08:30.
In the park, I could see the Cardiff castle but 30 mins was left till its opening time. As I had to visit Cardiff market and some places around it, I gave up visiting the castle and just enjoyed taking pictures of the castle from outside.
Walked out from the park and came around, I saw the castle’s front gate and wall.
This is the entrance.
I left the castle entrance and walked around downtown area just in front of it.
Pictures in downtown
Cardiff Market
There were many small stalls like the one I saw in Oxford.
After seeing around in the market, I changed my mind and decided to visit the Cardiff castle before taking a train as it was just in 5 mins distance from the market.
Cardiff castle
Paying the entrance fee at the ticket counter, I rush around the premise of the castle to see around everything within 15 mins. The time was so short but I could really had a good time in the castle. It was far better than expected so I could feel that it was really a prudent idea to change my mind to visit the castle.
Souvenir shop
Lots of red dragons
Gothic architecture
Yard
Tower
I rushed up the stairs
And saw this view from the tower
Coming down from the tower, I walked in other part of the castle.
Ceiling art made me speechless..
Dining hall
I could see paintings on the wall in this dining hall.
Library
From Cardiff to ferry port
Finished seeing the castle, I dashed to the train station in 10 mins distance.
The station was white and beautiful like this with a little clock tower on top of it.
I bought a ticket and hopped in the train.
Platform
Different trains in a different country
View from the window
Cloudy serene dark river view
Changing train and I finally arrived at the ferry port station.
Into the ferry
My feeling rose up higher to take a ferry to go across the sea to visit a foreign country. It was my first experience. How to take a ferry, inside of the ferry port, how to go through the boarding gate, waking up the bridge to reach the ferry, inside of the ferry, facilities of the ferry, meals on the ferry, view from the deck….
everything was new and exciting for me. I’ll show you such pictures..
Ferry port station
Security control gate
Bridge from the port to the ferry
Inside the ferry
Cafe space
Restaurant
Deck
Smoke rose up from the funnel and lights turned on in yellow. By that sign, I knew that the ferry was about to depart from the port.
Being away from the port, see it off objectively, everything looked as one small peaceful world, detached from it, I was on the way from one to the other.
After a while, 360 view became like this. Nothing around, only cloud and sea.
It was so windy and cold in the deck so I didn’t stay long there but even just seeing smoke rising up from the funnel was exciting for me.
For lunch, I ordered chicken thigh and potato/green pea mash at a restaurant inside of the ferry. The volume of the meal was so much but one of my dreams was eating full volume of mashed potato as much as I want. Prayer answered on the ferry at least expected.
There was even a duty free shop in the ferry.
Not only a duty free shop, an ATM and mobile phone charge station were there. Taking a ferry was far more comfortable than I thought excepting I couldn’t walk straight the way when she was weltering.
After 4 hours, I could see the landscape of the Ireland and other ferries detained on the port. Lights turned on and some people came out from cabins.
Upon arrival at the port, passengers got off the ferry like this.
It’s nothing much and similar to the way in airplanes but only seeing how to getting off the ferry was like disclosing something hidden in the world for me. It was really memorable experience for me to have this ferry trip.
Bridge from the ferry to the port
Security control
Terminal
Terminal exit
Arrived in Ireland
Arriving at the exit of the terminal, I noticed that there was no currency exchange station or an ATM but I needed to take a bus from there to go to the town called Wexford. There was no taxi waiting there and before waiting long, the bus came by and I asked the driver if I could use a credit card or pound but only cash by euro was acceptable.
After thinking a while, he allowed me to pay by pound. How kind he was. Reputation for Irish people was the real fact as it is. They are so helpful. I appreciated him and could get on the bus.
It was clean and the seat was comfortable.
Arriving at the destination after 20 mins travel, I got off the bus. I could use wifi in the bus so it helped me a lot to check how to get to the hostel.
Just in front of the bus stop I found a supermarket so I came inside for just seeing how it was like. I like visiting supermarkets in foreign countries.
Christmas season is coming.
Clean and fresh line up.
Guiness!
I wanted to buy it but bore it till I drink it at a bar. Drinking the first Guinness in Ireland was something important for me so if I drink the first one with a canned one, I thought it would ruin my first day in Ireland. Anyway the price was only 6 euros for 3 cans. How nice, heaven exists on earth.
After that I walked the way to the hostel.
Just walking an ordinary road was exciting for me because it’s in Ireland!
Just seeing the windows of each shop was nice for me.
Will be nice in daytime in business hours to see inside, not only from outside.
Church in the dark, it looked something special. Stained glass windows looked different at night.
Just near the church, I could fin the hostel for tonight.
The reception guy was unimaginably friendly and kind. He recommended one bar near the hostel so I visited there.
Cool bar counter, Guinness harp on it.
I seated at a table.
This is my first guiness in Ireland. Thinking back, this was the greatest Guinness in Ireland during my trip this time.
It was so much creamy and I was amazed at how a bartender could differentiate the taste of the beer. It was absolutely different from a canned Guinness. I couldn’t understand why it tasted that good. Beyond imagination. It’s a bartender’s great secret.
I had Guinness flavored ram on mash and Irish whisky flavored nuts cake.
After that I came back to my hostel and could sleep peacefully in my cozy private room.
What on this earth can I want anymore than this? Perfect night.
