Cardiff and Beyond

I have been chilling out for the past week, enjoying a slower pace of Cardiff and Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve's lovely home in Tenby. I am also writing this with a cat in my lap who is licking my cardigan and purring like mad. Apparently after 4 days of being stared and glared at by said cat, I am IN! Woohoo!
Now, I drove down to Cardiff on Saturday, after stopping in at Hay on Wye and Tretower Court and Castle. I found the castle by fluke. I was driving along, looking for somewhere to stop for lunch when I saw the sign. So I pulled off, parked up and went for a walk around the grounds and buildings. It was apparently where The Libertine with Johnny Depp was filmed. It was a lovely little find. I ate my lunch in the gardens, did a bit of sketching then continued on my way down.
I found my way into the city with little fuss. I did have a minor problem with figuring out the speed limit but otherwise, all went well. I checked in to the hostel and headed out for a walk. First stop was the castle. I

was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to see everything in the castle but the security guards were really friendly and signed my ticket to say I could come back on Sunday without having to pay for another ticket.
The castle is great. When I turned up it was Victorian Day so all the people working at the castle were dressed up in Victorian clothes and plays were being preformed about the Green Man, Summer and Winter.
The castle closed at 6pm so I headed back to the hostel and met up with the other girls who were staying in the dorm. It was a couple of Canadians and an American. The Canadians were very relaxed but the American, while I am sure she was a lovely person, really grated on my nerves. You know when you meet someone and they instantly get your back up. That was it. We all headed down to the pub which is in the hostel and grabbed a drink and a bit to eat. It was nice to meet some more travellers because I have been feeling pretty bummed out about travelling on my own. I am quite sick of it. I want to have someone to share things with.

The next day, my room mates were all heading off which meant I had the room to myself. I didn't know this before I arrived but Cardiff is the home of Dr Who. There is a Dr Who museum with a whole bunch of props and costumes from past and present Dr Who's. It was very cool. I had a lot of fun with the interactive section that you start off with. You move from room to room and a story is developed where you have to help the Doctor escape from a prison. Afterwards you move on to the museum section. I must have spent two hours moving around, reading all the plaques.
The museum is down at Cardiff Bay. It reminded me a lot of Auckland Viaduct with the restaurants and overpriced food.I got myself a bit lost trying to get there but this lovely Welsh lady saw me staring around then back to the map and asked me if I needed help. She was heading in that direction so we walked together. She was incredibly friendly and more than happy to show me the way.
On the Monday I was completely over travel and needed a break from tourist stuff, so I grabbed some lunch, sat in the park and read a book. That night I went and watched the Celtic Dragons play Surrey. It was a great game and it was special to get to see Jenna. I cannot explain how lovely it was to finally see a familiar face. The game was intense and the Surrey defense players were getting pretty irate by the end because they really had little chance against Timmy (a 6'4 GS).

The next morning I headed down to Tenby to see Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve. I arrived a few hours early, so headed down to South Beach at Tenby and read a book. It was a beautiful greeting I received, made even more lovely when Mark stepped out of the car as well. They have really looked after me and it was a great chance to relax. I wasn't having to rush off to do something, it was the perfect time to plan my next steps and get to know my Welsh family connections.
I did have a day out at St Davids (yes, without the apostrophe), the smallest city in the UK, I believe. It is only a city because it has a cathedral but other than that, there is only one main street with a few shops and little else. However, there is a fantastic set of ruins beside the cathedral called the Bishop's Palace. I spent around 4 hours in the city before heading back to Lydstep in Tenby.
Today, Aunty Linda, David (my cousin) and I went out to Tenby for a bit of lunch and a brief walk around town. It is such a stunning seaside town and the views from the cliff tops are impressive.
I have really enjoyed my time here. It is amazing how much Aunty Linda and I have in common from taste in movies and books to our love of scarves. 
Tomorrow I am heading off to Ireland and I love that both Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve have told me at different times that if anything goes wrong they will be there, coming to my rescue. Can't ask for more than that. Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve have also kindly said I can leave my car at their house while I am over there. Perfect!