'ello again Wales!

So, after waiting at the airport for a bit Karen showed up to welcome me back into the UK. It's been two years since I've been here. Karen and I caught up over a cup of americano coffee from Costa's in the airport. After about two and a half hours of catching up, Karen had to head to her parents house and I began to figure out what on earth I was going to do. Since plans to hang out with Robert for the first few days were shot, I was left with no plans till Friday. That includes me not knowing where I was going to sleep or how I was going to get to Cardiff.

I looked around a bit at the airport and cried a little when I went to exchange some of my money. What's the going rate you ask? Why it cost $2.20 for £1. In other words I really wish I had a credit card, but oh well, we'll leave it in God's hands. I bought a train ticket to Cardiff that day and the return ticket for the 31st. That was £58. Not money I really wanted to spend but I wasn't going to stay at the airport all week.

I had to wait an hour in the airport before the train left for Cardiff. Once I finally arrived in Cardiff I walked around for an hour or so, just remembering the fun times that I had the last time I was here in Wales. It was honestly the best and worst three months of my life. God did so much in such a short time. But if you want the details on that then you'll have to look at my past entries! LOL

After walking around and figuring out that I had no where near the money to stay at a proper hotel, I begin searching for the purple hostel I had seen several times before when I was here two years ago. I found it. It cost a whopping £17.50 a night. (You can stay a week for £42.) It's a really nice place. They have very comfortable bunk beds (makes me feel like a kid at camp!), a full kitchen, pool table, bar, computers with Internet (£1 an hour), and DVDs to watch in the lounge. It's been a learning experience. I've never stayed in a hostel before, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I got checked in, when back down stairs and ate my 'real' fish n chips, and then went to sleep for over 12 hours. No jet lag for me thanks! I got up today and checked out (cause I thought I'd run into people I knew and I'd stay with them), and asked if I could use the Internet before I left the building. They told me that would be fine, so I did for two hours. I wrote emails, check myspace, played around on facebook, and I only kicked myself off the computer after I wrote an email to my boyfriend telling him all about my undying love for him. After that email I knew without a doubt it was time to get out and about before I got home and didn't have a boyfriend or any friends.

I got on the bus and bought a day pass for £3. This pass lets you ride any of Cardiff's buses, to anywhere they go, as many times as you want for the low low price of £3. If you use your time wisely with this pass you can tour all of Cardiff, Penarth, and Barry all for around $6.60. And that's not bad at all. It costs you £3.50 to just step inside Cardiff Castle, then you have to pay £7 for the tour. That's around $24 just to see a castle. I got to see the whole area for under $7. Barry in and of itself takes an hour to get to, just to give you an idea of the size of the area. I got to see a lot of things I didn't see last time I was here.

In the middle of my bus tour I stopped in City Centre and saw 'Horton Hears a Who' at the VUE. The VUE is the awesome movie theatre here in Cardiff. It's the one I saw 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' for the first time. It was so packed that night they showed us to our seats, because every seat in the house is numbered.

I'm still not sure how I'm getting to and from the wedding on Monday, but I'll leave that one up to God. If I'm meant to be there I'll be there. If I'm not, I won't. Tomorrow I'm off to Barry for the weekend. I'm going to be staying with Jackie, Alan, and Sian(their dog). I can't wait! They were my first host family. It always felt like a mini vacation when I stayed with them after I got my Grangetown host family. I'm possibly going to get to see Chris and V too. They are Jackie and Alan's traveling friends. They all holiday together. The four of them make up the funniest people I met over here. We always had a good time together.
Well, I'm going to wrap this up and go play on facebook till my hour's up. Feel free to comment on here or email me! Love to all!

~Stella