Expectations: Cardiff, Guy Fawkes Day and Chislehurst Caves

Cardiff, Wales

On Friday November 2, Caitlin, Libby, Amy and I are taking a day trip to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. I know practically nothing about Cardiff or Wales. The little bit I do know comes from watching television shows like Doctor Who and Torchwood, and from talking to our British friend, Beth.

The Doctor Who Experience is the reason that we are going to Cardiff. I am really excited about it, probably more than I was about going to see the Harry Potter Studio. I am expecting the tour to be like the Harry Potter one, just on a smaller scale, and about Doctor Who, of course. It will probably be focused more on the most recent television episodes and the 11th Doctor, though there should be props and displays about all of the Doctors throughout the years.

Beth went to Cardiff for the first time last weekend to see the premier of Skyfall, the new James Bond movie. She described the city as a mixture of old classic buildings and ultra-modern ones. It will probably be really busy since it is the capital city and we are going on a Friday. I hope that the streets will be in better condition than those in Dublin, and the people more careful when crossing the roads.

It looks like the weather is going to be pretty bad. The high is in the low 40s Fahrenheit with a 70% chance of rain stretching throughout the day. The dampness from rain always makes it seem colder and I am not looking forward to having to walk around outside most of the day.

Guy Fawkes Day

Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire Night, is a UK holiday celebrated on November 5 every year. The holiday is in celebration of the capture of the Catholic terrorist, Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up Parliament in the 1600s.

There are parties and fireworks like Independence Day in the United States. The biggest part of the night are the large bonfires. Into the fire, people throw effigies that they have made themselves. These effigies are usually made by taking old clothing and stuffing them with newspaper, similar to a scarecrow. Beth has told us that sometimes you make the faux-person with a theme in mind. Last year her friends dressed their effigy as a gangster.

I am expecting it to be pretty similar to the 4th of July mixed with the county fair, except that it will be freezing outside. We are planning on going to see the fireworks in a nearby park where they have been setting up fair rides for the past week. There will probably be a lot of children out with their parents, along with the inevitable person who has had a little too much to drink. The big events will probably be over relatively early since they start before 7pm. Since the time change, the sun has been setting around 5pm so at 7 pm it will be plenty dark enough to start the fireworks.

Chislehurst Caves

Tomorrow, Sunday November 3, Caitlin, Amy and I are going to Chislehurst Caves. They are located in Kent, outside of London. All I know about them is that they are caves and I am not going to read anything on the website so that there is a little element of surprise about it.

I am expecting the tour to be about 45 minutes to an hour long. The caves will be dark and spooky but relatively safe since it is a tourist destination. I am hoping that the tour guide will tells us stories about people who lived or hid in the caves and its historical significance instead of a lecture on how the caves were formed. I've always found history to be more interesting than science. 

We are going by train via London so the trip should be relatively relaxing because we are now familiar with using the railway system. Some of the day will probably be spent in London, perhaps at Piccadilly Circus.