Pic of the day: January 30

Oxford pic of the day (really from London!):

Taken at midnight while waiting for the bus back to Oxford.

Day sixty-nine, dude!

Picture of the day (from Woodstock, not Oxford):

I remember very little about "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Here's what I do remember:

1. There was an albatross.
2. There was a ghost ship.
3. You can sing The Rime of the Ancient Mariner to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme song.

Review: Cardiff Castle

This week we took an overnight trip to Cardiff, simply because none of us had ever been to Wales. As I go through the pictures and organize my thoughts, I'll be giving you some feedback on the various sites.

First, Cardiff Castle.
We went to Cardiff Castle because it seemed to be one of the big things to do in Cardiff. There’s a lot of history there – the castle dates back from the Roman times, and was knocked down and rebuilt various times over the years.

For me, the high point of the history was the tunnel that had been used as an air-raid shelter during WWII. With the metal bunks, authentic propaganda posters, and piped-in music, the scene was haunting.

The low point of the attraction was the informational video that preceded the self-guided audio tour. It was one of the cheesiest and least information films I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot!). The concept has a Welsh girl and boy running throughout the city, encountering historical figures, as an illustration of the castle in the center of the screen changes with the years. While I thought the concept was creative, I didn’t really learn anything from it (and I promise, I was trying!).

The in-betweens included the castle itself, perched high upon a hill, and the spectacular views of Cardiff from the top.

We went into some of the castle buildings, which had awesome old décor and furniture and stuff.

There were also some birds of prey in a pen, including this huge owl with awesome orange eyes, and two peacocks roaming the grounds.

I’m at a point where I’m pretty burnt out on history, but Cardiff Castle was worth it!

Day Nine - more Cardiff!

Picture of the day:

Cardiff Bay - standing on a sunny dock, watching ominous clouds roll in over the bay.

Day Eight - In Cardiff!

Picture of the day:

The view from the top of Cardiff Castle.