I have a tendency to walk till I drop. Great for seeing things and learning but hard on the feet. With Snowdon Mountain in the near future I’ve decided to rest my legs as I shift my focus. The first week emphasized South Wales based out of Cardiff. This second week is focused on North Wales and will be bases out of Liverpool, a big English city that I’m familiar with which has lots of train service in to Wales.
Ironically, I started my today with a walk. The weather was perfect and I enjoy Cardiff so much that I thought I’d squeeze in one more visit: City Hall. Boring sounding, isn’t it? “Local government” and “restricted access” could put a damper on any party. In this case “local government” actually covers all of Wales as City Hall is the operational arm of the National Assembly. As for “restricted access,” which I expected coming from ultra-paranoid Washington D.C., that turned out to be a completely incorrect expectation.
Just as I had been given access at the new National Assembly the day before, the woman at City Hall reception gave me the virtual keys to City Hall. I was shown into the building and set free. I visited the Assembly Room and Delegates Chamber which were where the gov’t legislated from before the new building was built. I toured all the hallways and meeting rooms and galleries and perused all the pictures and paintings and sculptures. Mind you, this is 8:30 AM with nobody around and I’m just opening doors and walking around. Honestly, it was refreshing to be trusted.
Returning to my hostel, I checked out and went to the railway station to begin my day of train travel. My route would take me through the heart of Wales where the land is hilly and green and where people are few. Five hours later I stepped off a train into Liverpool’s Lime Street Station. After a familiar walk I found myself back at the hostel I stayed in two years ago.
So, did I pamper my feet and not walk any more? Well, no. The last time I was in Liverpool there were several interesting museums I wasn’t able to visit. All were at Albert Dock near where I stay so I ventured as there was still time before museums would close. The Tate Museum was featuring sculptures in addition to their standard exhibits and this museum I covered thoroughly. However two others I could only squeeze in orientation overviews and will plan another visit before I leave.
Transition days are always less productive. On the other hand I was able to tour museums before and after a day spent watching the Welch landscape out my train window. I also was fairly kind to my feet which will hopefully pay me back when I visit Snowdon.
So will I climb Snowdon tomorrow? I still don’t know if the weather will be a repeat of the excellent weather we’ve had these past few days. Also, the logistics of getting to the mountain base in time to catch the steam train are really challenging; three trains and two busses are involved. Tomorrow I think I’ll just go to Snowdon and if fate intends for me to hike down the mountain tomorrow then it will happen. My plan is to be flexible.
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