Cardiff and the T.A.R.D.I.S

This is the second part of my latest adventure.  If you missed part one, you can find it here.

After reveling in the land of Shakespeare, I traveled to Cardiff, Wales to revel in the land of British television.  My main goal for this leg of the journey was to go to the Doctor Who Experience (Doctor Who is my favorite television show), but I found Cardiff to be a great city with so much more to offer.  Cardiff was beautiful, and I had such a wonderful time exploring the city.  I really didn't have many expectations before going there, so I was excited to see all that I could.  It was a simple city to navigate, and I felt very at ease there.

Our first day there, we explored the city, walking around to see what we could see.  We visited the castle, which was actually way cooler than I thought it would be.  The castle has been around for nearly 2,000 years and has been inhabited by many groups of people, taking on Roman, Norman, and Victorian influences.  It was a fascinating place, and I highly recommend taking the time to visit it.  I would love to go back and take a more extensive tour.

Cardiff Castle

The Keep

After spending the first day exploring the heart of Cardiff, we spend a good portion of the next day in Cardiff Bay which is just outside of the city center.  It was fun to get out of the rush of the city center but still be in the city.  This is also where the Doctor Who Experience is located, and being a big fan of Doctor Who, I was beyond excited to be there.

The Doctor Who Experience has an interactive tour that takes you on a small adventure with the Doctor but then takes you to an exhibit that showcases the various costumes and monsters over the years.  I learned a lot of different facts about the show and got to see some of sets, such as a couple of the T.A.R.D.I.S sets.  It was so much fun to indulge my love for this show and be in an atmosphere that loves the show just as much as I do.  I would definitely do it again, and would definitely love to go on the walking tour that is available to accompany the main tour as well to see more of the filming locations around Cardiff.

The TARDIS

The first TARDIS console from the 1960s

Nine and Ten's TARDIS console

Doctors 1-3

Doctors 4-6

Doctors 7-8

Doctors Nine and Ten

Eleventh Doctor

An Ood, a Weeping Angel, a Sontaran, and a Cyberman

The Daleks

After the Experience, we walked around Cardiff Bay, exploring the town.  The BBC filming studios are just across the street from the Experience, but unfortunately since it was a Saturday, nothing was actually being filmed.  I still was able to recognize a lot of filming locations from Doctor Who and Torchwood which was a lot of fun.  Cardiff is a small city, but I really enjoyed being there, and would love to go back again.  I would also love to visit other places in Wales 

This last trip around the UK was so much fun, and I loved getting to see places that have connections to the things I love and have influenced me.  It was such a nice break before the crunch of finals and the end of the semester.  I still have a few more adventures to come when my family joins me in a couple of weeks, and I cannot wait!  I hope they find the UK as magical as I have and enjoy it just as much!