That means Welsh.
One thing that I like about Wales is that Welsh is everywhere. That is to say, English and Welsh are both everywhere. I wasn't really expecting that, because English is by far the dominant language, and only about one third of the population speaks Welsh.
So it was nice to see Welsh on all of the signage, because you could learn a bit of Welsh just by reading the signs.
Wish you were here.
Today was another surreal day of seeing places and people that I had only ever seen on TV. It started with breakfast at the famous Turf Hotel Butty Van, and ended with Wrexham vs Millwall at the Racecourse ground.
Wayne from the Turf Hotel did manage to secure a match ticket for me, so I met with Wayne right after breakfast to pick that up. He is such terrific guy, and I am very grateful to him. Then I went for a walk into town. I saw a few things that I recognised from the Disney documentary series "Welcome to Wrexham", including the leaning miners statue, and Zerno Cafe, the coffee shop established by Ukrainian refugees. I had coffee and cake at Zerno Cafe, and it was great.
I went to the Turf for a pint before the match (it was definitely five o'clock somewhere) and I met some Americans, Irish, Germans, Australians, and some Welsh people who were also in "Welcome to Wrexham". I was a bit starstruck and probably fangirling, but I got some selfies with them, so I'm happy with that. Everyone was very friendly and the mood was one of happy camaraderie.
The football match was great. Our team played well, their team played well, and it was an exciting game. Sadly, the result did not go our way, but that's football.
Early on in season one of "Welcome to Wrexham", Rob and Ryan are discussing their upcoming first trip to Wrexham. Rob says, "I just want to go to the Turf Hotel, drink Wrexham Lager, and watch Wrexham play at the Racecourse." At the time, I thought "Me too!", and today I did all those things.
Wish you were here.
Today was quite a surreal day. It started with a train journey from London to Wrexham. The train was great. You know that I love the tube, but I think it's fair to say that I love the National Rail trains even more. Mind you, there were only half a dozen people in my carriage. Perhaps if the train was full I would not have loved it quite as much. It would still have been great, though.
I arrived in Wrexham shortly after lunchtime, dropped my stuff at my hotel and went straight to the Turf for a pint. I'm sure it was five o'clock somewhere. Having seen them on TV many times, it felt pretty surreal to walk up Mold Road to the Racecourse ground and the Turf Hotel. The butty van was even open for business.
The locals in the Turf were very friendly and even introduced me to one of the stars of Welcome To Wrexham; Wayne Jones, the Turf proprieter. I was more excited to meet Wayne than I would have been to meet any of the players or coaches. Wayne represents the many long-suffering Wrexham fans who are now finally being rewarded for their loyalty to the club. And he is an incredibly nice guy.
Later on, I went to the club shop and picked up some merch, then went for a stroll around the town. Wrexham is actually quite a lot bigger than I had imagined.
Tomorrow I shall be trying to secure a ticket to the match which has been sold out for weeks. Wayne at the Turf offered to help with that. The locals also taught me how to find resale tickets on the ticketing website, so wish me luck.
Wish you were here.
This morning, my travelling companions took off and left me here in London. They drove a hire car out to Stony Stratford, approximately in the direction of Liverpool. They will drive the rest of the way to Liverpool tomorrow and stay there for three nights.
I stayed here because there were more things in London that I wanted to see. I spent a lot of time on the tube today (I love the tube) visiting some popular landmarks.
First, I went to Aldgate. There is a town in the Adelaide hills called Aldgate, and one of my company's clients, the Aldgate Pump Hotel is there. Not many people in that part of South Australia would know that the original Aldgate Pump is a landmark in Aldgate in London that dates back to the 13th century. Its form has changed a bit over the centuries, and it no longer functions as a water pump, but it is still there.
Next, I went to Earls Court. Back in the 1980's and 90's, Earls Court was a very Australian part of London. There were lots of Aussies there, working as bartenders and baristas, while trying to become actors, musicians, or comedians. I don't know if it is still very Australian today, and that really had nothing to do with the reason why I went there. I went there to see a box. Not just any box. One specific, particular box. A blue box. A blue phone box, to be precise.
Finally, I went to the Hippodrome Casino, mostly just to see what it is like, but also to maybe play some poker. I decided against playing poker when I noticed that all of the players appeared to be professionals. Then, out of my own professional curiosity, I had a go at playing one of the fruities and picked up a small profit. So then I left. Quit while you are ahead, kids.
Tomorrow I will be catching a train to Wales, where I will stay for a couple of days before heading to Liverpool to rejoin my compadres. That should be a lot of fun.
Wish you were here.
What is the dumbest thing that you can do as a tourist in London? Is it sitting on an open-top tour bus for three hours in the middle of Winter? Maybe, but at least it wasn't raining. Actually it was pretty sunny for most of the day. Sunny and freezing. it was amazing though, and I would totally do it again, but definitely in the Summer next time.
Some highlights of the tour were Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral, Nelson's Column, Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. It's a "hop on - hop off" tour and we actually hopped off half-way through the tour to have lunch at a very old pub called The Shipwrights Arms. Then we hopped back on and finished the tour.
Pleasingly, we got to ride the tube again today, (I love the tube) and this time we emerged in Waterloo Station, which was cool. We also rode on the London Eye and were amazed at how London stretches all the way to the horizon in all directions. In the evening we went to the Camden Markets, but disappointingly, most of the food vendors were closed.
Overall, it was a pretty surreal day, getting to see places and things that I have been hearing about my whole life. London has always been a mythical and mysterious place to me, and I feel glad to finally be paying it a visit.
Wish you were here.
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