23 July, 2005

Cardiff Graduation (1)

I went to the UK for the graduation ceremony.

Just two days after the London explosions took place, I flew from the Narita airport to London Heathrow.

On Friday night, the night before I left, I was at the office to finish up my work. At that time, I hadn't done any packing yet, of course. After I got home, I started packing. Half aspleep condition blured my criteria and I kept putting some clothes in my suitcase and taking some out of it. It was around 4am that I managed to finish packing. Next morning I had to wake up at 6 to go to the airport.

I had no time to prepare and had to work until the last minute. Well, having a job means this. But I'm lucky to have a week off for this trip. I should appreciate the office.

This was how my trip began.

9 July
There were plenty of vacant seats on the plane. I love flights like this. No kids screaming and no fight for an armrest. Yes, this is a pleasant flight.

On the same day at 4pm (local time), I arrived at the Heathrow airport. Yes, I came back to the UK again. It was last December when I left the country.

What I realised first was tight security. There were many armed police officers in terminal buildings. Also the airport was crowded with many Asian and Arabic people. This is also another aspect of the UK.

I headed straight to Cardiff, not going through the London central. It was 3 hour coach trip from the Heathrow to Cardiff. No sooner did I get on a coach than I fall asleep although I slept quite a lot on the plane. When I wake up, the coach was already around Cardiff and the clock struck 9 o'clock.

Being exhausted I was desperate for a bed. I slept all the way to Cardiff, but I still needed to lie down and get proper sleep. At that night, somehow, many of accommodations, from expensive Hilton to shabby B&B, in Cardiff were fully booked. After trying many B&Bs, I ended up in a small B&B on the Cathedral Road. And I jumped to a bed without making any contact with my classmates.

10 July
After breakfast I went for a walk. I walked through the beautiful Bute Park and the campus, and headed to the city centre.

Shopping time. I bought a brown shirt at a H&M and browsed through a DVD floor at a HMV. I also bought a pair of sandals, because it was a boiling day.

After enjoyed shopping, I called Jens. He was at Howell's, the only department store in the city, which he like to be. What I saw when I got there was him dressing like Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, interior designer, - a white jacket and a flower-printed shirt. He was just trying them on. But it made me laugh. I don't know if he kept wearing them until my coming.

At that night, I, unexpectedly, and my friends went to R.E.M.'s concert at the Millennium Stadium. Cardiff was the first live since the London Hyde Park gig was cancelled owing to the London blasts. The audience seemed less excited at the beginning, however the gig was warming up as it went on. Maybe because I was standing on the 3rd floor of the stadium. In the middle of the concert, vocal Michael Stipe dedicated "Everybody Hurts" to the victims of the London explosions. He also wore a uniform of Wales's rugby team. He's a good man. You can check a review at here.

It was after the concert that I met up again with Meghan. She came to me, shouting my name. Afterwards we headed to "nice" Incognito. I was glad to come to this "nice" pub again. When I was in Cardiff, I didn't like Incognito very much. But I and my friends always ended up there every time when we went out. Although I was ready for anything that was going to happen at Incognito, the pub was almost empty. What would happen at this empty pub? Was it because of Sunday late night? Or the R.E.M. concert, which made people drunk enough? Well, what was left inside the pub was just Seung-A's loud voice. What was left in my mind was disappointment and kind of frustration.

This was how the day ended.

To be continued.