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Oftentimes, the best places to visit are in your own backyard. Don’t get me wrong, traveling abroad is amazing, and if you have the option, then you should definitely do that. But when you’re looking for a shorter trip, lower budget, and/or shorter commute, sometimes national travel is your best bet.

This was the case for me over my Easter break. I wasn’t able to plan a big trip in time, and I couldn’t afford to go back to the U.S. until summer. That limited my options to sitting around in my flat for three weeks or traveling within the UK. A friend and I started planning, and we decided to visit Cardiff– the capital of Wales– over Easter weekend.

We booked a hostel (neither of us had stayed in one before this) and our miserably long coach ride. The morning of Good Friday came, and we met at the bus stop, excited for our mini adventure. Admittedly, my friend wasn’t too excited to hear that I have horrible travel luck. Guess I’ll have to give a disclaimer before making plans next time.

Our coach ride lasted about 7 hours. We got seats next to each other and did some catching up, since it had been a while since we’d last met in person. It wasn’t even an hour into our trip when we both started feeling travel sick. Welsh roads are absolutely brutal for that. If you ever visit, that’s definitely something to be aware of. Our conversation died as we switched seats to both be by a window, stared out the window, and when that didn’t work, tried to close our eyes and keep as still as possible. Let’s just say it was a horrible coach ride.

Thankfully, we had a change in the middle, so we were able to get off and recover before the second half of the trip. It didn’t mean we weren’t travel sick all over again, but at least it lessened it.

We arrived in Cardiff around dinnertime. The sun was out and the weather was absolutely beautiful. Taking turns tugging my friend’s suitcase, we navigating our way from the coach station to our hostel. It was kind of hidden away on a busy street (busy as in full of restaurants, bars, and clubs) so we almost didn’t notice it. It looked a little sketchy, and when we went to check in, their computers weren’t working properly. Not the best first impression, especially since neither of us knew what to expect with hostels. My friend was trying not to laugh, and I got the impression from that point on that hostels aren’t her favorite type of accommodation.

If you’ve never stayed in a hostel before and don’t know what to expect, you can probably imagine a dorm room. There were a bunch of bunk beds (18 beds total), a small table with two chairs, a few outlets scattered around, and a bathroom with two toilets, sinks, and showers. The hostel provided a pillow and a duvet for each bed. The room we were in was women’s only, and there were several women sleeping when we arrived, resting up before enjoying the nightlife later. My friend and I each claimed a bed and hid our smaller bags away under the duvets. Her suitcase didn’t exactly fit, so we had to hope our temporary roommates were honest.

If you’re only taking a short trip, pack light. A backpack is much easier to carry around and hide away than a suitcase.

Having gotten situated, we were able to start exploring and find dinner. We were both crazy hungry as we wandered down random walkways and streets. We found a stretch full of restaurants and each got what we wanted. The sun was still on us as we sat outside, enjoying the beautiful weather that’s so uncommon in Wales.

Neither of us had actually researched what there is to do in Cardiff, so we had no plan for our trip. But it was too early and the weather was too nice to waste the evening sitting in the hostel. We walked aimlessly around central Cardiff, exploring the castle, the park, and anything else we saw nearby. The greenery was lovely, and the castle was impressive. We both took so many pictures, helping each other feel less weird about looking touristy. In a lot of places, you don’t necessarily want to look like a tourist, so it can feel really uncomfortable taking pictures of everything. We encouraged each other to take whatever pictures we wanted, making us feel less weird.

About the title for this post… I’m not suggesting people in Cardiff are all crazy. Though, like any other city, you do have some crazy people. The title has more to do with the fact that my friend and I are both absolutely crazy. We spent the entire weekend laughing at silly things, making bad jokes, playing games, and she was coming up with pick-up lines she wanted to use on someone. Traveling alone can be a great experience, but don’t underestimate the value of traveling with a friend. Bonus points if you’re comfortable enough with that friend to act a complete fool in public despite any anxiety you have.

My friend and I were posing at weird places, taking infinite pictures of each other, almost running in circles to avoid the other’s camera when they videoed the scenery… it was a great time.

After a while, we decided to call it a night and get some rest. We made our way back to the hostel where a bunch of women were only just getting ready to go out. As I laid in bed, I could hear some of them talking, and I learned that hostels are a great place to meet new people. Two women were asked how long they’ve known each other because they seemed like great friends. Turns out, they’d met just hours earlier in the hostel. They’d gotten to know each other that well just because they happened to be put in the same room. If you’re traveling solo and want to find people to do things with, definitely look into hostels.

The biggest issue with our hostel was also its advantage: location. We were on a central street that seemed to be a hub for nightlife. Even with the curtains shut, light flooded into the room, making it look like midday in the middle of the night. I may or may not have woken up at 11:30pm freaking out thinking it was 11:30am and I’d slept through my alarm. That was fun.

Day two rolled around early (before 11:30am!), and my friend and I made a start. We’d booked tickets to see the castle and wanted to get there before it’d get busy. We had some leftover pizza from the night before, bought a hot chocolate, and walked around Bute Park (right behind the castle) until the castle opened.

The castle consisted of several different parts that you could check out. We first saw the Roman Wall and a mini museum right by it. Then we went up a path along the wall. There was a doorway there, poorly lit inside, that we could hear faint music playing through. You know the kinds of songs they play in movies when a bomb will go off at the end? Or when there’s a crime happening? It was that kind of music. My friend and I took a few good looks at each other before going inside. Around a corner was a long, dark(ish) hallway. The music was a little louder here, we could see empty bunks lining the hall, and a sign at the start gave instructions on how to put on a gas mask in case of an attack. We realized it was an air raid tunnel. There was audio on a loop, which is why the music had been playing. A man’s voice gave some announcements/updates, then there was the sound of bombs and missiles in the distance, then the music. Once we realized what it was, it was kind of fun, though we did laugh pretty much every time we looked at each other.

We found daylight and walked around the top of the castle wall, taking way too many pictures of the scenery and each other. Next was the main part of the castle. We saw some beautiful rooms (pictures below) before checking out the center section. I’m not sure what it’s called, so, sorry. A steep staircase led us inside, then a VERY steep one to a higher section. We had to wait an eternity for people to go down before we could then take a tight, winding, stone staircase to the very top and see the views from there. As bad as all the stairs were going up, it was so much worse going back down. Not to mention that I wear transition glasses, so every time we’d take in the sunny scenery, I’d have to navigate the staircases with sunglasses, unable to see.

I’d highly recommend visiting the castle, even if it’s just to say you did it. If you can visit in the morning, do that. It got pretty busy by late morning/early afternoon, and it made it a little more frustrating.

Hungry again, we discovered a nearby mall with a food court, then chose a bench in Bute Park to eat, chat, and enjoy the scenery. We sat there for a long time before the sunny weather started making us drowsy. Most of our afternoon was spent walking around the park and the mall. The mall had entrances/exits that seemed to connect to everything, and we kept getting lost. Just when we thought we’d found our way back the way we’d come, we’d appear somewhere we didn’t recognize.

In the early evening, we had dinner and booked tickets to a movie. We go to uni in a much smaller town, so we wanted to spoil ourselves by going to a full-size movie theater. We then bought some snacks and blankets and had a picnic at the park. The weather was cool, the sun was still weakly shining, and the park was quiet. It was really peaceful.

Navigating the streets in the dark after the movie was not as peaceful. We couldn’t figure out where we were going, and everyone was out and drinking. When we finally found our hostel, we were reminded there was a bar inside it. We had to show proof we were staying there and get past some drunk men to get inside.

The next morning, we prepared to go back. We had nice conversations with some Frenchwomen in our room, sharing stories about France and Wales. I don’t normally like talking with total strangers, but there’s something about staying in that environment that makes it nice.

Praise God, the coach ride back wasn’t nearly as bad as the ride to Cardiff. It would’ve been great if we hadn’t spent all of Easter on a coach, but I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to go. If you’re ever in Wales, Cardiff is definitely a nice place to go. If you’re going with a friend and/or you just want a peaceful weekend to relax, you’ll enjoy it. Don’t pass up other parts of Wales in favor of it, though. All of Wales is beautiful and peaceful. But if you have a free weekend and a friend who’s just as crazy as you, Cardiff is well worth it.

Here’s a brief list of things to do in Cardiff. I didn’t do many of them, and I don’t know what you’re into, but it should give you some ideas before you plan your trip.

• Visit Cardiff Castle
• Walk around and chill in Bute Park
• Check out the local shops, the mall, a cinema, etc.
• Admire the architecture in central Cardiff
• Go to National Museum Cardiff (I believe it’s free)
• If you can afford to, do a food tour (there’s an impressive variety for a small city in Wales)
• Enjoy the nightlife