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When I think about a holiday my mind automatically thinks "location, location, location" but this time this short break wasn't about location it was about company. The principal aim of going to Wales was to go and meet my old village friends, make fun of everything, pass wicked comments and referee the never ending male vs female debate. The expectations about Wales were virtually none, and considering I barely knew in what part of England Wales was located there was very little I could expect. This self sought ignorance served two purposed; it allowed me to be positively surprised at the bird watching opportunities Skomer Island offered, and it avoid me knowing enough to want disrupt any pre-planned itinerary of my pals.

Wales Trip – 15th to 19th June

Mike Krupel
2006-06-28 20:55:15

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When I think about a holiday my mind automatically thinks "location, location, location" but this time this short break wasn't about location it was about company. The principal aim of going to Wales was to go and meet my old village friends, make fun of everything, pass wicked comments and referee the never ending male vs female debate. The expectations about Wales were virtually none, and considering I barely knew in what part of England Wales was located there was very little I could expect. This self sought ignorance served two purposed; it allowed me to be positively surprised at the bird watching opportunities Skomer Island offered, and it avoid me knowing enough to want disrupt any pre-planned itinerary of my pals.

My phobia of getting caught in Dublin's traffic compelled me to catch the 6.20am bus to the airport and off course there wasn't any traffic and I arrived 2 ½ hours before the flight. I fought my morning blues trying to read about New Zealand but I ended up getting some quizzical looks when waiting at the Aer Araan gate to board the flight to Cardiff with a NZ Lonely Planet.

The flight lasted about 50 minutes on the propeller power aircraft which considering I still working in an Airline environment I ought to know what model the plan was. Cardiff's airport is very small and bare and where it not for the weather and some European touches I compared it to a local South American airport. The accessibility and transport options are much better though, as it was only a matter of minutes till I got the shuttle bus to take me to the airport train station that takes you to Cardiff Central Station from where I got the noon train to Haverfordwest. (I told you I did nothing for this holiday, in fact one of my friends had to find the train for me – Thanks).

As I got out of the train station and put my backpack on the floor I noticed two familiar faces approaching in a Ford 7-seater van and the honking soon confirmed ...