Franz Kafka International Bus Depot

Shortly after I left on this trip, Duke sent out this link, "Franz Kafka International Airport Named World's Most Alienating Airport" and expressed hope that I wouldn't wind up there. Well, last night came pretty close. Here's the story:

I had such a good time wandering the grounds at Blarney Castle that I decided to go somewhere where I could spend several days and go on a lot of nice, scenic walks. So, I packed my bags and set out for.... Cornwall! I was worried about Britain being too expensive but I found a nice looking hostel in Cornwall for just about $20/night.

Initially, I was going to get a bus to Rosslare, and then catch the ferry, and then catch another bus in Pembroke - but then I discovered Eurolines, where you could buy one ticket and it included the bus in both Britain and Ireland as well as the ferry. EXCELLENT. I bought a ticket without looking super closely at the times but when I had printed my confirmation, realized that I would be getting to Cardiff at 4:15 in the morning. (The bus runs all the way to London but stops at Cardiff - a good place for me to catch a train to the southwest.) However, further research revealed that Cardiff has a large central train/bus station so I figured that I could find a coffee shop or a bench or something and sit there from whenever the bus got in until I could check in at my hostel. Certainly not ideal but there are worse things in the world than sitting in a Welsh rail station for a few hours.

The beginning of the trip went quite well. The bus left Cork on time and wound its way through a bunch of towns before arriving at Rosslare. They drove the bus onto the ferry and we disembarked - our luggage stayed on the bus so it worked out well. Also, the ferry wasn't crowded at all - as soon as we got off the bus, I dashed to the lounge to stake out as much space for myself as possible... but then slowly realized that other than a French family bivouacked in one corner, I wasn't going to have any competition for my area. Excellent. The sea was quite rough but I was able to stretch out and lie down for most of the trip.

When we got to Wales, we re-boarded the bus and they drove us down to a building where we went through "border security" - they didn't scan or stamp passports, mostly just checked that people had passports. When we walked out the other side of that building, the bus was there waiting so we re-boarded and were on our way. So far, things had been smooth.

I dozed off in my seat but awoke to the bus slowing down and the driver announcing "Cardiff!!". I looked out the window but couldn't see much. Then we pulled into a gas station, and the bus stopped. I looked at the clock, it read 4:30 - so this was about the right time. I got off along with three other people. The driver was unloading baggage, and I wasn't sure this was the right place - where was the bus depot?

"Ummm... is this Cardiff?" I asked.
"Aye, Cardiff."
"Is there a station nearby?"
"The bus station?"
"Yes."
"Aye. There's a big one in Cardiff."
"But aren't we in Cardiff now?"
"Aye, Cardiff."

Abandoning this hilarious game of "Who's on First", I grabbed my backpack and walked towards the gas station convenience store, evaluating my options. The bus pulled back onto the roadway and drove away. As I approached the convenience store, a man in a shirt and tie came running out, shouting, "Why is the bus leaving?!?!" Apparently he thought the bus was taking a break and had gone into the store for a snack... and the bus left without him. He was understandably upset, given that all his luggage was on board, and he apparently had a flight leaving London that afternoon.

Another guy who had gotten off the bus suggested that we all split a cab into the city center, and I figured this was a better option than hanging out at the gas station, so we had the gas station call us a cab and waited, listening to the businessman rant about the bus company. By the time the cab pulled up, he had formed a delusion that the bus was going to the bus station in the City Center - I didn't voice the obvious thought that if the bus was going there, it would have just dropped us there. He shouted to the cabbie that we needed to get there quickly, which was exciting because he actually used the phrase "step on it!"

When we arrived at the bus station, it was clear that the bus station was going to offer no hope for me - there were lights on, but when I walked in, there were no benches and a security guard eyed me suspiciously, so I left. The clock in the cab had said 5:00 when I got out, so I figured I only had another hour or so before I could at least find a coffee shop or something.

The only 24-hour establishment I could find was a McDonalds - God bless America. I went in figuring I could sit for a while, and ordered some chicken nuggets. When I went to sit down, the seating area was cordoned off with a sign that read, "Take Away Only, 11 PM - 5 AM". Since it was just after 5:00, I went back up to the counter and asked if I could sit down. The girl behind the counter directed me to ASK THE POLICE who were standing and eating their burgers. So, I asked them, and they said that the seating area wouldn't open until 5:00. I said, "But, isn't it 5:00 now?" "No," one of them said, showing me the time on his phone. "It's just after 4:00." And yes, it was true - his phone said 4:11.

Okay, the confusion about the Cardiff bus stop wasn't really that strange - obviously there were multiple places in Cardiff a bus could stop. BUT HOW DID THE TIME CHANGE?? I went and sat on a bench outside to try to wrap my head about this. The clock had DEFINITELY said 4:30 when I got off the bus. And I was going East, so if I had gone into a different time zone, it should have gotten later, not earlier. Also, why were the police in charge of the McDonald's seating area??

As I was sitting on the bench, a guy sat down at the other end of the bench, and gestured to his girlfriend, who was skipping along the length of the block on the sidewalk. "I've been trying to get her to go home for HOURS but she won't stop doing this." As she skipped past us, she was softly singing, "Lou, lou, skip to my lou..." and then she'd continue down the block, turn around, and come back. "Lou, lou, skip to my lou..."

I wasn't about to let crazy people ruin my chicken nuggets, so I ate the nuggets, then wished the guy luck and hailed one of the taxis which were parked nearby - clearly the McDonalds is a late night hotspot around here - and asked to be taken to my hostel. I wasn't due to arrive until 11 AM but many hostels have 24 hour reception, and if it really wasn't even 5:00 yet, I wasn't about to hang about the closed bus station and police state McDonalds for another couple hours. I figured they'd give me a bed if I offered to pay for a full night. I was correct and soon was comfortably installed in a bunk, where I promptly fell asleep.

So, I now have a full day in Cardiff - I will probably sleep for a lot of it - and then onward. I booked my room in Cornwall for several nights so once I arrive there, I hope to stay for a while.

Also, I have NO IDEA what happened to the guy who got left by the bus. He really didn't have a lot of options. If it were me, I would have called the bus company and let them know what happened, then caught the first train in the morning, but he seemed to be going more of a "shouting and ranting" route.