Am about to take the children out to the main part of the city. It is with much trepidation that I once again brave Cardiff roads. On day 1 we travelled along most of the bus/taxi only streets. Our recognition of the signage is not yet automatic we take a few seconds to process all the signals - those few seconds are just enough for us to get beyond the intersection to the point of no return.
On day 2, I was trying to get to the main railway for a proper map (Tourist info couldn't supply and tourist maps leave off most of the minor streets). There seemed only 2 ways to go from the lights....I realised I couldn't go to the right as that was one way out of the parking lot so I went to the left....into a taxi rank...either directly into the oncoming cabs leaving the station or stuck behind the ten or so cabs waiting there....then another vehicle drove up behind me (another lost tourist??) so there was no way out! After much tooting from the cabbies at the other end, I finally jumped out of the car, ran over and pleaded for help. They were most obliging with directions and helping manouvre out of the way. They also donated a their own street directory!
Great way to get a free street directory, but quite a test of the flight/fight response!! The street directory hasn't helped much however. Yesterday I gave Ian 5 wrong directions in a row.
There was one afternoon when we went out and things were a bit tense as the tired children had been couped up in the apartment for a while....we took to the road and somehow became trapped in the Morrison's Supermarket car park across the road! We did several circuits before finally making it onto a proper road....
So here we go..... When i learnt to ski, the teenagers I was with would shout "watch out, I'm out of controooooool!"as they launched off the top of a ski run. That phrase goes through my mind every time I drive onto the road from the apartment parking lot.
