Welcome to a new week where we go over the amazing Lokafyers that help Lokafy grow and be better every day. Today we’re going back to the regular questions that we’ve been asking, but as you can guess, the answers are always different. Since we’re talking with distinctive personalities, experiences and life stories, we’ll always encounter unique perspectives on what being a Lokafyer means, why their cities are so important to them or how they perceive traveling. For this particular blog, we’ll be having a conversation with Tony, a proud Cardiffian, who knows a thing or two about traveling (actually, he knows a lot!) and that has found a great way to share all of his knowledge through teaching and guiding. Let’s have a look at how our conversation went, and you’ll see the most humane side of traveling and getting to know a new place in his answers.
Tell us a bit about yourself! How long have you been living in your city and what do you love about it?
I was born in CARDIFF, the capital of WALES. Thus, I'm a Cardiffian.
and also Welsh, British and European.
Cardiff is a delightful, mostly pretty city. A big surprise for many visitors. It has the flattest city centre in Britain, so it's easy to walk and cycle. There is just a little incline up to our Civic Centre, regarded as the finest in the world. It gives the nickname "The Washington DC of Europe". Catatonia, a local group, used it for the cover of their album 'Mulder & Scully'.
How did you discover Lokafy and what made you want to become a Lokafyer?
I was a primary school teacher. As a deputy headteacher, I would assist other teachers on their class visits to Cardiff, Caerphilly, Caerleon, Penarth, Bath and even Greenwich for the Millennium. So I built up a repertoire of tours for our schoolchildren. When I took early retirement, the staff encouraged me, that when I'd been round the world, I should use my tour guiding skills back in Cardiff. But I didn't know any outlet, until a Spanish Lokafyer, Olga, said I'd be an asset to Lokafy. She recommended me, so here I am.
What are some of the most memorable experiences you've had with travelers through Lokafy?
Oh, there are so many. The most emotional was a middle-aged daughter of an elderly couple, who booked a secret Lokafy tour for her 80 year-old parents' birthdays. They hadn't been back to Cardiff for 35 years. Her daughter, their granddaughter, was a university student here. Well, they remembered the shopping Arcades and Castle, but when I took them into a "secret church" hidden inside a department store, the grandmother looked up at where the organ loft used to be, pointed to her feet, and said, "In 1959, we were the last couple to be married here, in this church, before it closed".
Then, just last month, I welcomed an Indian couple and their daughter, who was a huge Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Who and Torchwood fan. I showed them various filming locations in Cardiif and Llandaff, and dropped a little Dr Who souvenir into their hotel, later, which thrilled their daughter.
These past two years, many Americans have come over, as they have family connexions to Wales.
How has Lokafy changed your perspective on travel and culture?
Well, I've actually been to 118 countries and a thousand cities; taught English to international students in Cardiff; lived in Australia and Poland; I still voluntarily teach English online to students in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and China; can say "WELCOME" in 20 languages, and, thus, relate to most of my Lokafy guests.
(Tony shares a fun fact with us, so that we can broaden our own vocabulary: "Welcome in Welsh is "CROESO", Kroy-so).
What are some of the tips or advice that you would give to someone who wants to travel like a local?
Don't put up barriers, fit in with the culture, share and absorb knowledge, information, history, geography, basic words, do some homework before you go. Be aware about water, foods, insects, diseases, weather, temperatures during certain months. Be flexible. Smile and be friendly. Try not to complain. Try to book some walking guides.
When you’re not working for Lokafy, what do you like to do for fun?
As I stated, I freely teach international students, wives, asylum seekers and refugees, English. I've narrated four language books. I'm involved in a small international church for students and workers from many countries. I'm a big Doctor Who fan and love watching the filming in Cardiff or nearby. I am an avid photographer. I also love collecting - I have the largest collection of fridge magnets outside the USA, and have been to all 50 States. So, you can see that I love traveling and meeting people, too.
Any final comments for travelers visiting your city?
Cardiff is a 4-day city, not a 4-hour one.
DAY 1: Be sure you see the Victorian Arcades, Animal Wall and Castle (book a tour), Welsh Lovespoon Shop, the Indoor Market (watch Welshcakes being made), Museum of Cardiff, St John the Baptist Church.
DAY 2: National Museum of Wales ( not open Mondays) and Civic Centre. Ask to go upstairs in City Hall. Then Llandaff Cathedral and Insole Court.
DAY 3: Cardiff Bay and Penarth, Penarth Pier, Alexandra Gardens.
DAY 4: Caerphilly Castle and Castell Coch.
If you had a DAY 5: National Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans
- Travelers, please, at least, add CARDIFF, THE WYE VALLEY, THE GOWER, TENBY, ST DAVIDS, CONWY, CAERNARFON - all in WALES to your travel plans. Everyone goes to London, Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath, Oxford, York and Edinburgh. But the UK is so much more. Don't just think of "England and Scotland" like most tourist companies. Please come to WALES, too - we call our country "CYMRU" ("Kum-ree") "Land of Brotherhood".
The friendliest of our four nations and the biggest surprise. You'll want to come again and again. Come and see why Cardiff has so many delightful nicknames: The Greenest City in the UK, The City of Flowers, The City of Arcades, The Washington DC of Europe, The City of the Unexpected...
Author’s note: Make sure to write down what Tony just said! He’s giving us a quick itinerary to spend our days in Cardiff and enjoy its most important wonders. If there’s someone who knows its city, it is Tony.
Thank you all for joining us in this blog, we are very curious about what you thought; what was your favorite answer? Were you able to relate to Tony? Are you eager to visit Cardiff now? Something that we love about having the opportunity to talk with our Lokafyers is the fact that we can always learn something new about life with them. The way everything can change in the blink of an eye with a simple recommendation, or how the path you choose leads you to new and exciting places before taking you back to where you started. We wish that Tony’s experiences resonated with you and allowed you to think about Cardiff and travel through a new lens. See you next week!
Enjoyed this article?
