In August 1901, Karl pedalled from London, England, to Cardiff, Wales. And guess what? I wasn't the first time traveller to visit Wales. Did you know, dear reader, that Cardiff is the home of Doctor Who? So, imagine my surprise when, as I was leaving my Cardiff hotel, the camera slung over my shoulder, the TARDIS materialized right in front of me with its trademark wheezing and groaning.
Opening Scene
The Doctor steps out of the blue police box (for the record, it’s David Tennant as Doctor Who, because David Tennant!), followed by his companions, Zoe, Jake and Emma.
Doctor: "Ah, Cardiff! A city steeped in history and mystery. What brings you here, my friend?"
Louise: "I was just setting out to explore the city. I’m on a journey following Karl Creelman, the first Canadian to bike around the world”.
Zoe: "Looks like you're embarking on a timey-wimey expedition."
Jake: "What's with the camera? Planning on documenting your adventures?"
Louise: "I'm documenting my travels in a blog called the Karl Chronicles. Because Karl traveled between 1899 and 1901, there are no photographs of his travels. So, I'm capturing the visual essence of his adventures through my own lens."
Emma: "That is peculiar. You'd think someone travelling the world would have had access to a camera and would want to capture a few memories along the way."
Louise: “Well, camera technology in 1899 was still in its infancy. I found evidence that Karl did get a Cyclone camera made by the Western Camera company known as the ‘falling plate camera’. This was a dry plate process that held 12 treated glass plates, but to date, I haven’t found any evidence of those glass plates.”
Doctor: "Indeed, the absence of evidence can sometimes be the greatest mystery. Perhaps there's more to Karl's journey than meets the eye."
Scene Transition
The Doctor asks to join Louise while she explores Cardiff, and of course, she welcomes the expertise of some fellow time travellers.
Zoe: "So, what's our next move?"
Louise: "Well, I usually visit the key locations from Karl's journey based on letters he wrote to the local newspaper. I also get a sense of the places he visited from his postmark book and an autograph book, and invariably, I stumble upon something interesting."
Doctor: "What is this postmark book and autograph book? Where there's a mystery, there's always a solution waiting to be uncovered."
Louise: “Karl packed a small, leather-bound book to get stamped by the postmaster, and it was full of post office stamps, corporation seals, railway stamps and some private stamp marks verifying his travels. Then, from his travels in Australia and beyond, he had another book with signatures and messages from people he met during his journey.”
Scene Transition
Together, they explore the streets of Cardiff, visiting landmarks and historical sites that Karl may have encountered during his time in the city. With each photograph Louise takes, she knows she’s getting close to Karl’s story, something hiding just beyond the frame.
Doctor: "How exciting, my friend; we are unravelling the mystery."
Zoe: "And what mystery would that be?"
Doctor: "The mystery of Karl's journey, of course. What did he discover on his travels here in Cardiff, and what does that tell us about life in the city in 1901?"
Louise: "I’ve completed about 60% of my journey following Karl, and what I understand, Doctor, is that Karl's journey wasn't just about the places he visited or the sights he saw. It was about the journey itself, and most importantly, the people he met and the lessons he learned along the way."
Doctor: "Precisely! And now, it's up to us to carry on that legacy, to continue the quest for knowledge and understanding."
Emma: "But what will happen when we've finished retracing Karl's journey? Will the mystery finally be solved?"
Doctor: "Ah, my dear Emma, the mystery of Karl's journey is just the beginning. Who knows what wonders await Louise as she continues along his route?"
Emma: “Is there anything in these other documents of Karl’s time here in Cardiff?”
Louise: “Yes, there is documentation from where Karl stayed, signed by a local named Elias Evans”.
Doctor: "That's the spirit, my friend! The universe is vast and full of wonders. Who knows what you’ll uncover next? I’ll be sure to subscribe to your Karl Chronicles to find out what you discover next week. But for now, our time here has come to an end. I need to get going. We need to get to Nizwa, Oman, in the year 2048 to solve the mystery of a missing white camel”.
The group admires the bilingual inscription on the front of the Wales Millennium Centre for the performing arts: ‘In These Stones, Horizons Sing’. When the TARDIS reappears, the Doctor, Zoe, Jake, and Emma enter the police box, and with a wheezing, groaning sound, the TARDIS disappears into the vortex of time and space.
End Credits
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The Karl Journey is now registered as an official expedition with the Royal Geographical Society