DAY 1
We had booked a B&B in Cardiff, the capitol and largest city in Wales. It is along the southern coast and faces the Bristol Channel. We were told to expect rain and as our train left Paddington Station in London and approached Wales, rain was what we saw.
Cavernous Paddington Station
I was hoping that at least we would cross into Wales on a beautiful bridge perhaps like the Firth of Forth Bridge in Edinburgh but that wasn't to be. Instead of a graceful suspension bridge over the Severn River, we went into a tunnel. A positive way of looking at this disappointment was that it was our mini Chunnel experience.
The trip from London was only about 2 hours 20 minutes and even though it was the middle of the afternoon when we arrived in Cardiff, the rain made it seem like nighttime was near at hand.
Outside the Cardiff Train Station
With bags and suitcase we trundled off to the Tourist Information Centre hoping to get a map of the city and plan some excursions. People remark that the Welsh are friendly and that was definitely our experience. We must have been going in (rainy) circles trying to figure out directions when a bystander asked what we were looking for. He walked off in what he thought was the correct direction (it was) and came back to tell us exactly how to get to the Centre. A very helpful employee there gave us all our necessary maps and lined up a bus tour for us on Sunday after checking the weather forecast. In addition there was a newly opened museum called "The Cardiff Story" which presented a multi-media look at Cardiff through time.
A word about language. Wales is bi-lingual which for us meant that all signs were in Welsh as well as English. Thank goodness we know English because Welsh, with its multiple consonants is incomprehensible to our ears and eyes. I learned two words: "Cymru" refers to Wales and "croeso" means "welcome." Here is another word that might have helped us.
DAY 2
Saturday turned out to be a perfect day for the outdoors: white clouds gave way to sunshine; how lucky could we get??? We left our B&B, took the bus, and headed to St. Fagans National History Museum, where representative buildings from all over the country have been relocated to give a flavor of what Wales once was. This museum, like many we have seen since being in Great Britain, was free.
The Town House, our B&B in Cardiff along the Cathedral Road. All the townhouses along this street were of similar architecture. We were told that these were once merchants' homes. Now quite a few of them are bed and breakfast establishments, pubs, or office buildings.
Our first stop was the St. Fagans Castle, or manor house, which formed the basis of the museum. The castle had existed since 1580 and was owned by a variety of people. It is presently decorated as it might have been in the 1900s. It was used as a summer home only and the owners were never there for more than 6 weeks or so out of the year. We were told that one of the buildings on the grounds was used as a hospital during WW I and after seeing the bells in the castle's basement used to call the servants, we had one thought only: a mini Downton Abbey!!
Behind the Castle.
Other buildings were of a humbler sort. The Kennixton Farmhouse dates from 1610. Its red color was meant to ward off evil spirits. The white building is the barn.
Of course the smell of bread baking could not be ignored and we stopped for a snack of a scone and some cheese bread. Wales is also known for its Welsh cakes; some say they are like flat scones made on a bakestone or cast iron griddle. We could not get them at the bakery but were able to purchase them later. They were delicious but when have I not liked any kind of bread or sweets??
The social and cultural life of miners was supported by organizations such as the Oakdale Workman's Institute. The building was financed by a loan from the coal company and was eventually repaid.
(Note 1.The Welsh are famous for their male choirs which apparently started with the miners; unfortunately we were not able to hear any live performances or practices.
Note 2. Where Cardiff once was the #1 exporter of coal, very few mines are in operation today and those that are are very small.)
Some of the most interesting buildings were not transported to St. Fagans but are examples of "experimental archaeology." We tramped through mud to get to the Celtic Village, a collection of three roundhouses thought to be representative of Iron Age Celts' homes (about 2000-2500 years ago).
Despite the similarity, this is not a Smurf House!
The interpreter told us how well the combination of fire and thatch roof worked to keep the house warm. The fire killed insects in the thatch and the 45 degree angle of the roof meant that the rain rolled off. There was no smoke hole at the top but smoke eventually drifted out through the thatch. Doorways at opposite sides were the only source of light.
There were a number of other buildings to visit but given our desire to see more of present day Cardiff, we left St. Fagans and headed towards Cardiff Bay which ended up being a very long walk from downtown Cardiff.
The area around Cardiff Bay has been redeveloped since the 1980s to make it a pedestrian friendly zone with walking paths, shopping centers, hotels, government and art buildings, and, best of all, a plaza where people watching is entertainment itself.
Millennium Centre, performing arts venue. Constructed with slate from all parts of Wales. Calligraphy is poetry from Gwyneth Lewis.Roald Dahl Plass (for all the lovers of James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, Matilda, etc.) Dahl came from Cardiff. "Plass" is a Norwegian word for "plaza" and is used here since Dahl was born to a Norwegian family.
There are numerous works of art all over the Plass; some call it eclectic and it does seem to be a bit of a jumble but still, how nice to have something to admire and wonder about.
This memorial, called "Lost at Sea" honors merchant seamen who have lost their lives in times of conflict.
Just beyond the Plass is the Norwegian Church and sculpture of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, a British explorer who set sail for Antarctica on his ship Terra Nova in 1910. He was beaten to the South Pole by Roald Amundsen and later perished on the return voyage from a combination of starvation and extreme cold.
The Norwegians have a long history associated with Wales since the 1800s when the Norwegian merchant fleet came to Cardiff, one of Britain's three major ports. The Norwegian Church served its community both religiously and culturally. Today the deconsecrated church serves as an art center and cafe. We had a delightful lunch there--Welsh and Norwegian cheeses on oatcakes with chutney. Some of the most flavorful food I have had since coming overseas.
We called it a day and headed back to the city center on a bus. We waded through crowds of people streaming into Cardiff Castle to see the fireworks for Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night to previous generations) on our way to our B&B. The weather was great for the fireworks and was still looking good for our bus tour the next day.
DAY 3
We woke to sunshine and after a quick breakfast headed to the National Museum Wales to await our tour bus. For this tour we chose to emphasize the natural beauty of Wales as opposed to historical sights. We were not disappointed.
Beside the museum was this stand of bicycles.
Green and slightly disorganized Wales?? (however, the next day all was in order)
The sign says that the bikes can be used for free for up to 30 minutes if they have been reserved. Wales has a reputation for going "green." It is the first country in the UK to charge for those ubiquitous plastic bags from the grocers. Marks & Spencers department store had advertising saying their stores in the UK and Ireland will be carbon neutral in 5 years (but not when the 5 years starts) and by 2012 none of their clothing or packaging "needs end up as landfill." We also heard about restaurants featuring "10 mile menus" meaning all the food was produced within a 10 mile radius.
Our tour took us first to Swansea (Abertawe in Welsh meaning at the mouth of the Tawe River) and then to the Gower Peninsula. Swansea is Wales' second largest city. It features the National Waterfront Museum and odes to Dylan Thomas, the poet whose name Bob Zimmerman took to become the singer known as Bob Dylan.
Our guide Janet filling us in on Swansea's attractions. The museum off to the right has examples of industrial innovations including the sociable bicycle that never caught on like the bicycle built for two despite its having the advantage of the couple sitting beside each other.
Statue of Dylan Thomas looking out to the waterfront.
A little way out of Swansea we came to an area called "The Mumbles." It was the first of many beautiful coastal areas.
Tom became the unofficial photographer for two women on the tour who loved having their picture taken in front of every rocky vista.
Continuing west, we entered the Gower Peninsula, the UK's first official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956. It is not a national park but the next best designation. The area reminded us of the coast around Carmel California and the Big Sur. Both places have rocky cliffs, surfers, seals, sunbathers... However, California does not have sheep or wild ponies.
We started our walk along the shore from Langland Bay to Caswell. Those green huts are very pricey.
Yellow gorse which the hardy Welsh black cattle can eat and red berries on cliffs.
At this point, just before descending into Caswell Bay, misfortune struck. Our camera battery went dead! It was done for but our tour was not. Thank goodness for visitors' shops that sell postcards.
Our next stop was Three Cliffs Bay. We didn't walk to it however since we were told it would take over an hour and a half just to reach it. It appeared that there was an arch, perhaps depending on the tide, that the water flowed through.
We stopped for lunch at Rhossili Bay where there is a walk to a rock formation called "Worms Head." The word "worm" actually comes from the Old English word "wurm" meaning dragon; the formation looks like a dragon or perhaps, less belligerently, a whale. We walked on the cliff above the bay enjoying the sights below and the sheep beside us.
(the little bit of land beyond the cliff is the Worms Head)
Our last stop was an ancient burial pit called Arthur's Stone. It is not on the coast but is in the interior of the peninsula on an upland overlooking the Llanrhidian Marsh, the bay, and back to the mainland. Sheep that graze on the marsh are highly prized for their meat (France buys 10%). We saw wild ponies roaming over the common land. The stone itself is a quartz boulder, probably a glacial erratic, that formed the capstone of a Neolithic burial chamber, dating from about 2500 BC. All kinds of myths have been associated with the rock including one that claims King Arthur found a pebble in his boot and flung it across the Burry Inlet where it grew into this massive stone. There is even a slit in the rock where legend has it King Arthur pulled out Excalibur.
Whatever the stories, it was a magical place to be at as the sun was sinking into the horizon. Maybe it was the excellent weather (it is always easier to appreciate nature in dry conditions) but it was very easy to understand why people are attracted to Wales.
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