The day didn't start off so promising, our train was cancelled, however we were able to catch another only 30 min later (a minor disturbance in light of what some people are suffering because of this weather). When we arrived, four of us chose to do a walking tour of Cardiff - a great idea until we discovered that these don't run in the winter. Nevertheless, we embarked on a self guided tour, a wonderful way to get a feel for the city.
There are a total of six arcades in Cardiff (for anyone who doesn't know, like me, an arcade is a covered shopping alley). We also encountered the renowned Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Market (I understand that the fishmonger was one of the original traders in 1891, but the smell!), St John's Church, City Hall, David Lloyd George and John Batchelor (introduced drainage and sewerage in 1853 - good man). An onset of rain had us taking shelter in the National Museum, and we spent some time looking at numerous fossils and taking the journey from Big Bang to present day. I had my first proper English lunch at Pettigrew's Tea House (Ploughmans and tea) before setting out again to explore Cardiff Castle.
The Castle was the definite highlight. The keep dates back to the Romans, and in some areas you can still see the stones from the original Roman walls. The Castle has had many alterations over the years, which has resulted in a unique building done in a range of different architectural styles. The last major works were done in the 19th Century by William Burges under the direction of the 3rd Marquess of Bute (the Butes became unreasonably wealthly on the coal trade). Burges made the interiors ridiculously elaborate, it was a real surprise when I stepped into the first room - I've never seen anything like it.
We finished the day with a delicious but stonkering meal at Giovannis (because when in Wales ... eat Italian), and our train home was there on time. All in all a day well spent, when can I go back?
The streets of Cardiff.
When you cross the border everything is in both Welsh and English.
Cardiff Market, since 1891.
St John's Church
TEA! It was very delightful.
The keep.
And they had the NZ flag (I think they had every flag, but still).
The Castle walls were used as bunkers during WWII.
The Castle
More of the Castle - that is the clock tower to the left.
See I wasn't exaggerating when I said elaborate.
The 3rd Marquess liked his books so much that he had the names of his favourite authors written on the walls.
The view from the top of the keep.
Imagine our surprise when on entering the ladies we found these fellows, we decided the toilet could wait.
What can I say?
Are those peacocks REAL?? Wow! Ploughman's lunches are always good - I love the way you always sorta know what's going to arrive, but that every pub has its own way of doing one, so they are all a little different, and have some local flavour. :-)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely real. We were very surprised, and very amused! Ploughmans was very good after a morning of walking in the wet and cold. I have also invested in a 'how to solve cryptic crosswords' guide - The Times crossword here I come :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with The Times crossword - they seem to be a degree up on The Press ones if they are all like the one you scanned over to Mike. BTW he hasn't got much further on :)
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