Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over the peace process.
July 15th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff What a wonderful experience this was!! I had been looking forward to this day for months.. At first it seemed so distant - and I thought I was going to change my mind about attending the ceremony. As ... 41 photos[full story]
July 21st 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff The Millenium stadium in Cardiff towers over the centre of the city, and would have to be the most incredibly placed major stadium in the world. When the train pulls into Cardiff central you are right ... 5 photos[full story]
June 29th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff Cardiff is the capital of Wales. The city has well over 350,000 inhabitants and is bustling with activity. We arrive from Salisbury via train. The train ride was peaceful and uneventful. Lynne and ... 13 photos[full story]
June 26th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff Our last fieldtrip of the semester was a weekend in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. We toured Cardiff Castle and Millenium Stadium and visited several museums. ... 13 photos[full story]
June 9th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff I went to Cardiff today, the capital of Wales.
I caught the bus there which was a 4 hour ride but got to see some beautiful countryside along the way which was great.
Got into Cardiff at midday ... [full story]
May 25th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff So, one Saturday I board a plane in Madrid. When I get on the plane, it is about 80 degrees outside. Two hours later when I get off the plane in Bristol, England, it's 32 degrees out. Keep in mind ... 37 photos[full story]
June 2nd 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff It's 11pm here and I'm bored so I thought I'd get my arse into gear and finally blog Oxford. A bit belated, I know, but here goes:
The first thing you notice about Oxford is the amazing amount of ... [full story]
May 31st 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff As my Lonely Planet bible says - poor Cardiff. It's the capital city of Wales but it has none of the imposing splendour of London or Bath. It was a small town that benefitted greatly from the indust ... [full story]
June 1st 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff Oh Lord, I now know I could never survive a Contiki trip. Forcing yourself to go sightseeing when you're so hungover that you just want to die is tantamount to torture in my book. And such has been ... [full story]
May 28th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Cardiff Exams had just finished and i was straight out the door again at 4am friday morning to catch the morning ferry at new ross.... It was being planned for about the past year, so we all sat at the edge o ... 4 photos[full story]
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