Glamorgan 1 - a few visits to our capital city

---

Our capital city is down South. Exactly the same as in England where the capital is far away from a huge proportion of the population. Cardiff always feels even now remote. The north feels less served with the wheels of industry and government in the 21st Century. It takes longer to travel by road from the north to the south. The journey pleasant but long either through the mountains or out into England and back. The train journeys fare no better. A drive of at least 45 minutes to the nearest station and then a three hour train trip to Cardiff Central. The cost prohibitive unless the passenger is lucky enough to access the Over 55 Club deals which run at some times in the year. From this part of North Wales the cities of Chester or Shrewsbury are better alternatives for a day out. Both possessing lovely shops, riverside locations with Tudor and Victorian architecture that would impress even the most hardy traveller. Good train links , castles and anything else you could think of or wish for. And not too far Liverpool,Manchester and Birmingham. All again accessible easily by car or train.

However having said all of that Cardiff can and does make a good day out. Especially now the Welsh Assembly Government building has been sited in the docks area making Cardiff Bay an exciting vibrant place to visit. I dont particularly like Cardiff Station and find its appearance quite dull compared with the Gothic Victorian castle like Shrewsbury or the Italiate design of Chester Station. It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network. Understandable given its location in the south of the country and serving both South Wales and the journeys onward to the West Country and London. The white tiled walls look easy to clean but remind me of a 1960's public lavatory. The building is listed and I am sure many who like this style of architecture think it a splendid example of the style but it does nothing for me especially when I have stood waiting for a train many times on its windy platforms.

The station is located close to many of the main sights and provides easy access to the city. I first visited in the mid 1970's when as a nearly appointed civil servant I was sent on my first training course. Lodgings were near to the old Cardiff stadium along the banks of the River Taff. I was later to find out that it was the best of locations. Later courses were held in the city and accomodation found on Cathedral Road in one of the many bed and breakfasts run by little old ladies who made a decent income renting out rooms in their tardis like terraced houses. From the front the exterior of the terraced houses looked small and it was hard to imagine what was behind the doors. However inside they went on forever with front parlour,lounge, huge kitchen and bedrooms galore. . I am sure they ran the bed and breakfast plus evening meal for the company as they usually spent most of their nights talking to us.

Queen Street was not pedestianised in the 1970's but I do remember the lovely little arcades full of small shops which radiated from it. We walked past Cardiff Castle on our way to our training courses held initially along Queen Street but later moved out to the huge complex of Companies House in Maindy. This meant two bus rides in the morning and two back at night or a walk across Sophia Gardens home. I feel in love with Cardiff Castle - my favourite style of architecture being Medieval Gothic or the Victorians homage to the style so why wouldnt I fall in love with this little gem Behind the wall and the medieval style towers lies the real medieval castle which was built over a Norman keep which in turn had been built over a Roman fort. I never to inside to look at the castle itself as it was more the outside that fascinated me. Miles of walls surrounded the castle and fantastic creatures peered over the walls. 15 various creatures sit atop the wall ranging froma hyena, a wolf, apes, a seal, a bear, a lyoness and lynx and various lioness. These were designed and built by William Burgess in 1866. Later additions were pelicans, ant eaters and racoons, a leopard, beaver and a vulture. I never set foot inside the castle but thought the exterior fabulous and interesting.

My second visit was my graduation from the Open University in 1994. The train journey from Abergavenny to the city interesting following the lush green hillsides of the area. The degree had taken some 6 years to complete whilst working part time, living in a caravan whilst renovating a cottage and bringing up two children aged 9 and 6 at the start. Looking back I often wonder how I did it trying to write assignments when the kids were in bed or on a day I wasnt working. Graduation ceremony took place at the modern St Davids Hall in the middle of the city.

Third visit was to the National Eisteddfod a classic celebration of all things Welsh and undertaken through the medium of the Welsh language . Held alternatively between the North and the South it was held one year on Sophia Gardens close to Glamorgan Cricket Gound. Worth a visit to see the Gorsedd of the Bards and to catch a glimpse of what Wales is all about.

Motorhome news : The postman has been calling this week and beating a path to our front door. We have ordered a fire blanket useful but I hope never gets used and a fire extinguisher. On paper the 2kg looked quite a good option but turned out too big and definately too heavy so it is back to the drawing board on that one. Purchased a good first aid kit which has everything in it that you could ever imagine you would need - bandages, plasters , eye wash, stitches, scissors and plasters. Should be good for me when I burn/cut or bruise myself. We picked up two wind up torches. The larger a lamp type which should come in useful for inside the awning if we ever get one and the other a flashlight type which should be handy in the motorhome itself. I have been reading blogs where one couple gave a list of the 10 things they wished they had taken with them but hadn't, 10 things they took with them but found they didnt need and another 10 long wish list of the things they would like to take. I am sure as we go along we will come up with the same sorts of lists. Finally we rang up a company in Taunton to fit our tracker system but they couldnt fit us in as they had a big American RV booked in for the start of the week. They would not commit for the end of the week so we booked the van into another company closer to home at Warrington. Hopefully we will take in a trip to Liverpool to visit the Albert Docks, the museums, the ferry and the Cathedral. Only down side why do they have to take what seems like a huge deposit. The credit card is positively on fire.

---

Photos

Cardiff
The Eisteddfod and Torchwood stand