2009 • Cardiff
May 13, 2009 to May 15, 2009
After traveling to the other three countries in the United Kingdom, it only seemed natural that I somehow find my way to Wales before heading back home to California. Because I didn’t have all too much time, I just took the train to the Welsh capital in Cardiff to get a small taste of Wales and the city didn’t disappoint. Perhaps the most fascinating part of the city—for those interested in medieval history—would be Cardiff Castle (Castell Caerdydd) which has elements that date back to the Roman days. As a matter of fact, the castle was once a Roman fort that the Normans built a keep on top of, and it is easy to see that history simply by looking at the different kinds of stone used in the walls. The most recent iteration of the castle, however, would be a nineteenth century Victorian manor! Elsewhere in the city, I visited a number of different museums and walked along the waterfront. The coastline of Cardiff is also quite interesting being that the city used to experience massive tides that would leave boats completely beached during low tides and then flooding could occur during high tides. In the 1990s, however, the Cardiff Bay Barrage was built allowing 24-hour access to the sea through locks and a stable amount of water in the bay.
