Cardiff Castle and Arcades

We arrived in Cardiff, which is the capital of Wales and an old seaport for the country. Our first port of call was Castell Caerdydd or Cardiff Castle, a most imposing edifice originally built in Norman times over Roman ruins.



The Norman keep was close to its original design, but the castle had fallen into disrepair but was restored in Victorian times by the Marquis of Bute. Not only did he repair the damage to the Norman remains, he also refurbished the interior in what can only be described as elaborate Victorian Gothic. (No photos of the interior -- photography was not allowed -- so we bought postcards and a booklet. You can get a glimpse of the rooms they let our for private functions on http://www.cardiffcastle.com/castle.htm.)

We both went on a guided tour of the castle, and John also climbed the 104 steep stairs to the keep and gained a fantastic view of the area.





We then spent an enjoyable afternoon prowling through Victorian arcades, which are an interesting architectural feature of Cardiff. We managed to boost the Welsh economy considerably, as many purchases were made for family Christmas gifts.



We also had one of the best meals we have eaten to date in Britain, at Madame Fromage's, a little delicatessen that served real Welsh food. We also dutifully sighted the Millenium Stadium, the home of Welsh rugby, which our landlord in Merthyr had told us about in reverent tones. This rugby pitch is so revered that its grass has to be guarded from ardent Welsh fans seeking to souvenir part of it. Apparently it goes on holiday, under armed guard, to a secret location in North Wales every year so it can feel real sun and rain (the stadium is roofed). Talk about spoilt grass here.



[We were well and truly home in Cambridge by the time Australia played Wales in this stadium a few days later ... just as well, given the fervent support for the Welsh team in Cardiff!!]

We then undertook the long drive back to Cambridge, arriving back around 8 pm. We first raided one of the more exotic supermarkets just out of the city whilst we had the luxury of a car to carry groceries. Waitrose supermarket is the only one in the area providing gluten free beer and a wider range of gluten free products, so a shopping expedition there made Elizabeth very happy.

We finally made it home by around 9pm, to unload what looked like a month’s worth of stuff and to rest our weary bones.