Weekend in Wales

The end of my first week came rather quickly. I am still getting used to the fact that there are really no assigned/required readings or assignments, but only ones that are recommended or optional (however, as you all figured, I will not be able to rest until I have completed them to ensure that I gain the best understanding of the subject materials. That means I'm doing the suggested readings and exercises plus more if possible...).  Also, it may be another week or so before I fully get used to the demanding 9.30-17 daily schedule of lectures, seminars and practicals. Grad school is challenging, but interesting and fun. I decided to get away from the city to take some time to collect my thoughts so as not to get overwhelmed.  It's been nearly three weeks since I arrived in London, so I figured that I should start exploring beyond the city.  I was thinking about visiting Windsor Castle in Windsor or Cambridge over the weekend, which are a both a short train ride away from London, but I settled on something else: Wales!

The trip was a bit last-minute.  I booked my bus ticket and hostel on Thursday for the Friday arrival.  This meant that I had to limit my visit to a single location.  I settled on Cardiff, the capital of Wales and its largest city.  My "Europe on a Budget" tour book had good things to say about it, so I figured it wouldn't be a mistake.  I was right.  Cardiff was quite quaint (compared with sprawling London) and picturesque.  Saturday was a gorgeous day as well--sunny and 16C (61F).  Within the city's centre, there was a 2000 yr.-old castle.  Some of its former inhabitants included the Romans.  COOL!  The best part of the compound was in the main building, the lord's living quarters.  The wood carvings that adorned seemingly every doorway, ceiling and wall, in addition the stained glass windows, were out of this world--ornate, colourful, lifelike, etc.  Furthermore, the city's centre also boasted a vast array of interesting "arcades" (alleyways that were lined with shops) that connected the main streets.

Cardiff Bay was the second part of the city that I explored.  The buildings that occupied this quarter of town had an eclectic mix of old and new architectural styles/designs.  Apparently Cardiff has had a revival in that the port took some time to modernise and convert from a major exporting port to a major importing port.  The Senate of the National Assembly for Wales was located on the bay (the building with the flat roof and glass walls), as well as the multi-venue Millennium Centre (the golden "domed" building), the unique Cardiff Visitor's Centre ("the Tube"; pictured below) and the vast Mermaid Quay shopping centre (the collection of buildings in the left of the picture).

Overall, Wales was a unique place.  Despite the fact that I was still in the UK, I almost felt as if I were in a different country (technically yes, but no...).  All of the signs were both in Welsh and English, and the accents were quite different.  There were only a few times that I heard Welsh being spoken.  It's COMPLETELY different from English.  It looks as if the language is entirely made up of "w"'s, "l"'s, "f"'s, "d"'s, "y"'s and other assorted consonants, with a few random vowels thrown in for spice.  Examples: Wales = "Cymru", Cardiff = "Caerdydd", bus = "bws", and the city named "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch".  If you're wondering, the double "l"'s don't sound like "y"'s as they do in Spanish.  In fact, seemingly nothing sounds the way that it's spelled.

Edinburgh, Scotland is on the "to see" list for next weekend!  I've heard it's a bit nicer than Cardiff, so it should be a good excursion.