I spent a day exploring Cardiff, Wales, on Friday. Cardiff is an old city with modern sensibilities 2 hours from London by train. I noticed right away that there were lots of great places to hear live music, and there seemed to be a young, diverse crowd everywhere I went in the city. Cardiff is also very photogenic – I will actually break this into two posts since I took so many pictures on my wanderings. 
 

 
I had originally booked in a walking tour to get a sense of things, but unfortunately my guide became ill, so it was cancelled. Instead I decided to walk as much of the city as I could on my own. From city centre, where I stayed, I walked along the Taff River for a few miles to the bay. The Millenium Stadium, Wales’ national stadium and home of the Wales national rugby union team, dominates the view from the bank of the river near city centre. 
 

  

  

 
Cardiff has possibly the largest swans I’ve ever seen, and they were everywhere along the river. 

   

 

Once you reach the bay, there are quite a few things to see: Roald Dahl Plass (with a play fair for kids), the National Assembly of Wales, Millenium Centre for the arts, and the Pierhead Building, which is used by the National Assembly.  

  

  

  

  
  

 
Cardiff is also the home of the Doctor Who Experience – large portions of the BBC show are filmed there. I didn’t make it to the experience, but it was highly recommended if you ever find yourself in Cardiff and are a proper Whovian. The new BBC Sherlock also films in the Welsh capital. 
 

 
From Cardiff Bay, I hopped on a waterbus, the Princess Katherine, to head back to city centre, Cardiff Castle and Bute Park. 

 

  
 On the waterbus I met a sweet Welsh couple and their dog, Poppy. The woman told me about how Poppy was rescued from a bad home & then the streets and compared her to the actual flower – they can only grow in tough soil. Poppy made friends with almost everyone on the boat in no time. 

 

 
Stay tuned tomorrow for more Welsh adventures. 

Title quote: Welshman Roald Dahl, The Twits