Please Mind the Gap Between the Platform and the Train

Before I delve into our travels in Cardiff, allow me to offer up a little background information: The United Kingdom is divided up into four unevenly-populated principalities.
England: 60 million people
Scotland: 6 million
Northern Ireland: 1.5 million
Wales: 3 million
The capital of and largest city in Wales is Cardiff, a place of about 400,000 people. It has only been a city since 1907, back when Wales was a pioneer in the coal industry. That was the next stop on our journey around the islands.

We enjoyed another hotel breakfast this morning, then walked down the street to Cardiff Castle. This castle was built in 1136, making it nearly eight centuries older than the city in which it resides.

The gates and walls surrounding “the Keep” were restored in the early 20^th century, and the outer wall that surrounds the grounds of the castle has twenty different animal statues resting on it, one at a time as you walk down it. We opted not to pay the 11 pounds per person to go inside the castle, but seeing the beautiful structure from the outside was more than satisfactory.

From there, we made our way to Bute Park, a lovely inner-city park that seemed to be green from top to bottom. 
On this cold, cloudy day, the bright green grass and trees were a much appreciated visual.

We then boarded a “water taxi” (with a very friendly tour guide!) on the River Taff that took us from city center all the way down to Cardiff Bay, which was once the largest coal-exporting bay in the world. Even busier than the port of New York City! Today, the coal industry in Wales is dead, but the bay is most definitely still alive. With a rugby stadium seating 75,000 along the river, a massive yacht club right as you enter the bay, and a bustling shopping center where we docked, Cardiff is indeed Wales’ 21^st century city.

As we gazed out at Cardiff Bay, we saw everything from seagulls hovering uncomfortably close to our heads, to geese with their heads underwater and their hind-feathers up (Tail to the Queen?), to enormous structures right along the coastline.

Wales is certainly a pleasant place to visit, and Cardiff is a fine city. Not quite as marvelous as York was or as I expect Dublin to be, but it’s not a bad place to spend a quiet Tuesday. Not a bad place at all.