Cardiff

From Caerphilly, I returned to Cardiff to actually tour the castle there.  The castle was built on the grounds of an old Roman fort, and some sections of the Roman wall still remain. The main buildings are neo-Gothic Victorian, and look like a collection of varied architectural styles.

I took the tour of the interior. The part I found most interesting was a bedroom tiled with depictions of fairy tale characters, some of them rather gruesome. 

The styles of decoration varied heavily, though all were ornate and gaudy. 

The rooftop terrace chapel had depictions of biblical scenes on the wall, depicting great family values like being willing to kill your child if the voices in your head tell you to do so. 

The main area is devoted to a garden. The motte and bailey of the Norman castle was kept, but only as a centerpiece for the garden.

One of the owners at one point was a history enthusiast, and so reconstructed a section of the wall of the Roman fort, including the gatehouse. 

After touring the castle I visited the Cardiff Art Museum. My favorites included series of painting of the same places painted over the years by various artists in various styles, and a three panel painting of an eerie house from both the inside and out. When the museum closed I returned to the hostel and watched a movie in the common room before going out to watch Avatar in theatres. 

The next morning I walked beside a daffodil lined stream to Cardiff Bay. Fans of Doctor Who and its spin-off of Torchwood should recognize this plaza, which is named for Welsh author Roald Dahl. The plaza is visually dominated by the Wales Millennium Center, arts complex notable for its purple slate walls and the massive banner of words made from the windows above the main entrance. In English it says "In these stones horizons sing." The Welsh reads "Creu Gwir fel gwydr o ffwrnais awen," which Wikipedia translated for me as "Creating truth like glass from the furnace of inspiration."

The dragon-red brick Pierhead building is adjacent to the purple Millennium center. As usual, I was a fan of the grotesques and gargoyles.

The building that houses the National Assembly of Wales is right behind these two colorful buildings, but it seems I wasn't impressed enough to photograph it. 

From the bay I walked back into the center of the city to catch a bus to Chepstow.