Cardiff (a year after the fact)

Last March my cousin, Alex, went with his rugby team to play in Cardiff, Wales and in Ireland.  I live only a few hours by train from Cardiff, and so I got to visit my aunt Jenny and aunt Kathy, who were traveling with Alex.  Sorry, Jenny and Kak, for taking so long to actually post this.  I had a great time seeing them!

My lovely aunties at Cardiff Castle.

Cardiff Castle's motte and bailey.

Tea time!

More tea time at a church in the middle of the city.

Aunt Jenny.

Victorian tapestry showing Empress Matilda's escape from King Stephen's castle, where she was being held prisoner, by dressing in white and sneaking across a snow covered field.  The war between Stephen and Matilda is really interesting, and if you are a geek like me, look it up.  This is in the hall of Cardiff Castle.

Kathy decided against storming the castle.  I backed her on that decision.  

The main gate of the castle seen from the entrance into the bailey.

The dining hall in the castle.

Daffodils, the national flower of Wales.

Looking out form Cardiff Castle.

Inside the bailey.  I was 'owning' the castle, ala Emily.

No longer 'owning' the castle.

CHEESE!!!!!

This is the main living section of the castle. 

Climbing the many, many steps to the bailey.

'The castle is behind me.'

The bailey, again.

This might have been up for the 6 Nations Rugby tournament (which Wales had just won with a grand slam...meaning they won every game).

The Millennium Centre.

Dr Who is filmed in Cardiff, and this fountain is a major landmark in the show.  The guy dressed as a dalek is standing on a slab that, in Torchwood, transports people to a secret underground base.  These guys were part of a Dr Who tour that I may have stalked for a short while 

This is that fountain from farther away.

Me and the fountain.

Alcohol may have played a part in our dinner choice.  Jenny and Kak couldn't understand the guys in the chippy, so I had to translate. 

Drinks with the family.

For one day I went to see Tintern Abbey (I wrote about that earlier) and on the way back I stopped in Chepstow, a town on the river that is the border between England and Wales.  

Chepstow Castle.  This is potentially the oldest door in Britain. 

The castle is perched up on a cliff above the river.

There is a little alcove in the cliff in the middle of the picture.  Boats used to pull up there and unload cargo with winches, up into the castle

The great hall.

A better view of the supply area.

Hi!

An old Norman church in Chepstow.

This beautiful church had its aisles removed by some dumb-ass Victorians for not apparent, or stated reason.  The result is an awkward looking building that feels like the inside of a thin tube on the inside.

Saturday night out in Cardiff.  Like you do.