Cardiff; Sunday, 13 February, 2005

First stop of the morning was Cardiff Castle. The site has been fortified since Roman times, with remains of part of the old Roman walls still visible and on display within the site.

The area was abandoned after the Romans left and it wasn't until the Norman's in the 11th Century that the site was used again. The remains of the old Norman keep are one of the main attractions

The site went through various extensions and additions over the years but the main changes were made by the Marquis of Bute and William Burges (them of Castle Coch fame) who completely refurbished the inside of the main areas of the castle.

The grounds and Norman Keep are explorable, but the inside of the main part of the castle is only viewable on a guided tour. The tours are well worth the extra small expense as they are well presented and informative.

After the castle I walked the short distance to the National Museum and Gallery of Wales.

There are lots of exhibitions and artifacts. You could very easily spend a couple of days exploring all the exhibits. One of the main ones is a gallery devoted to the history of the planet and explains the last 700,000,000 years (or so) through what has happened to the land-mass that is now Wales.

After the National Museum, I caught the bus back out to Cardiff Bay and a completely different type of museum "Techniquest" explains science through hands-on exhibits. Although it's a bit Kiddyish it is very interesting.

From the bay I caught the waterbus across the harbor to Penarth and the barrage.

After spending a short while wandering around this "quaint" Victorian seaside town I caught the bus back to Cardiff Bay for dinner (sadly the last few waterbusses had to be canceled due to very choppy waters.)