Across the Channel

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus!

Well it was high time I gave Cardiff a proper visit, and with its close proximity to Bristol I really had no excuse to stay away. Coincidentally enough, the day I had decided to head that way was 1 March, which happens to be St. David's Day, Wales's equivalent to Ireland's St. Patrick's Day.

I did a quick web check to see what events were taking place for the Welsh national day and discovered that a parade was planned for the afternoon. Unlike Canada Day or other national days, Britain hasn't yet caught on to the overdone celebrations. This was to be, after all, only the third annual St. David's Day parade. In England, St. George's Day goes by virtually unnoticed. One would be hard-pressed to even find a parade.

I arrived in Cardiff by bus, a journey of just over one hour. The city, deemed Europe's newest capital, is well-organised, and actually quite small. The bus station is right next to the train station, something I'm not used to seeing anywhere other than London. Right across the street is the Millennium Stadium, my first stop. This stadium, built I'm guessing sometime in the last eight or nine years, has been the provisional main British stadium, whilst Wembley Stadium was being re-built. Its giant white masts extend out over the River Taff on one side and over the streets to the other.

I headed into the city centre and wandered about in the busy shopping district, trying to catch my bearings. I stumbled upon the Cardiff Market Hall, and popped in to find something for breakfast. The hall reminded me a lot of Derby's Market with its Victorian trusses and second level mezzanine. There were Welsh accents all around, which did surprise me a bit, as I thought one might have to go out into the country to hear them. The accent is a bit infectious, and almost forces one to start mimicking.

Back out in the streets I noticed more and more the daffodils on people's lapels. This is a St. David's Day thing. Because the day falls on the first day of March, when the daffodils are naturally blooming all around, this has become one of the traditions of marking the day. Wales is also known for its leeks, so some people had a leek on their lapel... well a small plastic representation of a leek. It would be a bit distracting and unnecessary to walk around with a whole leek pinned to oneself.

I bought some fresh, Welsh-made, live organic yogurt for £1 at the Really Welsh Food Festival before heading toward Cardiff Castle. The castle sits at the centre of the city in a square of land bounded by a high stone wall. Normally one would have to pay to get into the castle, but because it was St. David's Day, admission was free. I walked past the stone-faced guards through the gate to see the old stone fortress high atop a motte, surrounded by a moat.

There were people out enjoying the sunny (but rather windy) day. The army was there to recruit youngsters to represent Wales (in any of the illegal wars being fought at the moment... now now Mark, don't get political), and there was a climbing tower for people to try. I began the steep ascent up to the castle, a slow process due to the number of people doing the same. At the top of the hill, there is an open walled area. At the front are more steps up into the castle tower. At each level there is a small room with windows looking out over the green. Eventually, at the very top, beneath the flapping Welsh flag, there is a rooftop platform, surrounded by turrets, with a great view of the city. Getting down took some patience though, as there was a very narrow spiral staircase that could only accommodate one-way traffic.

I waited around a bit for the Royal Welsh Parade. It was very brief and was very much like the Royal Parade that travels down the Mall to Buckingham Palace each day. It was really just a redcoat marching band led by a man with a goat draped in Welsh colours. This wasn't the parade I had read about. That was due to start shortly, from the Cardiff Civic Centre. I headed that way in time to catch the opening ceremonies.

I must say, in coming to Cardiff on such a relevant day, I did learn a bit about the Celtic cultures. The Celts are the native Britons, who were eventually taken over by the English. Like any culture taken over by the English, they try hard to maintain their language and traditions. The Welsh language is not widespread like the French language in Quebec. But the younger generation is learning it more and more. I did hear Welsh being spoken in the streets. In any case, hearing it spoken really illustrates how the Welsh accent in English came to be. At the ceremonies, there were speakers from Scotland, Cornwall and Brittany. All spoke in their native Celtic/Gaelic tongues, and likewise, save for the Bretons, it became clear why they speak the way they do in English.

Eventually after much clapping and national anthem singing, the parade got underway. I slowly made my way through the city centre, catching up with the parade now and again. It was led by a robed man portraying the saint, and followed by regular citizens carrying flags, and then various pipers and marching bands, some with configurations I had not seen before. I was half expecting to see a group of shriners on little motorbikes or mini-convertibles, but I guess they don't make it to all parades. I was also a bit disappointed that no one threw candy (or sweets as they'd call them here).

I followed the parade all the way down the long Lloyd George Avenue to Cardiff Bay, the new futuristic area of Cardiff. The city lies on the Bristol Channel, and as such is subject to the muddy tides. However, efforts were made not that long ago to transform Cardiff Bay into a freshwater lake, by building a barrage to block out the tide. Because the bay is fed by two rivers, the basin eventually filled with fresh water, and today, there is a lake where there was once a sea of mud.

Because the bay is such a new development, the architecture there is very contemporary. The Millennium Centre dominates the open area, with its curved wall perforated with words. Richard Rogers' Welsh National Assembly building stands next to it overlooking the bay, and across the water is St. David's Hotel. With all the futuristic architecture, it was a no-brainer for the BBC to choose Cardiff Bay as the filming location for the new Dr. Who and Torchwood series. There are, as a result, Dr. Who exhibitions for the tourists.

I spent some time wandering around before making my way back toward the centre for my 5:00pm bus, not before stopping in at The Golden Cross for some onion rings and a pint of Wales' own brew, Brains.

The next evening I invited my new Indian housemate, Arun, to join me and another friend, Richard at the Thekla to see Portland band, Menomena. I was delighted to see a really good Canadian band called Land of Talk opening for them. I chatted with the band a bit and was happy to hear that they will be returning to Bristol in a month or so.

Up next: two more weekends in London.

Cheers.