Well we just got back from our weekend trip to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. I started off the weekend on a not so fabulous foot feeling exceptionally sick before we left but luckily that cleared up and all I ended up with for the rest of the weekend was a sore throat which I could deal with. We left early Friday morning and on our way down to Cardiff made a few stops to see more of the sites of Wales. Our first stop was in Hereford, England where we had a lunch break. Three of my friends and I found a little cafe where we got lunch and then we went to explore the Cathedral for a little while. The Cathedral has an exhibit that contains the Mappa Mundi, which is one of the oldest maps of the world with the centre being in Jerusalem. Although because our lunch took a little longer than expected we didn't get to go into the exhibit but we did get to take a good look around the Cathedral which was absolutely gorgeous.
We left Herford and continued south towards Cardiff making another stop in Tintern to look at the ruins of the Tinturn Abbey. Tinturn Abbey was a flourishing abbey until King Henry VIII began his Dissolution of the Monasteries which put an abrupt end to all monasteries in Wales and England. Since then the buildings have fallen into ruins but with a little imagination one can really get a feel for what they were like in their prime. Even though there are no windows or furnishings or in some places ceilings and walls it is an absolutely stunning place.
We continued onto Cardiff and made it to our hostel which was right across the river from Millennium Stadium, the home to the Wales National Rugby Union and just down from Cardiff Castle and the main city centre of Cardiff. We had Friday night free so a few of us went and explored the city centre a bit and found a nice Italian restaurant to eat at. We then went to an Irish pub for a drink and headed back to the hostel. I ended up staying up till after midnight just hanging out in the common room with some of the other people from our group but it was very nice to just relax and watch TV for a little while! Saturday morning we got up and walked to Cardiff Castle and took a guided tour of the castle. It was quite amazing. Unlike some of the other castles we've been to Cardiff Castle is mostly still furnished and decorated in the way it was back when it was remodeled. Some of the rooms were absolutely amazing. I think one of my favorite rooms in the castle was the Arab Room it was absolutely stunning. The ceiling was based off of a castle or church or something in Spain I believe I can’t really remember but either way it was absolutely amazing. We got to go through a bunch of different rooms in the castle and our guide was so informative I really enjoyed it. One of the things that he told us that the architect William Burges was a big practical jokester so in every room there was something that was just a little comical. For example in what would have been the Gentleman’s smoking room there was a scary little demon monster on the ceiling in the entrance to the room and in the family dining room the bell to call the servants was a nut in a monkey’s mouth. Small things like that just to keep it interesting and very unique.
While in Cardiff we also got to go to the National Museum of Wales. We only had an hour there and after an interesting morning leaving the hostel I wasn’t really in the mood to go around some museum. However I knew that I would have to do my sister proud and have a look at the Art Gallery section of the Museum. I began walking around the gallery and found some very unique paintings by some Welsh artists. One I found I really, really enjoyed. The painting is called Chapel and Tip and it is by Denys Short. It was painted around the year 1959 and according to the information next to the painting it “represents two traditional symbols o industrial south Wales – the coal tip and the chapel”
Its kind of hard to see in the picture (which we were allowed to take photographs of some of the paintings so I didn’t break any rules or anything) but the child in the middle is playing with a pink ball. I think that this painting really does depict Wales. After being for a few months I can’t help but realize how dreary and somber this country can be, mostly because it does rain quite a lot here and the sun doesn’t shine that often. It has been said that the Welsh have a different psyche because they live in this kind of environment. I don’t know if I necessarily believe that. Granted I haven’t met that many Welsh people but the ones that I have met don’t seem depressed or down because the weather isn’t exactly what we in America think of as wonderful. Instead I feel like they embrace the weather and they get very excited about nice days like we had today. I also personally feel like it gives the country a different sort of edge. When we are driving around to different castles and sights the scenery around us is absolutely stunning and having a kind of gray background just enhances the colors. I know I’ve said it before but everything here is so incredibly green. Colors seem more vibrant possibly because they don’t get compared to a blue sky so they stand out and are able to shine. I think that’s why I really like this painting. It shows the gray and somber views of Wales but that bright pink ball shows that there is joy and there is color and it makes you appreciate them that much more.
On top of gaining a new perspective of some Welsh artists I was so incredibly surprised when I went into one room where the theme was French Impressionism. Some of the paintings in that room were absolutely amazing and as I was looking at one I couldn’t help but think to myself that I’ve seen something like this before. I went to look at the information next to the painting and I think my heart stopped beating for a second. It was one of Claude Monet’s. I was looking at a painting done by one of the most influential, most well known artist basically of all time. I couldn’t believe it. I continued looking through the room and found that there were 8 more Monet’s, a Vincent Van Gogh, several by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and a few by Edouard Manet. I was absolutely beside myself. I saw three of Monet’s Water lilies paintings! Masterpieces, I was lucky enough to see some of the art masterpieces of the world. It brought tears to my eyes to be completely honest. The one thing that would have made it better would have been if my big sister had been standing next to me, I wish so badly that she could have been there with me to see them.
As if that wasn’t enough to make the day wonderful after the museum we headed down to Cardiff Bay where I got to stand outside of the Welsh National Opera House. I was in heaven. I wish that it would have been possible to go inside but considering we had limited time it wasn’t. I won’t get to see an opera in the opera house while I’m here but I am going to see Don Giovanni in Llandudno on Tuesday, which is just about as amazing. I’m so excited. I can’t believe how blessed I am to have been able to come to this wonderful country. The experiences I’ve had here will stay with me forever and always.
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