The final stop in our circle of Wales was Cardiff, which was all decked out for the holidays. Colorful lights were strung across the pedestrianized streets (top left), and sparkling deer grazed outside the castle walls (top right). The city's Victorian Arcades always have a bit of Dickensenian charm, but they seemed even more festive adorned with wreaths and other evergreens (bottom). The only thing missing was a piped-in recitation of "A Child's Christmas in Wales."
But really, we didn't come for the Christmas spirit. We came mainly for the Welsh culture. So one of our first stops was Cardiff Central Market (top). It was close to closing for the day, so we vowed to return the next morning for breakfast at one of the greasy spoons lining the balcony (bottom left). A lot of diners were opting for faggots and peas, but I chose eggs on toast, and TJ had chipped beef (bottom right). Before we left, we bought a dozen Welsh cakes fresh from the griddle to fuel our exploration of the city.
From our hotel, it was a nice dog walk down to Cardiff Bay, which has been turned into a cultural district whose centerpiece is the Wales Millennium Centre, an unmistakably Welsh structure, considering the saying cut into its facade (top left). Another homage to the arts sits closer to the water in the form of a shrine to Ianto Jones, a character who was killed off Torchwood, a Doctor Who spin-off (top right). I had no idea who Jones was, but I did recognize the namesake of Roald Dahl Plass (bottom left). I followed the Thomas trail for TJ, so he indulged me by visiting an exhibit about Dahl's favored illustrator, Quentin Blake, at the National Museum, where we also saw some animatronic mammoths (bottom right).
A few more stationary mammals spied down us from atop the Animal Wall; Sage was particularly entranced by a stone-cold fox guarding the castle (left). Dogs aren't allowed in Cardiff Castle, so we didn't pay a visit, but truth be told, we were content to gaze across the moat at its walls instead (right).
Keeping up the fauna theme, we supped one night on the famous pies at The Goat Major, named after the caretaker of an ungulate military mascot (top). The pub is an outlet of Wales' well-known fermentor, Brains Brewery. But Cardiff is brimming with beer options, including a tasting room for Tiny Rebel Brewing, where we had a trio of tasters, and then some (bottom left). But perhaps the best discovery was Hopbunker, an under-patronized craft-beer bar recommended to us by a bloke we met in another bar (bottom right).
TJ can't come within 50 miles of a beach without wanting to visit, so we took the train out to the nearby coastal area of Barry Island (top). In the summer I'm sure it's a lovely little getaway, with its beach huts and fun fair, but when we visited, there was a storm brewing over the Vale of Glamorgan (bottom left). When the hail started falling, we abandoned our plan to walk to downtown Barry and headed back to Cardiff instead (bottom right).
Somehow, we managed to steal a table and soothe our chills with a dinner at Locke & Remedy (top). We also had good timing in finding some spots at Small Bar, which lives up to its name (bottom left). Perhaps our favorite little hole-in-the-wall, though, was Elderberry's Cafe, which looked like a school cafeteria but served up delicious breakfast sandwiches -- with both bacon and sausage (bottom right).
We had no idea when we booked our trip that we were heading into town during the weekend of an international rugby match: Wales v. Japan. We were clued in by our rental-car agent, but it became more than apparent when we saw the scrum outside Principality Stadium (top left). On a whim we bought tickets, and after watching the action with many daffodil- and leek-hat-wearing fans, I was a convert (top right). We celebrated the close win by Wales with hundreds of others at the downtown bars, which were so packed that we had to stand outside The Cambrian Tap (bottom left). Considering the massive merriment, we weren't surprised to see few people on the streets when we walked our dog the next morning. We did come across some Japanese players signing autographs (bottom right). One of them even stopped, as he boarded the team bus, to pet Sage. After a short chat, we saw the players off, then headed off to catch our own train back home.
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