By Sharon Whitley Larsen
"I never thought of visiting Wales," a veteran traveler recently told me.
Most visitors to the United Kingdom hit London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow. But Wales?
I recently returned from my fourth weeklong visit there, having toured North, Mid, and South Wales on previous trips. It has become one of my favorite places, and I always discover a special gem. From the vivid green fields with grazing sheep (some 11 million!) to the mouthwatering farm-to-table dining and proud, friendly folks (3 million population), Wales — about the size of New Jersey, with more than 600 castles — is definitely worth checking out.
From Aberyswyth to Betws-y-Coed, I've toured several of the historic, tongue-twisting towns that are difficult to pronounce, much less spell. Spoken by about 20 percent of the population, the Welsh language is very much alive with bilingual signage everywhere — and it's taught today in the schools.
In North Wales I've been enthralled with the whimsical architecture of Portmeirion, touring Britain's tiniest house in Conwy (6 feet wide, 10 feet high), strolling the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno and visiting Caernarfon Castle. I've even been to the tiny Anglesey village with the longest name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
I've also visited Llanwrtyd Wells, Britain's smallest town and home to only 600. I've loved taking several narrow-gauge steam-train excursions — Talyllyn Railway, Rheidol Railway and Ffestiniog Railway — to view the gorgeous scenery. Donning a hard hat, I've toured a coal mine and even a gold mine. And I loved spending several days at charming, coastal St. David's.
On this recent trip I spent six days in the Cardiff area touring the fascinating St. Fagans National History Museum; Hay-on-Wye, the charming book-lovers' town; and I especially loved strolling along the breathtakingly beautiful Gower Peninsula, Britain's first Designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
One favorite stop was the Dylan Thomas Center in Swansea and nearby Mumbles, where I'd like to return for a longer visit (and where actress Catherine Zeta-Jones hails from).
I hadn't been to Cardiff — just a two-hour train ride from London's Paddington Station — since 2008. And how much it has changed! Over the past decade the city has undergone massive renovations and redevelopment that are still ongoing so that now it's an energetic, "happening" spot.
Just outside the famed Cardiff Castle there's an enticing shopping area, numerous restaurants and outdoor cafes — and, of course, still the interesting Victorian arcades. This bay-front city of 350,000, which was once the world's largest coal port, exudes culture and charm. Water taxis abound on the waterfront, which was once dubbed "Tiger Bay." Tourists and locals stroll or ride bikes along the promenade near cafes and condos. Nearby is the tiny relocated Norwegian church that was founded by the Norwegian Seamen's mission - - where author Roald Dahl, a Cardiff native, was baptized. It's now the Norwegian Church Arts Center.
You might recall the popular song "The Girl from Tiger Bay" by Dame Shirley Bassey, a Cardiff native. And the 1959 classic film "Tiger Bay," with John Mills co-starring with his daughter, Hayley Mills, was mostly filmed here.
The striking, glass-enclosed Senedd designed by architect Richard Rogers and opened in 2006 is where the National Assembly for Wales meets. Tours are available, and I once sat in on a lively debate that was simultaneously conducted in both English and Welsh. The building is next to a Victorian gem, the landmark terra-cotta 1897 Pierhead Building, the former Port of Cardiff headquarters and now a visitors center. The popular Wales Millennium Center — opened since my last visit — is home to the performing arts, including opera, ballet, musicals, theater and orchestra, with shops, bars and restaurants. The city's Millennium Stadium is popular with proud sports fans.
At the National Museum of Wales I learned about the devout, well-traveled (throughout Europe and Egypt) sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies — born in 1882 and 1884 and considered to be among the wealthiest women in Britain, due to their grandfather's great investments in coal and railways. At age 25 they inherited about 330,000 pounds, and in 1906 they purchased a watercolor. In 1908 they began to collect oil paintings, and by 1914 they held one of the most amazing art collections in Europe. They died in 1951 and 1963 and bequeathed their vast collection of 260 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art to the museum, where the Davies Collection is the main draw. Considered one of the finest museums in Britain, today — thanks to the Davies sisters — it boasts the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings outside Paris — and it's free.
I also enjoyed revisiting Cardiff Castle, learning more of its fascinating history. Originally a Roman fort, another wealthy Welsh resident — the third Marquess of Bute (1847 to 1900), one of Britain's richest men — transformed it into a "Welsh Victorian Camelot." Hailing from the Bute dynasty — the "Forefathers of Cardiff," who first resided in the castle in 1776 — his scholarly passions were history, archeology, linguistics, architecture, reading, writing, traveling — and even mysticism. The castle was one of many homes that he inherited from his father, who died when Bute was an infant.
He had a happy childhood until his beloved mother died when he was 12. Shy, withdrawn and prone to depression, the young orphan focused on his studies and drew comfort from religion, converting to Roman Catholicism at age 21, which caused quite a bit of scandal. He was a philanthropist who had a happy marriage to the beautiful, vivacious Gwendolen Howard. They had four children and the family spent six to eight weeks a year at the castle, which was presented to the City of Cardiff in 1947. The castle has been open to the public since 1974, and in 2014 President Barak Obama attended a NATO conference dinner there with other world leaders.
"Bute is especially beloved in Cardiff," writes author Rosemary Hannah in her 2012 book, "The Grand Designer: Third Marquess of Bute."
"True, it was his father, the second marquess, who created a busy port and a prosperous town out of something not much more than a fishing village, but it was the third marquess who saw the Victorian heyday of the town, who endowed numberless charities and converted a modest castle into a towering Gothic extravaganza."
Hannah knows, as I do, that there's plenty to do in Wales.
WHEN YOU GO
National Museum of Wales: www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/cardiff
Cardiff Castle: www.cardiffcastle.com
National Assembly for Wales (Senedd) : www.assembly.wales/en/visiting/senedd/pages/senedd.aspx
Wales Millennium Center: www.wmc.org.uk
Norwegian Church Arts Center: www.norwegianchurchcardiff.com
St. Fagans National History Museum: www.museumwales.ac.uk/stfagans
Millennium Stadium: www.millenniumstadium.com
I stayed at the Cardiff Marriott and the Maldron Hotel, both within walking distance of the train station: Cardiff Marriott: www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cwldt-cardoff-marriott-hotel
The Maldron Hotel: www.maldronhotelcardiffcity.com
Cardiff Visitors Center: www.cardiffharbour.com
Fabulous Welsh Cakes: www.fabulouswelshcakes.co.uk
Pettigrew Tea Rooms: www.pettigrew-tearooms.com
Chapel 1877 restaurant: www.chapel1877.com
Patricks With Rooms: www.patrickswithrooms.com
Dylan Thomas Center: www.dylanthomas.com/dylan-thomas-centre
The Narrow Gauge Steam Trains of Wales: www.visitwales.com/things-to-do/attractions/castles-heritage/trains
Castles in Wales: www.wales.com/en/content/cms/english/about_wales/history_ancestry/castles/castles.aspx
Blue Badge guide Bill O'Keefe: www.planetwales.co.uk
For general information: www.visitwales.com, www.visitamericas.visitwales.com, www.wales.com, www.visitbritain.com, www.britrail.com
Sharon Whitley Larsen is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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