Socal Mom by Donna Schwartz Mills

Old Meets New in Cardiff Bay Development

It feels strange to be flashing back now to the trip we took back in June (especially since Megan has been back in school for two weeks now!)... but our summer was extraordinarily short (and busy) this year. And I've yet to share the most interesting things we saw in the UK!

I'm going to do the best I can to wrap that up as soon as possible. But for now, I'll just leave you with some photos I took while exploring the Coastal Path at the Cardiff Bay Barrage, which opened in 2008 -- which means it was new to ME.

In recent years, Cardiff has become something of a media center, as more television programming is originating from BBC Wales. The scene above will be familiar to anyone who watched Doctor Who's adult-oriented spinoff, Torchwood. Officially, the building on the left is Wales Millennium Centre, an arts complex whose bold architectural form makes it Cardiff's version of L.A.'s Disney Hall. I was not surprised to learn that the natives have nicknamed it the Armadillo.

In Torchwood, this building sits above "The Hub," the secret headquarters of the Welsh unit tasked with investigating extraterrestrial technology (and the aliens who bring them).

In the background, to the right of Millennium Centre is the Pierhead Building.

This restored Victorian beauty is now a visitors center and events venue - but it was originally the headquarters of the company that handled transport of Welsh coal. This building is special to our family, as my husband's grandfather worked there.

The Merchant Seafarers' War Memorial is a gorgeous sculpture by artist Brian Fell. It commemorates contributions of those merchant seamen who were lost at sea during World War II. I lam so not artsy... but I can't help but love the elegance of this piece and the artist's concept, constructing a sad face that also resembles the hull of a ship.

I get this one... which is something I cannot say about most modern pieces of art.

 
This is a view of Flatholm and Steepholm, two islands in the center of the Bristol Channel, which serve as kind of touchstones to the citizens of Cardiff.

One of the purposes of this trip was to fulfill my late father-in-law's wishes that his ashes be scattered in Cardiff Bay. My husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law rented a small boat and did just that, getting quite close to these islands. In the summer, there are cruises out to Flatholm, which is only a 45-minute boat ride. This is something we may do on our next summer visit.

We hit the coastal path in the late afternoon, after we had already been doing quite a bit of walking in Cardiff City Centre. We could have walked all the way to Penarth, but aching feet caused us to turn back. This is the view of the Bay development from the path.

More things to do in Cardiff

New (to Us) in Cardiff

I've been to the United Kingdom about a dozen times, and this trip was remarkable for two reasons: (1) We got to see more of England than we have in all those other trips, and (2) we only stayed in my husband's home town of Cardiff for five days -- which means I did NOT revisit some of our favorite spots:

• Caerphilly Castle
  
• Llanerch Vineyard
• Castell Coch
• Roath Park
• Cornish Bake House
• Traveler's Rest

Shopping in Cardiff

That said, there was a lot we did in the city that was new to us. One of the biggest attractions this time around was the new St. David's Centre, which was just a huge construction zone the last time I visited. It's now one of the premiere shopping destinations in Europe.

As I left my ratty old raincoat in hotel closet back in London, I needed to do a little shopping before we hit the moist weather of England's Lake District. Fortunately, our visit coincided with British retail's annual summer sales, so I was able to find a nice little slicker for just £25 (about $40).

St. David's is a welcome addition to a city centre that has long been known for its beautiful shopping arcades, some of which date back to Victorian times. 

Idyllic Strolls in Bute Park

One of the first sights I ever visited in Cardiff was the castle that dominates the City Centre. It's such a convenient attraction to visit, we've managed to do so again and again. This time, we skipped the castle and explored the beautiful park and garden located just beyond its walls.

Unlike the Castle, you can enjoy the park without paying an admission fee. Originally developed in the 1870's for the third Marquess of Bute (who owned the Castle and much of the city), It is the largest park in Cardiff. It boasts beautiful gardens, a lovely outdoor cafe, and views of the River Taff.

Art in Cardiff

I can honestly say that in nearly 20 years of travel to the United Kingdom, our family never had the urge to visit an art gallery -- until this trip. And for that, I have social media to thank.

My husband is an avid photographer, and while he proclaims he has no time for trivial pursuits like Facebook and Twitter, he has managed to make a lot of friends on Flickr -- including one of the owners of the Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff.

The gallery is indeed found on the third floor of a building in the trendy downtown section of Cardiff bordering the new development on the Bay. But I do want to warn Americans who seek it out: in the UK, the "first floor" is the one we think of as the "second floor" - so you have to walk up FOUR flights of stairs to get to the Third Floor Gallery.

Fortunately, one of the proprietors was on hand to greet us and offer us refreshments after climbing all the way up there. And the photos on display  were gorgeous. This exhibit, "For the Love of the Game," showcased works by veteran photographer Chris Steele-Perkins, illustrating how "football" (soccer) brings people together around the world. This was a very timely show, as our visit occurred during the World Cup.

Not long ago, I would have been afraid to walk the streets down there -- and many of the buildings still look pretty decrepit. But there's a lot of renovation going on, there are hip nightclubs and restaurants and loft apartments being created... and so it's a terrific location for a photography gallery like this.

The Third Floor Gallery is a wonderful addition to the cultural lives of Cardiff's people, but the owners are living the life of the starving artist. Their website currently states that they are having trouble making rent and is asking for donations. If anyone is so inclined, a link to their PayPal page can be found here.

Dining Out in Britain: Diet? What Diet?

Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics German, the lovers Italian and it's all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is where the chefs are British, the mechanics French, the lovers Swiss, the police German and it's all organized by the Italians.

--Author Uknown

I remember the first time I dined at the home of my British sister-in-law (who was not yet my sister-in-law, which tells you how long ago this was).

Tracey is a fabulous cook who makes feeding a crowd look easy. This is remarkable when you realize that until they put in their new kitchen, she was producing course after sumptuous course in a space about the same square footage as my closet (with accordingly-sized appliances).

So a bowl of "salad" was passed around that first meal and I noticed it was undressed. Naturally, I reached for a bottle that was marked "salad cream." 

For those Americans unfamiliar with British household products, "salad cream" is not the same thing as "salad dressing" -- unless the salad in question is cole slaw. This is something I learned the hard way (by tasting it).

And that's when I learned the sad truth about dining in Britain: "Salad" usually consists of a few leaves of lettuce, a couple of slices of tomato, and a sliver of red onion. And nothing else.

Now, it is possible to get a decent salad in the UK -- but finding one isn't easy.

Another funny thing about the Brits is their tendency to serve fried potatoes with everything. Curry and chips is also a popular dish -- and it works on the same principle as chili fries. But I still experience culture shock when I visit a Chinese restaurant and am asked if I want chips with my sweet and sour pork.

Aside from that, I have no trouble enjoying some fantastic meals whenever I visit my in-laws... even when the cook isn't my talented sister-in-law.

Stonehenge!

My first visit to the UK was Christmas, 1991 - and before we left, Gareth told me to make a list of things I wanted to see and do.

At the top of that list was Stonehenge.

We saw and did a lot of things on that trip, but seeing Stonehenge was not one of them. Nor did we make our way out there in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, or 2006.

I guess twelve time's the charm.

Windsor to Wales

Once we gathered our family and things into the rental car and checked out of the London hotel, we were able to relax a little. We set the GPS unit (nicknamed "Philippa") to guide us through the streets of London and onto the west-bound M4, the highway that we always use to get to Cardiff. It was 1:00 PM. We realized we were hungry. "Why don't we stop for lunch in Windsor?" I suggested.

View Larger Map

Windsor is a small town located on the Thames, just about 20 minutes out of London. It's home to Eton College, Ascot Racecourse, Britain's LegoLand and one of the favorite residences of the Queen. You can see the top of Windsor Castle when you're speeding past the town on the M4.

We'd only ever stopped there once before: at the end of our 2005 trip, on our way TO London.

It was the day after Prince Charles' wedding to Camilla and the tiny town was still festooned with decorations -- and yellow crowd control ribbons.

The visit was remarkable for the tacky souvenir royal wedding shotglasses we purchased while we were there, which display the wrong date for the wedding. (Pope John Paul had passed away that week and so the big day had to be postponed... but there was no time to change the date on all the commemorative tchotchkes that had already been manufactured for sale.)

I remembered being charmed by how pretty the town is, and how lovely a view it is from the river. And my mum-in-law -- who is a big fan of the Queen -- had never been there before, and seemed to get a vicarious little thrill from being so near to Her Majesty's favorite castle.

Meals were a little problematic throughout this trip. My mother-in-law seems to have a physical reaction to anything at all spicy, a malady shared a bit by my daughter. I was always trying (in vain!) to find dishes that were both tasty and low-carb/low-calorie. My husband has been trying to eat foods that are low in cholesterol (but basically just shies away from red meat). We ended up eating a lot of Italian... but after three days in London, I was getting a little bit tired of that.

Fortunately, we quickly settled on the Mills House Cafe, a charming little restaurant that served very nice hamburgers (Megan), salads (me) and sandwiches (everyone else), along with proper English tea (as if there's any other kind to be had in England). 

Once fed, we were free to explore the little town. We crossed the street to the castle and were surprised to discover that it is open to the public. We weren't up to taking the time for a tour (and like most historic attractions in Britain, the entrance fees weren't cheap), so this is something we'll save for a future visit.

We wandered past the castle and towards the river, where we discovered a home that had once belonged to architect Christopher Wren (who rebuilt dozens of churches after the great London fire of 1666, including St. Paul's Cathedral).

Windsor looks like it would be a great place for a weekend getaway, and we could have easily spent more time there-- but we needed to get home to Cardiff. We hopped back in the car and were delighted a couple of hours later, when we spied the little Bristol Channel islands of Flatholm and Steepholm -- evidence that we had finally arrived back in Wales, where we would stay out the week.

See the rest of my photos of Windsor, England at Flickr here.