A visit to Cardiff
Jun. 19th, 2026 05:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
heleninwalesIt's been over a week since I travelled down to Cardiff and I've still not written about it. I must rectify that now.
The journey down was fine. In fact all the trains both going and returning were on time and I got a seat without difficulty. I actually prefer travelling alone to travelling with G. Partly because I can do my own thing, but also because it's far easier to get a single seat on a busy train than two seats together. I did have a slight feeling of deja vu as I drove to Machynlleth. It was raining hard and the last time I went to South Wales on the train, it rained so hard that the flooding damaged the track. However, this time the rain eased as I headed south and everything was fine.
Our daughter had meetings until 3 p.m., so when I arrived in Cardiff I had a sandwich and cup of tea in the Pret a Manger opposite the station. I then made my way to John Lewis to buy a new Android tablet. I was quite pleased that I remembered where the store was. I used to visit Cardiff a lot and would wander round exploring while G was in meetings. However, I haven't been in the city centre for a couple of years now. Anyway, I found my way to John Lewis and they had the tablet I'd seen online. After that, it was now almost time to meet our daughter, so I made my to the museum where it was easier for her to pick me up. It was still raining, but more a heavy drizzle than a downpour.
The following day our daughter drove us into the city centre again to see the exhibition of Gwen John's paintings. (I'll do a separate post about that.) After seeing the exhibition, we had a cup of tea and very nice vegan brownie in the Scaredy Cats cafe. We then had a look in the indoor market and finished up with a little walk in Sophia gardens. Finally we drove to Port Talbot where I checked in at the Premier Inn before going to find our son.
Some pictures...
Shopping arcades. Cardiff has quite a few. The shops, cafes and bars seem to be doing OK.
Meanwhile the modern shopping mall, St David's, is also thriving. On my way to John Lewis which is right at the far end.
And here is the vegan cafe. I can recommend. A nice relaxed atmosphere and board games to borrow and play.
Welsh cakes! Lots of Welsh cakes. Also other things, like very nice shortbread.
The view from the upper gallery in the indoor market, looking down on all the stalls on the ground floor.
The journey down was fine. In fact all the trains both going and returning were on time and I got a seat without difficulty. I actually prefer travelling alone to travelling with G. Partly because I can do my own thing, but also because it's far easier to get a single seat on a busy train than two seats together. I did have a slight feeling of deja vu as I drove to Machynlleth. It was raining hard and the last time I went to South Wales on the train, it rained so hard that the flooding damaged the track. However, this time the rain eased as I headed south and everything was fine.
Our daughter had meetings until 3 p.m., so when I arrived in Cardiff I had a sandwich and cup of tea in the Pret a Manger opposite the station. I then made my way to John Lewis to buy a new Android tablet. I was quite pleased that I remembered where the store was. I used to visit Cardiff a lot and would wander round exploring while G was in meetings. However, I haven't been in the city centre for a couple of years now. Anyway, I found my way to John Lewis and they had the tablet I'd seen online. After that, it was now almost time to meet our daughter, so I made my to the museum where it was easier for her to pick me up. It was still raining, but more a heavy drizzle than a downpour.
The following day our daughter drove us into the city centre again to see the exhibition of Gwen John's paintings. (I'll do a separate post about that.) After seeing the exhibition, we had a cup of tea and very nice vegan brownie in the Scaredy Cats cafe. We then had a look in the indoor market and finished up with a little walk in Sophia gardens. Finally we drove to Port Talbot where I checked in at the Premier Inn before going to find our son.
Some pictures...
Shopping arcades. Cardiff has quite a few. The shops, cafes and bars seem to be doing OK.
Meanwhile the modern shopping mall, St David's, is also thriving. On my way to John Lewis which is right at the far end.
And here is the vegan cafe. I can recommend. A nice relaxed atmosphere and board games to borrow and play.
Welsh cakes! Lots of Welsh cakes. Also other things, like very nice shortbread.
The view from the upper gallery in the indoor market, looking down on all the stalls on the ground floor.
