Last weekend we were well chuffed to have Kerryn stay for a night. As you may all remember Kerryn started the journey from Sydney with us. Her first long haul flight and having to sit with me and Steve for numerous hours. She has survived us very well indeed. After having spent 3 weeks travelling together in Dubai and France we parted ways in Provence, met in London for a day and then she came to stay for a night at our new home in Bristol. So what do you do in Bristol when you only have a day stop over and it is rainy? Go to IKEA of course. Anyway, it was great to see you Kerryn and hope your trip to the Cotswolds went well!
This weekend we decided to take a day trip to Cardiff in Wales. Only 1 hour by train (quicker if it didn’t stop so much) we were there for brunch. Having just come into Wales where do we go for brunch? An Irish pub. Hmmm. Not very Welsh at all. It was then on to a quaint indoor market where we had a great freshly squeezed OJ (just a nice as the Kerikeri oranges) and then onto some church investigations. We came across th Parish Church of St John the Baptist. What is really interesting here is the story of the St Johns Ambulance.
St Johns Ambulance:
In the 11th century a group of Benedictines in Jerusalem started the hospital of St John of Jerusalem (John the Baptist) which cared for sick pilgrims. They were the oldest of the crusading order and founded hospices all throughout Europe along the pilgrimage routes. During the reformation period the Order was suppressed but revived again in 1877 for public service in the fields of health, safety and first aid. The brigade as we know it today was then formed in 1887. The eight pointed cross on a black background that makes up the St Johns Ambulance symbol represents the cross of Christ (the sign of the redemption of humankind). The four arms of the cross symbolise the four cardinal virtues – prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude and the eight points of the star stand for the eight Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12). It continues to totally amaze me every time I learn about something else that I have seen all my life but had no idea that it came from something so interesting.
Next on our list we saw Cardiff Castle. Smack bang in the middle of the CBD you can’t miss it. We did the touristy thing and took the tour. Glad we did as again there were really interesting items that she pointed out on the tour that you would have no idea about. For example, in the dining room is a little monkey on the wall. Steve noticed it had a nut in its mouth. It turns out the nut is a button you could push to summon the servants.
The castle was well worth the visit, the rooms were spectacular, the lawns well kept and the keep in the middle of it all was a great climb up to the top with a stunning view of the city. One of my favourite parts though was the outside wall surrounding the castle. Part of the wall is called the Animal Wall because of the animal sculptures that adorn the top as you walk past it. They watch you as you walk towards the castle and keep an eye on you. I loved them, especially the wolf lurking on top of the wall covered by a tree (I have attached a picture). Would we go back again? I think so, especially in August when they are holding a medieval festival there. Well that’s it for now. Until next weekend when we go on another adventure: Da boch chi (goodbye in Welsh).