Summing up Wales -- Cardiff, Wales

Blog posts for Wales got a wee bit funky. I found myself way too thrilled to be sunbathing on the beach and strolling through museums to dedicate any of my time to writing about the beaches and museums. So instead of my normal (and preferred) method of describing my space, writing a post, and summing up with challenges, I wrote when I had time and decided to postpone the challenge bit until the very end. 

It's the very end. So here goes. 

ANIMALS

Cockle Clam = MISS. I ate cockle clam (and found it sour and sandy), but didn't happen upon a single one whilst wandering the coast. I only spotted them in jar form. Which definitely doesn't count, but I'm posting a picture anyway. 

Hedgehog = MISS. Boo. I was so looking forward to seeing a hedgehog. Perhaps I shall spot one during my stay in England. I hear they're quite prevalent around those parts as well. 

Smooth Common Newt = HIT! I saw one of these slimy fellows during my trip to Saint Fagans. The tannery had several ponds overflowing with vibrant algae and happy newts.

BIRDS

Mute Swan: HIT! Thanks for giving me a super easy one, Jackson. It always makes me feel accomplished when I can achieve at least my beginner challenge. Swans are very common throughout the UK, so I was able to see quite a few of these elegant birds. 

Common Redstart: HIT! I don't have a picture, but I saw one on a walk through the woods with Kim way back in Newport. I showed her a picture later on, and she confirmed it for me. These birds could be mistaken for robins by folks who aren't actually looking for a redstart, but their songs are a bit feebler and they boast a couple of striking white lines about their wings and head to compliment the red on their chests.

Wood Warbler: MISS. No Wood Warbler to be found. 

FLORA

Bell Heather: HIT! I was so ecstatic to find one of my flora challenges. SO ecstatic that I didn't bother getting a good picture. Ach. It's actually a heather that might grow well in Colorado, as it is drought tolerant and flourishes in full sun. It dislikes alkaline soils and is used as a ground cover between conifers.

 

Bog Rosemary: MISS. I kept my eyes peeled, but to no avail.

Spotted Rockrose: MISS. Same story. 

FOOD

In Ireland, alcohol was probably the most fun challenge to pursue. In Wales, food dominated. 

Laverbread: HIT! Laverbread is a delicious mush made entirely of Laver seaweed. This particular species of seaweed goes by many different names. 

In China: zicai

In Japan: nori

In Korea: gim

In Ireland: slake

In Wales, the purple laver is gathered from the rocks and boiled into green pulp. The pulp is then often mixed with oats and fried in bacon fat, the finished salty, sour product served with salty bacon and sour cockles.

A common way to eat laverbread is to spread the seaweed on toast and broil it with a bit of cheese.

Voila!

 Laverbread with Cockles: HIT! Cockles. Cockles are nasty and I don't recommend them, but if you want the traditional Welsh breakfast dish, you might give them a go. Save a strip of bacon for last, though. And have a breath mint or ten at the ready.

Streaky bacon, laverbread mixed with oats (fried in bacon fat), and cockles fried in a wee bit of gluten-free flour.

Rarebit: HIT! This dish is something that will follow me everywhere. In Italy, I learned to mix nutmeg with my eggs. In France, I learned how to make exquisite blood sausage, in Ireland, I learned how to mix cardamom with coffee and in Wales, I learned how to make rarebit.

This fantastic Welsh specialty is a concoction of flour (gluten-free, in my case), cheese (lots of it!), mustard (whole grain, preferred), Worcestershire sauce (still can't pronounce this word), pepper, (a smattering) butter (the magnificent Welsh variety) and beer (unless you're celiac).

Pour this spread on toast and pop it in the oven to broil. And life is good.

 Life is very good.

ALCOHOL
Sparkling Wine produced in Wales:  MISS. I went out to pubs just a couple of times in Wales and always drank what my host was drinking. I looked for sparkling wine in supermarkets, but the only local bottles were well over 20 pounds. Which was a bit outside of my budget.

A cocktail I've never seen on an American menu: MISS. This should have been an easy one, but I've been feeling a bit strapped for cash as of late, and cocktails are quite exorbitant in Great Britain.

Aerona Liqueur: MISS. This is a very rare liqueur (most people in Wales had never heard of it) made from the Welsh Aronia berry. I found immensely proud of myself for finding this drink at the National Museum, but as I could only purchase it in 25 pound bottles (about 40 dollars), I decided to forgo this challenge as well. Better luck next time, Bourget.

VISUAL ART
Dissect Color: I'm going to give myself a MISS for this one, because although I dissected upon occasion, I didn't journal with nearly as much regularity as I'd like. I usually dissect color at the beginning of each blog post, and since the posts for Wales were abnormally sporadic, I got out of the habit.

Street Art: HIT! I found so much street art in Wales. Really beautiful, expressive, interesting street art.

A lot of street artists seem to focus on portraits

This was one of my favorites. I love the effect of the dripping paint.

One thing I really enjoy about this medium is the way the "canvas" works itself into the final piece. If you look closely at this painting, you'll notice that the artist lined the eyes up with cracks in the wall -- cracks that make the woman look like she's silently crying.

Again, I love the way the artist brought the canvas into the piece.

Something I love about street art in general is that it's so ephemeral and impulsive. I like that those creating it only have a short while to finish their pieces, so there's a raw, energetic element to the "final" creation. In the end, even the most beautiful piece of art is a form of vandalism, so speed is a necessity to those wielding the cans.

  National Museum: HIT!

I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside the actual museum, which is a pity. I found paintings by Lucien and Camille Pissarro, Paul Cezanne, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas, and Sisley.

I found a new appreciation for Monet and the way he handled his brush. I stood in front of his "San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight" painting for about ten minutes, in awe of how expressive his brushstrokes were. The colors were the same throughout sky, ocean, and tower -- but he was able to communicate the difference between land, air and water simply through the direction of his stroke. Undulating water, straight tower, crosshatched sky.

PERFORMING ARTS
Watch a show at the Wales Millennium Centre: MISS. But I made a diligent effort. Jeremy and I sat down and waited for 20 minutes for the free show to start. Then we found out there would be no free show.

Where the free show should have been.

 
Hear a male choir sing: MISS. I keep hearing that male choirs are popular in Wales, but during my entire stay in this country, I've failed to even meet a person who sings in a male choir. Let alone heard one.

Fine someone who plays the crwth: MISS. My friend Kim has lived in Wales most of her life and she's never heard anyone play the crwth. This ancient stringed instrument is nearly as dead as Latin.

HISTORY
Newport Castle: MISS. There are two Newports in Wales. I was visiting Kim in the glorious Newport of Pembrokeshire. The Newport of Newport Castle is a rather bleak city a few miles away from Cardiff that offers nothing to its visitors except its Grade II castle. Which is grand, but not quite worth the bus ticket for this excessively frugal traveler.

The Animal Wall:  HIT!

Designed by William Burges in 1866 and constructed in 1890, this unique wall surrounds Bute Park.

Saint Lythans Burial Chamber: MISS. I had all sorts of good intentions to visit Saint Lythans, but then I spent far too much on the bus getting to and from the cheese festival and decided to save Lythans for my next visit to Wales.

ARCHITECTURE
A Broached Spire: HIT!

Defined as "An octagonal spire rising from a square tower without a parapet, with pyramidal forms at the angles."

A Compass Window: HIT!

Defined as a "bay window, having a semi-circular shape."

A Welsh Belfry: HIT!

This belfry is the last remaining wall of a church in Pembrokeshire. The rest was washed to sea. Defined as, "A bell tower or steeple housing bells, esp. one that is part of a church."

LANGUAGE 
Cheers in Wales: HIT! Iechyd da!

Break a leg! HIT! Bob lwc!

Monologue from Siwan:  HIT! SIWAN

Preconceptions

1. Wales is a country of constant deluge: BUSTED. I've seen far more sunny days than cloudy days in Wales. However, I am frequently told that I visited Wales at the right time of the century. Locals have never seen sun like this. Locals will probably never see the sun like this again.
2. People drink an abundance of alcohol. And then sing: BUSTED. Not everyone sings. In fact, I've heard no singing at all in Wales. The country seems positively silent when compared to the Irish musical brouhaha (love that word). People do seem to drink quite a bit, though.
3. It's green everywhere. Due to aforementioned deluge: BUSTED. Wales is turning brown. The grass in the park crunches underfoot and the whole country seems parched.
4. People still struggle with religious repression: BUSTED. This is relative, of course -- but I didn't meet a struggling soul during my stay.
5. There resides an intense hatred of England: Eh. Don't mistake a Welsh for an English and you'll be grand.
6. High national pride in the hearts of most: CONFIRMED. They are pretty proud of that damn dragon.
7. Half an hour late is early: BUSTED. Welsh people are much more timely than their Irish neighbors.
8. People eat potatoes with most meals: CONFIRMED. Looking at Welsh menus, they seem nearly as fond of the potato as the Irish.
9. Four cups of coffee/black tea a day is normal: CONFIRMED. And they even have proper sized cups.
10. Everyone owns at least one pair of wellingtons: CONFIRMED. They've got the stylish ones, too.
11. They tend to get overenthusiastic about sports. Especially rugby: CONFIRMED. Sports are huge here and people are more than a little obsessive about the whole thing.
12. The Welsh like to sing, and they all tend to believe that they do it quite well. Even when it is abundantly clear that they don't: BUSTED. As noted early, I have yet to hear a Welsh person sing.
13. Leeks are a very popular vegetable on the dinner table: CONFIRMED. Nearly as popular as the potato, in fact. Which says quite a lot.
14. *sigh* There is the whole sheep thing...: I don't know what to say about this one. Umm... I didn't see anything? Not that I know of?
15. The most popular professions involve taking care of sheep and mining: BUSTED. Lots of shepherds, not a lot of miners. The main industry is tourism today, so livestock and tourism offer the most employment.

Wales. Wales is a unique country full of history, art, and beautiful walks. Wales boasts magnificent cheeses, ice creams, seafood, BACON, coffee shops, bookstores, restaurants, theatres, ciders, galleries and museums.

The people are friendly and hilarious (when you can understand them). The countryside is breathtaking. Everyone owns a dog (probably a chocolate lab) and the dogs love everyone.

Wales.

I'll be back.  And I'll go on a real walk next time. All 186 miles of the Pembrokeshire coastal path.