AUGUST 2001  -  APRIL 2003

Wales is a separate little country, but it is a part of Great Britain. It has its own language and signs are bilingual.

My first time in Wales was for a scholarship ceremony. I won a scholarship from McDonald's and the ceremony was held in the Millennium Stadium VIP Suite.

Millennium Stadium:

As we arrived to Cardiff, the capital city, first thing we saw was the Cardiff Millennium Stadium. Unlike other capitals, this stadium is located right in the centre of Cardiff. It holds 74,500 people and it is massive.

I had already been here once for my scholarship award ceremony, but I did not have much time to explore this magnificent stadium. They have guided tours, so even if there is no event on when you visit, they will make you feel the atmosphere.

As well as sporting events, the stadium is also a concert venue and even a New Year’s Eve party venue by closing its retractable roof. Impressing!!!

Cardiff Bay:

Cardiff Bay used to be called “Tiger Bay”. As well as plenty of places to visit such as Techniquest, Visitor Centre, Norwegian Church, etc. There are also plenty of places to eat.

You can also visit Cardiff Bay Barrage here. The barrage was designed to create a new waterfront for Cardiff and apparently it has one of the world’s highest tidal ranges up to 14 meters. There is also a guided tour on a little train which takes about an hour around Cardiff Bay.

Swansea, Mumbles:

Swansea is in west of Cardiff and has a lot of sandy beaches to discover, some more difficult to find. This was a chance for us to see, explore and walk parts of the coastal path as well. Especially Three Cliffs and Port Eynon are most famous ones.

The town centre is small but there are plenty of restaurants, clubs and bars. We stayed in one of the B&Bs in Oystermouth Beach.

Near Mumbles, there is the famous Langland golfcourse on the cliff above Langland. It is lovely to take a walk around the cliff path and over the rocks as long as the tide isn’t coming in.

Neath:

Our last stop was Neath where Gladys and I had our first horse riding experience in Cimla Riding Centre.

We never had any horse riding experience before and the instructor lady told us that everything is going to be ok. I really believed her until I see the horse, it was a massive giant horse!

First they showed us how to get on the horse, and how to stay on. Then how to make the horse gallop. So, the teacher in front and about ten horses following ( I am at the end, trying to balance my position), the first 30 minutes was quite fun, until the horses started running. I didn’t know how to stop the bloody horse, he wouldn’t stop anyway, so I had to stay on and somehow I did.

After some time running, I realize that it is really fun, but you should really know how to sit on the horse and how to ride, because you don’t realize while you are riding but after a couple of hours you will see when you feel the pain in your buttocks!

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