Goodby beautiful Cardiff from this slow traveller

 So goodbye to Cardiff. A cool city with so much more potential. 

I think Cardiff will become even better than it is now. There is a separation between the beautiful bay and the center.  If they can somehow make it easier to get down there this city will explode. 

You can take a bus to the bay but we chose to walk. It’s about 40 minutes and you walk through a not so nice area.  The bus takes 30 minutes. It’s the regular city bus and not a tourist shuttle or anything.

The bay front has some development but has so much more potential. I can see hotels and condos in its future. Lots more restaurants. More use of the water with boating. There is only one boat that goes around the bay. There is a brand new arts building for theatre, music, dance that is really cool. The Welsh parliament is down there.

In the 1980s the bay entrance was restructured so there would be more of a consistent level of water and the entrance wasn’t all sand during low tide. 

If you walk around central Cardiff and take it at face value you won’t be impressed. The fun is inside the buildings and arcades. They hides lots of independents shops, markets and restaurants. 

Cardiff isn’t fancy but the River Taff and the gorgeous park along it on the castle grounds make it beautiful along the gorgeous bay.

This slow traveller loves Cardiff Wales

 Interesting contrast between London and Cardiff. London has 9.5 million people and covers a huge area. Cardiff has 485,000 and is compact. 

London is frenzy, Cardiff is calm. The biggest difference I’ve noticed between the two is the people. Londoners seem posh. It seems like nobody goes out of their house without making an effort to look good. Not everybody, but most. 

I don’t want this to sound classist. It is not intended that way at all. The people in Cardiff seem like regular everyday people. Working people. They aren’t trying to impress anybody. They dress how they want. Casually. Very few people here are made up like models or celebrities.

I feel more comfortable in Cardiff. They are more my kind of people. They will look you in the eye. Say hello. In London no one said hello. It’s probably just the difference between a big city and a small city.

Wales is like the working class cousin of England. There are rich people here but they don’t feel visible. They probably shop in London. Spend lots of time there. 

Cardiff gets 20 million tourists a year. The bay is beautiful and it feels like that area is going to to explode in popularity in the coming years. Cardiff has lots of shopping. Central Cardiff has lots and lots of small shops of all kinds, many in arcades and shopping centers tucked away. Lots and lots of pubs. Beautiful green spaces. Lastly it has rich history. 

Cardiff is a place you have to explore in the nooks and crannies and alleys to find interesting things. It’s worth it.