You might have wondered what Cwtch is, or what does that title even mean. Let me give you a hint: a bit of certain Western Brittonic language could help here. Cwtch is from the land of where the descendant of the ancient Celtic language still lives. This is Wales. A country that is often overshadowed by its siblings in the news, not surprisingly, actually has much to boast. The list is not short. Snowdonia National Park, Brecon Beacon National Park, the rugby union, and many others.
Without the proper gear for Snowdonia, I chose Cardiff as my first destination of Wales to visit. Getting off the train from London, the cold and the chilled immediately reminded me that Cardiff’s location to the sea. The once prominent coal port of Wales is reviving itself to be a tourist destination. All the main tourist spots in Cardiff are within walking distance to each other congregated in two major areas: the city center and the Mermaid Quay. You can walk between the two areas which take around 30 minutes leisurely. You can also opt to take the river cruise which costs 4 pounds one way and take around 15 to 20 minutes. Because the major train station Cardiff Central is located at the edge of the city center, I chose Cardiff castle as my first destination.
Cardiff castle can be traced from the time of Emperor Nero of the Roman Empire to the recent day mayor of Cardiff. The preservation by the Butes family, the architects of the Butes, and the Cardiff Castle preservation team have done a remarkable job to allow visitors to visualize the castle during each time period through the excavated remains of buildings as well as restored interiors. Here are some of the examples:
The wall linking the gate and the keep, built by the de Clares in the 13th century 
The Gothic revival style by the Butes 
The Norman style moat and keep. Though the stone structure was constructed by later architects. 
The war bomb shelter during the WWII 
The Edwardian and Gothic style state home
I highly recommend taking the tour to visit the interior rooms of the Cardiff castle. The 3rd Marquess of Bute, his architects, and interior decorators have given themes befitting to each of the rooms. For example, the children’s room has themes of fairy tales.
The room in the clock tower is decorated by the theme of…. wait for it, TIME!
The Banqueting Hall with the theme of conquest and family; befitting of the medieval style.
Lady Bute’s sitting room with themes of women in love.
However, the most grand of all would be the Arab room which you can only enter with the tour. You only get to stand outside without the tour which you cannot the see the magnificent ceiling well.
I would recommend checking out the war shelters for hilarious war propagandas and the animal walls for some creative decorations.
I also grabbed my chance for a postcard picture for the holiday season.
Speaking about Christmas, we have to mention the Christmas market and the winter foods. This year’s Christmas celebration is right next to the National Museum Cardiff (which I highly recommend)! This is certainly nowhere as big as the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park in London. However, it had its own charm.
If you are looking for a warm Welsh winter food, I recommend checking out the arcades in the center of Cardiff. I could recommend Madame Fromage in the Castle Arcade which serves the lamb cawl soup that can both warm you and fill you!
While I was there, another Christmas theme event was happening in Cardiff, the Santa and Elf Dash! This 5K race, which started in the Mermaid Quay, saw many locals dressed up festively despite the cold wind and chill rain.
Something I also got to experience, was the Welsh winter weather. The best way I could describe was that it is the slightly warmer version of the northern Scottish weather: it literally changes every 10 minutes. Now, I have realized that thousands of other places claim that weather changes very rapidly in the span of a day. Having been to many places, I can honestly claim that Welsh winter weather changes so rapidly that it makes one physically really prone to getting sick with just 20 minutes of exposure. While I was there on Sunday, it was a sequence of rotation between 10 minutes of raining cats and dogs and 10 minutes of extremely strong wind. Now, it doesn’t mean you don’t see any blue sky. It’s just probably going to be very windy when you do see it. Luckily, the Mermaid Quay had plenty of places to hide and keep warm. I happen to find a very suitable one for some tea and lunch.
The Mermaid Quay is a good place to be if you wish to know more about Cardiff’s history as a port as well as its politics. Sights like the Pierhead and the new Parliament building are good places to start.
You can also learn more about the port by taking a boat tour in the harbor. According to one of the locals I met, the port had its most dramatic changes happen in the last 10 to 20 years. So you can still see some of the remains of the old Cardiff port from its heydays.
Boarding the local Aquabus, I traced the waterway of the old-time from the Cardiff harbor up the Taft river to the Cardiff castle. Along the river, I saw the new building spurring up just like the areas around the harbor giving the city a new life. Like many post-industrial cities, Cardiff is finding new ways to grow in prominence.
Though it was a short visit, I left with a sense of optimism for this country and this capital. Perhaps that’s the only attitude one can have to be productive during tougher times. In the uncertain future of post-Brexit and the digital age, Cardiff must find ways to grow in distinguishable ways compare to its English or Scottish siblings. Politics and technologies are certainly important, but so are the people of this Welsh land. Hopeful and purposeful people are the fuel of change. Well, thankfully, there are Welsh cakes. If anything, these Welsh cakes certainly can lift one’s spirit.
