SQUIB: a : a short humorous or satiric writing or speech; b : a short news item. (Merriam-Webster)
This Travel Squib jumps from opera and politics to Willy Wonka and The Doctor.
Few travel destinations on Earth offer such a varied set of attractions in as compact a distance as Cardiff Bay in Wales. From a center of art and culture to the seat of government power to an epicenter of pop culture, Cardiff Bay includes it all within a walking distance of a few minutes.
As the weather warms in the UK and travel season swings into gear, the Welsh capital city becomes a tourism hotbed — with its bay and marina offering shopping, dining, historical attractions and entertainment.
The area is dominated by the massive Welsh Millennium Centre – city’s opera house. The huge words spread across its copper and wooden hull serve as windows and read in Welsh and English: “In these stones, horizons sing.”
The seemingly Japanese-inspired Senedd complex a few steps away is the home for the National Assembly for Wales. Its expansive front steps provide a perfect outdoor lunch spot on warmer days.
The modest, gleaming white Norwegian Church once welcomed scores of foreign sailors visiting the port. Famous author Roald Dahl attended services there while he was a child growing up in Wales. It now serves as a local gathering point and art center.
But it’s across the bay from the opera house and politicians where lovers of British pop culture flock. On the heels of its 50th anniversary celebration, Doctor Who shoots in studios just off the water. The Doctor Who Experience exhibition dominates that same end of Cardiff Bay, featuring a two story collection of props, costumes, sets and merchandise from the world’s longest running sci-fi show.
For a quick look at the sights of Cardiff Bay, check out the image collection below.
