Christmas in Wales Part Two

Llareggub

To begin at the beginning .... sorry I had to get that literary allusion in but, yes, we did go to an art exhibit of drawings based on Dylan Thomas called Llaraggub but it didn't have any Christmas in Wales sketches.  Actually the sixty plus sketches were too small and it has been decades since I saw Under Milkwood so it didn’t excite either of us too much.  While we were at the museum there was a string of Christmas concerts by various groups so we stood on the fourth floor balcony and enjoyed it.  We left just as Father Christmas arrived.

A Musical Nation

 

It is difficult to take everything in.  Last week we went to Caerphilly to see the castle and when we got off the bus there was a choir right there singing Christmas carols and, when we left the castle, there was a different choir up the street at the tourist office.  We missed the brass band.   The castle itself is fascinating.  It has a double moat with the inner moat higher than the lower so grain could be milled even under siege.  While we were at the castle we kept hearing bells from a church on the hill so we asked the people in the gift shop if there was a peal scheduled because a peal is a big thing.  We never did find out.

Nadolig Llawen

There seems to be a carol service around every corner.  Friday on our way down Queens Street there were two separate musical groups playing Christmas music.  Both were stings and both very good.

Our destination was the Tabernacle Chapel right in the middle of the busiest shopping centre in Cardiff to see “Nadolig – y Stori” performed by the church members.  We went to the English performance but there were Welsh performances available.  Very well done.  The church is a welsh language church and we may give it a try some day.

We passed up Father Christmas at Cardiff castle as well as at the millennium stadium.  We could have seen him at the Welsh National History Museum, a great place, but we gave it a pass.

Ballet

Of course when we are in the city centre we always pass through the Christmas market.  Had to try the bratwurst and there is the ubiquitous beer gardens.  Sampled everything at the wine stall and bought two different kinds of mead.  One is Carolene’s anniversary gift and the other her Christmas gift.

Yesterday we once again passed through the Christmas market and stopped to listen to a brass quintet playing Christmas music as we were early for the ballet.  We then attended the Christmas favourite Nutcracker Suite performed by the Russian National Ballet company.  We both very much enjoyed it and Carolene, having gotten me to one ballet, got tickets for Swan Lake in the new year.   

No I am not wearing a tutu.