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I've been doing my usual pre-trip research and looking into various 'new' destinations in Greece. Each time I visit there I like to see at least one new place as well as visiting my old favorites.

I've been to Cardiff, Wales many times and frequently I've walked by the long stone fence outside of Cardiff Castle, intrigued by the crouching animals that hang over the fence. This Animal Wall was built along the south side of the castle during the 19th century,and decorated with statues of animals as well as a Swiss Bridge that was erected over the river by the West Gate.  It wasn't until this summer that I ventured beyond the wall and through the main gate into the castle grounds.


Cardiff Castle (Castell Caerdydd) is located in the Castle Quarter of the city. It is a medieval castle and a Victorian Gothic revival mansion. The original moat and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on the site of a 3rd century Roman fort.  It was either William the Conqueror or Robert Fitzhamon who commissioned the castle. It formed the heart of the medieval town of Cardiff. By the 12th century the castle was rebuilt in stone with a shell keep and defensive walls and further work was conducted in the second half of the 13th century by Richard de Clare. During this time the castle was repeated involved in conflicts between the Anglo-Normans and the Welsh. It was stormed in 1404 during the Owain Glyndwr rebellion.




There's lots to see inside the castle walls. Besides a museum you can wander the landscaped gardens and explore some of the old Roman ruins as well as climb up the keep and get a good viewpoint of the whole area. One of the most interesting parts is the Victorian mansion once owned by the Bute family who made their fortune from the cold mines of Wales.




The castle 'house' was remodeled in 1868 by the third Marquess of Bute who engaged architect William Burges to remodel the castle in medieval Gothic Revivalism style. A 150 ft (46 m) high Clock Tower was constructed of ashlar stone. it formed a suite of bachelor's rooms, a bedroom, servant's room and the Summer and Winter smoking rooms. The rooms were decorated with gildings, carvings and cartoons depicting the seasons, myths and fables.  Other rooms were added including the Arab Room, the Chaucer Room, the Nursery, the Banqueting Hall, bedrooms for Lord and lady Bute and magnificent Library.












Work was also carried out on the castle grounds when the remains of the old Roman fort were uncovered. new walls in a Roman style were built on the foundations of the originals complete with a reconstructed Roman North Gate. The grounds were planted with trees and shrubs. From the late 18th century until the 1850s the castle grounds were open to the public but later restrictions were imposed. Today the castle belongs to the city of Cardiff and is run as a tourist attraction. it also serves a a venue for events including musical performances and festivals.



I spent a good part of one morning browsing around the castle, especially intrigued by the sumptuous furnishings and decor of the mansion.  You can read up on more of the long, detailed history of the castle at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff_Castle

I just spent a few days in Caerphilly, where my father was born.  And one of my favorite things to do there is to tour around Caerphilly Castle, MY castle - as I grew up hearing stories about it.  I never get tired of visiting this remarkable, well preserved castle, built over a Roman fort in about 1266.  And again this time, I looked for the Green Lady, but she didn't make an appearance.  I wrote a story published in Europe Up Close about the castle and the haunting of this Welsh queen,  and you can read about it here:
http://www.europeupclose.com/article/the-green-lady-of-caerphilly-castle/

I had been to Old Sarum iron age hill fort earlier this week, and yesterday, en route to Worcester with my cousin Chris, we passed two more iron age hill forts, British Camp in the Malvern Hills and Bredon Hill.  I'll post photos of these sites later. We only saw them at a distance but it was a beautiful sight.
Today Chris took me to Warwick Castle for an amazing tour.This huge castle dates to the 1300s. and is beautifully preserved as it was lived in up to Victorian times.  One of the features is the dungeon, and a tour there was more spine tingling than any Halloween exhibit I've ever scene.  Downright creepy it is so realistic with interactive displays and actors posing as various characters including the executioner.
A tour through all the rooms of the castle was a wonder and in many of them are the wax figures of the characters who lived there over the years as well as displays of armour used in battle.  I loved the Secrets and Scandals of the Royal Weekend Party.  And guess who was there? The young Winston Churchill!
We also enjoyed the display of birds: eagles, raptors, vulture.  the one thing we didn't see which I'd have liked to watch was the jousting.   It's a fabulous place to visit with lots to do and see.  Today there were many school groups there and they have special events for kids like the Princess Tower.
Coming home we had a bonus visit to Stratford-upon-Avon to Anne Hathaway's house - a place I've always wanted to visit.  There was even a chair there that was supposedly Shakespeare's courting chair!