8 June

It was another chilly day so we had a leisurely breakfast at the flat before Bruce started out for the pubs and I started out to see a bit more of Swansea. I walked into the heart of the high street area and found the Swansea market. Like so many markets I've visited it's an enormous collection of shops. Here the emphasis is on food. There are fishmongers, butcher shops, veg markets and lots and lots of casual restaurants. It made me wish I hadn't just eaten.

I really wanted to pose as the dragon!

I wandered around and came upon Swansea Castle right in the middle of town.

It was once a fortress of great strategic importance, being located on a clifftop above where the River Tawe used to flow, controlling a harbor and an important east–west route along southern Wales. These remains date from the late 13th/early 14th century. Nothing remains of the original castle built in 1106; it stood beneath what is now a parking lot.

This is a hole from which

archers could fire their

crossbows. There are similar I love the juxtaposition of the various

ones at Oystermouth Castle. styles and eras of architecture:

That got me into the mood to find out more about Swansea, so I headed to the Swansea Museum.

Like many other small museums I've visited recently, there's a large natural history section

and a few Roman and Celtic stones.

I loved this poster about the museum in its glory days.

There was a large collection of Welsh pottery and porcelain.

There was a really interesting section of the museum devoted to Welsh history, particularly that of Swansea.

This chair was designed by Lord Snowden for the investiture of

Prince Charles in 1969. 4600 of

these were made for seating for guests at Caernafon Castle. They were later sold for £12 each. Invited guests had first refusal; the remaining chairs were sold to the public.

There was a case of items from WWII, along with someone's diary recounting the events of the Swansea blitz.

This room represented the changes in society between 1945 and 1970. I'm old enough to remember when this would have been the height of fashion.

The last part of the museum seemed to be a collection of miscellany, everything from phrenology guides to model villages

oh, and a recreation of an old Welsh kitchen.

It was all quite quirky, but endearing as well.

As I was walking toward the flat I passed the Maritime Museum and remembered that our Airbnb hosts had said there was a celebration of the Welsh language going on there, so I went in to check it out. The place was buzzing! There were tables from different schools, games, and out back, a Welsh rock band. There were also Pride activities going on, so quite a mix of people and activities and an amazing atmosphere.

I walked back to the flat past the marina. The sun had finally come out so I sat on the tiny balcony and just enjoyed the view.