Ryan in Wales - Part 2 of 4

Copr Bay Bridge, Swansea

I sincerely apologise for the delay of posting the next parts of this series. If you haven't read part 1 of this series yet, click here to have a readthrough.

Welcome back! You're joining me on the second day of my Wales trip!

But before any exploring can be done, I quickly popped down to the local Savers to get myself a toothbrush and toothpaste. Yes, I've left them in my accommodation in Exeter. (Sighs) 

So, after I've freshened up back in my hotel room, I headed to the train station to explore a place where I've heard so much about:  

Swansea.  

Back in my A-level days, my (part Welsh) English teacher was working in the University of Swansea. Can't quite remember what her actual job title is but anyway, she works there. She told me what a nice and lovely place it is and she very much enjoyed working and living there. So, I thought to myself: I've got to visit this city someday. 

And what better time to do so while I'm in Wales! 

197006 takes me to Swansea

A slightly delayed (Surprise, surprise) 2-car class 197 was my chariot all the way to Swansea. The service was really busy with loads of people all trying to cramp into this two-car train. I managed to find a seat though, so I won't have to stand for this one-hour journey. 

The class 197s are relatively new as they've only been in service for about two years, replacing the class 175s. They're rather pleasant to ride on but it'll be great if the seating has just a bit more padding. 
 

Anyway, in about an hour's time, I arrived at the wonderful land of Swansea. 

I was then greeted by the station sign, which shows Swansea's name in Welsh: Abertawe. I remember I once asked my English teacher to teach me Welsh and this is one of the things that she taught me - "Aber" means "The mouth of " or "The estuary" and "tawe" simply refers to the River Tawe that flows across the city. So Abertawe literally translates to "The mouth of the River Tawe" or "The estuary of the river Tawe" (They basically mean the same thing). How cool is that?

I then made my way down the busy high street to the Quadrant Shopping Centre, in search of some food. 

But just as I wondered my way across the shopping centre, having no idea what to get for lunch, I find myself at the Bus Station. 

Swansea Bus Station

Swansea's bus station opened along with the Quadrant shopping centre in 1979, got a major overhaul in 2008, that becomes the bus station as we see today. The station was pretty busy, so I took a few photos of it and continue my quest to search for food. However, at that point I was starving, so I settled with the next restaurant that came to sight: McDonalds. (There are a million kids in there as well screaming and crying. Sometimes I do things that I, myself, can't even comprehend.)

Anyway, I ordered a random burger and quickly finished it so that I have time to do more exploring. I was then greeted by the remains of Swansea Castle, just across the road from Castle Square. Swansea Castle was built in 1107, endured various attacks over the years, it now stands in the city centre as a tourist attraction. 

Castle Square

I didn't stay long admiring the remains of the castle as I would like to do a little bit more of exploring. So, I headed for the seaside. On the way to the seaside however, I stumbled across Swansea Market, a large indoor market that sells all kinds of stuff, just like any markets in Hong Kong (You can tell by that distinct market smell). I left the market (I don't want anything there anyway. Let me know if I missed something out) and headed across the Beautiful Copr Bay Bridge and ended up in Swansea Arena. 

View of Swansea from Amy Dillwyn Park, outside Swansea Arena

Swansea Marina

I made my way downstairs through the parking lot and to the Swansea Marina, where the rich park their fancy yachts. It's a pretty standard marina, just like marinas found anywhere else. So, I continued on to Swansea beach. 

Swansea Beach

As it's a pretty cloudy and windy day, the beach doesn't look very nice. But there are still plenty of people walking their dogs or just hanging out on shore. It's a shame that the sun wasn't out. But hey, it's a spring day in April. What do I expect?

Things got worst when I was walking along the promenade. Rain started pouring down and by the time I made it to Marina Park, I was soaking wet. But luckily the rain got smaller by then so that I can wander across the Trafalgar Bridge to the other side of the river. Greeted by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David's Forum (Not as fancy as Exeter's, of course). 

I then turned left and walked alongside the marina, heading back up north along Piper's Walk. As there isn't much to see there anymore and the weather is pretty crap, I decided to head back into the city centre. I made my way across the fancy office buildings and student accommodation and ended up reaching the "St Thomas, near Quay Parade" bus stop. 

Now here's where things got a bit interesting. I flagged down the next bus that came into sight. When I tried to buy a ticket, the driver just shrugged his shoulders and waved me on. It wasn't until later that I found out that the bus I flagged down is a X7 from Glynneath, and it's not even scheduled to stop at where I flagged it down (that's probably why he can't issue a ticket to me there). Nonetheless, big thanks to the driver that still stopped to save me from the freezing cold outside. 

Inside the X7 Bus

The bus, however, was in an appalling condition. The seats were worn out and the leather on top was peeling off. It's a shame to see that First Cymru doesn't seem to care so much about passenger experience onboard. 

Nonetheless, I got off at the bus station and headed back to the station as I'm planned to head back into Cardiff for a tour of the city centre. Swansea is a very beautiful city, but unfortunately her beauty is clouded over by the rain and the freezing cold wind. 

I'm not sure if I'll ever have a chance to revisit this city. But if I do, I will. 100%. The city has definitely got much more to cover than within a single day trip.

I was taken back to Cardiff on the same 197006 that took me here this morning; after heading back from Milford Haven, it's now running all the way up to Manchester. The train's about equally as busy as it is this morning, with most seats filled but not to a point where somebody's left without one. 

Brand new class 231 in service

After arriving in Cardiff Central Station, I was greeted by TfW's brand-new Class 231 on a service to Penarth. A massive upgrade from the old class 150s with much fancier seats and a more comfortable ride. There are plans to fit pantographs to these units so that they can operate on both diesel and electric. They do look cool though, don't they?

Cardiff Market Entrance

Cardiff Market

Cardiff Castle

Fast forward to the evening, I was walking through the city centre, exploring Cardiff Market (Not that I'm buying anything) and the Cardiff Castle (Not that it's open). So, I made my way to Cathays station in the pouring rain and catch the next train back to the city centre, as it's getting harder and harder to do more exploring when the weather's not on your side. 

150252 takes me back into the city centre

Anyway, thanks for joining me on my second day of exploration of the mystical land of Wales. Please be assured that the exploration doesn't end here. Parts 3 and 4 in this series are coming (I promise) and there's more exploration to be done. 

As always, leave a comment on your thoughts on this and I'll see you in the next post!