Our Sunday morning started early, as we headed to D's childhood parish for Sunday Mass.
St. Dyfrig's Church (pronounced Duff-frigs) is located in Pontypridd. We were a bit early for Mass, so we drove around the town. We drove passed his grammar school, Cardinal Newman Catholic Comprehensive, not too far from the church.
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| Cardinal Newman Catholic School |
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| St. Dyfrig's Parish |
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| Front of church. |
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| We attended the Epiphany of the Lord Mass. Their Nativity scene still adorned the altar. |
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| The Church was consecrated in 1926. |
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| The church sits in the background and then the rectory and parish hall. It is a lovely courtyard. |
After Mass, we took a short ride to GlynTaff Cemetery. Those who know me that any trip isn't complete with at least one trip to a cemetery. However, this trip was special as it is the resting place of D's materanl grandparents. It was a damp and chilly day and it took us a bit of time to locate the graves, but we eventually did.
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| Cemetery chapel. |
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| This is why it was difficult to find, as there were many cremated remains graves over a few section. |
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| All of the services that were held that week. |
After paying our respects, we were on our way to Cardiff, Wales' captial and home to Cardiff Castle. The Castle is one of Wales' leading heritage attractions and boasts international significance spanning over 2,000 years. It is a medieval castle and a Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion. Built in 55AD by the Roman army and then rebuilt in 1091 by the Normans. It was then renovated in 1868 during the Victorian era.
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| Courtyard leading up to the Castle and its apartments. |
We first made our way to Norman Keep which was built in the early 12th Century. We were able to climb all the way to the top and had magnificent views of the Castle.
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| The Keep |
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| View from atop the Keep. |
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| Peeking through an opening in the Keep. |
The Keep served as the prison for eight years of Duke Robert of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror, until his death in 1134 at the age of 80.
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| The stained glass windows in the dining room, however are found throughout the Castle Apartments. |
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| The Arab Room ceiling. |
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| One of the ornate fireplaces in the apartments. |
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| Another ornate fireplace. |
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| The Coat of Arms of Wales' knights line the perimeter of the library. |
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| Each bookcase was dedicated to a famous author. |
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| The Clock Tower |
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| A quaint view of the castle from the base of the Keep. |
