Swansea – Day 2 – museums markets and wind farms
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We took a bus somewhat after 10 o’clock in the morning, the X7, and alighted at the central bus garage which is really posh and well designed for large numbers of vehicles arriving and departing. Well done architects. The cost for a day ticket is £4.70. Warning – Free bus passes issued in England do not work in Wales.
Museums a-plenty can be found in the area to the sea side of the town divided by the main through route. It is a pity the road is there in a (the) way as the museums are separated from the town as such but never mind.
After leaving the bus station we visited the National Waterfront Museum. Just to be doubly sure where we are here is the national symbol, a dragon. It is physically very large, on two floors. The variety of items and themes is too great to even list here so I suggest you visit the website for a better view. The staff are helpful.
The picture shows the view from the upstairs window of an area that used to be used for docking bananas and for distribution throughout the United Kingdom.
Interestingly in the grounds outside the museum there were some allotments with 10 raised beds. The descriptive text read ‘raised beds are a simple way of transforming space dash especially where there is little soil depth, or where contamination and heavy industry have left their mark. They also provide multi-level access for people. These raised beds contain over 40 tons of topsoil, mixed with manure and sand’
The day was still with very little wind so we got a reflection in the water of the many boats parked – or moored should I say.
A hidden Gem
We had a wander around the very well designed housing estate which abutted the sea front and in front of the old Harbour. We noticed a tiny little shop, you could call it quirky, and I was immediately attracted to it. When I got back home to Somerset I rang the lady concerned, Kelly, an American, and I discovered that Francoise does the same type of work – though not with old books. Kelly has a wonderful channel on YouTube and Francoise and I watched a video. Next time we go to Swansea we shall definitely visit her. What an absolute gem and what a delight. See below
Website: https://bookandpaperarts.com/about/
One of the videos from her channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbVOsuHCFqw
And now to the market, which claims to be the biggest one in Wales.
A journey to some wind farms.
We had enough at this point so we went to the bus station, again I say what a lovely work of art, and we decided to go home and then set off into the hillside to see what we could find. We went west along the M4 for a bit and then turned to the right where some hills beckoned. We found ourselves at a high point. The view would have been even more spectacular had there been a lack of mist which was already coming down although it was only 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
All these towers are connected together and to the grid. This is a map of the whole. In the distance were other groups of towers.
It is difficult to describe how big these masts are. If you look at this picture, at the bottom you will see a tiny figure. This is Francoise. You have to stand underneath it to understand its sheer size.