Studying in Cardiff has a lot of perks- its main being its location. I hope the New Year brings me lots more Welsh adventures while I’m there for half a year more. Breaking up for Christmas this year was for sure harder than it’s ever been. Not only did we all endure the student crisis that is ONE MORE SEMESTER AND WE ACTUALLY REALLY GENUINELY HAVE TO ADULT, but we realised we only had half a year more of seeing each other and Cardiff every single day. And Cardiff is a cracking place. So, cwtch up with a Welsh cake and I’ll tell you about my 5 favourite places in Wales (although they are currently mainly Cardiff-based!).
Roath Park wins at being aesthetically pleasing for me. I finally went there during my second year and now I love popping there for a wander or a run. Home to ducks and geese, I always giggle at how they own the place… As they should! With a sweet cafe, the best clotted cream ice cream and its very own lighthouse, Roath Park is a place I will miss oh so much when the sky is blue.
I think Bute Park is always my go-to Happy Place when at university. During my first year at uni when I was super homesick, Bute Park is where I would end up. It’s where I really started to push myself with running which, in turn, made me far happier when I was feeling down. Then as I went into second year it’s where I ran and walked when I needed a break from revision. It became my best friend when it got warmer and I wanted to have a relaxing wander. Now it is also home to my Saturday mornings when I’m there for Cardiff Parkrun. I think Bute Park is the place I’ll miss the absolute most when I finally have to adult. I’ll miss it proving blue and green should be seen on super summery days and being the epitome of autumn with its oranges, yellows and greens in October.
When Wales warmed up last year and I pretended that meant it was short season, Aaron and I went on an afternoon trip to Penarth. I fell in love immediately. With seaside-y gift shops scattered about, alongside pretty restaurants and cafes that overlook the beautiful beach, Penarth made for a lovely afternoon. I got to try some authentic Welsh cakes with a tea as the day wound down and I realised that it really wasn’t quite short season yet. I will make sure I’ll be heading that way when summer wakes up next year!
As a Gavin and Stacey fan, I had to visit Barry Island at some point to see what was occurrin’. Although it was a super chilly and windy day, it was a lovely couple of hours, pointing out “that’s where Gav is when Stacey does this” etc. I’m excited to go back when it is warmer so that I can have the Proper Barry Experience and have a go on all of the rides.
I don’t have any pictures of Cardiff Bay which would be another Welsh favourite so I thought I’d share with you the picture that makes me very proud of my university. So many of the buildings are so beautiful that when I pass them, I’m reminded exactly why I made the right choice with choosing Cardiff University. Although the view from the Arts and Social Studies Library only inspires further sadness when you can’t quite hit the word count, a lot of Cardiff is pretty enough for me to forget about returning to my cold and smelly student home.
It’s weird that I won’t be there this time next year so I’ll have to spend the next few months taking as many Instagram-worthy pictures as possible so I can keep “Throwback Thursday”-ing.
~ Kat ~
binging on beetroot 