On Saturday, we headed off for St David, after getting a shot of the beach (Saundersfoot) by our hotel (St Bride's Spa). Probably the only regret of the trip was that there was no time to enjoy the facilities at the hotel. I think this place will be worth a trip back, both to see more of Wales and to enjoy the spa. What a great choice! We were originally going to go to Pembroke Castle and then visit St David's in the afternoon but there was a wedding at the Cathedral in the afternoon so we re-arranged our schedule.
The gate above St David's Cathedral. I thought the stone louvers on the window were interesting :-)
St David's Cathedral.
A view of the tower, St David's Cathedral.
Main entrance, with its lovely arch.
Detail of the head at the end of the arch.
Detail of the head at the other end of the arch.
Rose window, St David's Cathedral.
View of the wooden ceiling, which was a later addition. The ceiling actually hangs from the vaulted roof, which you can't see.
Looking down the nave.
Detail of the last remaining medieval wall painting, showing a knight. The walls of the entire cathedral would have been decorated like this in medieval times.
A shot of the floor tiles.
Tomb of Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd, died 1197.
Coat of arms in the cathedral.
Fan vaulting in one of the side alters.
Interesting door.
Another interesting door.
Outside shot, St David's Cathedral.
Pretty stream behind the cathedral.
A shot of the tower, St David's Cathedral.
Another Welsh dragon. They're everywhere!
In the afternoon, we went to Pembroke Castle. What an amazing place! This is the walk up to the main entrance and gatehouse.
The gate.
The Marshal lion (the Scarlet Lion), symbol of Pembroke.
The Great Keep--and other buildings.
The Henry VII Tower.
Inside view of the gatehouse.
Lots of stairs! And I climbed quite a few of them!!
View of the Great Keep from the Henry VII Tower.
Welsh flag, snapping in the wind.
View across Pembroke town.
The Great Keep.
More inside shots.
The banqueting hall.
Medieval latrine off the banqueting hall.
Pembroke walls.
More inside shots.
A cormorant, a bird with serious design flaws. It's a diving bird that can't fly with wet wings...
Inside shot of Pembroke Castle.
Dungeon Tower.
Pembroke Castle
Weather vane in Pembroke town.
Another shot of the Marshal Lion.
It was a stunning day; just a bit crisp with a bit of a breeze and lots of sunshine. You always read about how drafty the medieval castles were but usually there's not enough left to really experience it. Pembroke is different! It's quite complete and very drafty. They used to hand heavy tapestries on the walls to block some of the drafts and those things would have been positively flapping on a day like Saturday :-) It's hard to complain about the wind because it would have carried off a lot of the unpleasant odors. This has been a fabulous trip, make even batter by how well I'm getting around now.
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