Cardiff

As a mini vacation, I spent last weekend in Wales- Cardiff to be exact. As I mentioned in my post last Friday, the main reason I decided to go was to see the "South Wales Derby"- a football rivalry match between Wales' two biggest clubs.

The train ride to Cardiff was quite the journey. Including one short stop at Birmingham Station, it took just over six hours. I woke up at 6:00am on Saturday morning, left Durham at 7:56am and got into Cardiff around 2:00pm in the afternoon. I spent the afternoon exploring the city, from castles and parks, to the bay area. I estimate I must have walked over six or seven miles. It was tiring, but a great city to explore, and the weather was cooperatively mild.

(Cardiff Castle)

(Cardiff Bay)

(Cardiff Skyline, and Millenium Stadium- An international stadium, not Ninian Park)

The next morning I got up bright and early again, this time for the match. The kickoff was scheduled for 11:00am, an unusually early time for a football match. The police forced the match to be so early, in attempt to cut down on fan violence in the historically heated rivalry. I was a bit concerned about what I was getting myself into. When I told friends in Durham that I was going to they match they general reaction was incredulity, and a few even asked me if I had a death wish! Quite the match to pick for my first British club football match.

However it turned out to be an amazing day, and I'm very glad I went. The stadium itself, known as Ninian Park is amazing. It opened in 1910, and this, its 99th year, is to be its last. Cardiff City are moving into a new stadium next year. Everything about Ninian was old; from the outside it didn't even look like a football stadium, it looked more like an abandoned warehouse. It was rusty and rundown, dirty and decrepit, and I loved everything about it.

(The exterior of the stadium- taken the day before, thus the absence of crowds)

The atmosphere inside the stadium was absolutely electric, unlike anything I've ever experienced. The passion, emotional investment and sheer volume of the supporters was impressive. The large section of away fans were separated from the rest of the fans by a big gap in the seats, a mesh fence, and literally hundreds of police. It was pretty intense. Many of the fans stood the entire match, and all the fans sung, chanted and cheered/swore through almost the entire game. The game itself was a good one, with four goals. Cardiff City scored a late penalty kick in stoppage time, to salvage a 2-2 draw My favorite player, Eddie Johnson- an American- even got into the game as a late substitute.

(Fans celebrating after a goal, many directing cheers/jeers towards the away end of the stadium)

(Away fan section, with the Swansea fans protected by police and stewards)

After the match I waited around the stadium for a while, trying to avoid the chaos and clashes between fans and police all around the stadium. I also didn't really have anywhere to go with my train not leaving for a few hours. I waited around the players entrance, and eventually got to meet Eddie Johnson, and take a picture. Later I approached him in the parking lot, and had a 15 minute conversation with my soccer hero. It was pretty amazing.

(Me [at right] with Eddie)

Overall it was a great weekend. I really loved Cardiff. It was a charming city, and I had a great time exploring it. I loved Ninian park, and enjoyed the amazing experience of attending the match. I also got to meet my favorite soccer player. It was well worth the hours spent on the train.


Note: In case you are intersted in a much more indepth report of the match, and my meeting with Eddie Johnson, CLICK HERE for a blog I wrote for a soccer website about my experience.