City of the Red Dragon - Cardiff
The capital of the Principality of Wales - "Cardiff", was called "Caerdyf" in Middle Welsh. "Caer" means fortress and "dyf" refers to the River Taff. The full meaning is "fortress on the River Taff", which refers to today's "Cardiff Castle". : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 2. The Wales Millennium Centre, with a construction area of 1.9 hectares, includes a large theatre and two small performance halls, as well as shops, bars, restaurants and other facilities. It is also the home of the world-renowned Welsh National Opera and is known as the "Central Stage" of Wales. The building has "Millennium" directly embedded in its name, and the inscription on the dome of the building's exterior wall is a poem by the Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis. Next to it is the Millennium Stadium, which cost 126 million pounds to build. The stadium can accommodate 74,500 spectators and is the second largest stadium in Europe and the largest in the world with a retractable roof. The movable indoor turf allows the stadium to be used for concerts, exhibitions and other purposes. 3. Welsh Parliament Building: Also known as Hined Building, it is the office building of the Welsh Parliament, with an area of 5,308 square meters. Construction began on March 1, 2001. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom attended the unveiling ceremony on March 1, 2006. The building cost a total of 69.6 million pounds. It faces the sea, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls on all sides and a huge wavy roof, which is very creative. It is said that if you are lucky on a weekday, you can see the MPs discussing state affairs through the glass wall. The last stop is the century-old "Cardiff Market", which is located at Castle Corner in the center of Cardiff. It is a traditional indoor market built in the Victorian era and is a Grade II listed building. The Cardiff Market consists of two shopping floors, the first floor and the balcony floor. The three entrances of the market are located in the alleys near St. Mary Street, Trinity Street and Church Street. A H. Samuel clock has been hanging at the entrance of the market since 1910, and the current clock was set in late 1963. There are many kinds of shops in the market, including various fresh foods, cooked foods, snacks, daily necessities and florists. The famous Ashton's seafood store claims to have been selling various fresh seafood at the entrance of Trinity Street since 1866. The Market Deli shop is a small family business with a history of more than 100 years. It has been operating at the same stall in the market since 1928. Wandering through the dazzling array of shops, I felt the bustling atmosphere of this young city. However, the weather was too cold, so I only spent more than half an hour shopping. I bought some authentic waffles to try, and then took photos at the exit of the market. It was a perfect ending!