wales part two

I didn't expect to see lacrosse in Wales. But here it is. I see a team practicing as I run along the river. However, mostly this week has been the big England vs. Sri Lanka cricket match. A number of guests at the hostel are here for the match. One elderly man, apparently of Indian descent but from Durham EN and passionate about cricket, has been quite friendly in a slightly inappropriate way. He tends repeat his stories such as returning to his bunk here at the hostel and finding a woman asleep in it. It appears that a guest had overstayed, and he made do on the couch downstairs. However, it was so comfortable, he asked the proprietor to stay there again tonight. The cricket fans stream past our hostel on their way to the stadium, mostly packs of males in costume. One group in matching sweats of team colors and each with a different garish, frightening clown wig. Many are in superhero garb, padded suits, shiny and colorful, but not of any established superhero, just someone with some sort, I guess, of superpower. One group is all in doctor's scrubs with stethoscopes. Not sure what to make of this. A few older fans, couples in sensible clothes, navy blue windbreakers and thick soled boots also pass by. The weather this morning, however, is between a mist and drizzle blowing sideways. They won't play on a wet field, so we will see what happens.

A day off is welcome because you can make your own schedule and take a break from traveling companions. I wander over to the National Museum which has both natural history types of displays and art collections. I heard their Impressionism collection is worth checking out, and I find it small but quite nice. Most is okay, but two Cezanne's and three Monet's along the same wall blow me away. I sit and let them keep washing over me. It's incomprehensible how this works.
Using sensory detail in travel writing is one thing that Lucy has emphasized. I thought of this while standing in the ancient cottages at the Museum of Welsh Folklore. The rooms held fireplaces that heated the food and the space. These were shallow fireplaces with wide flanges, and smoke hovered in these low ceiling cottages. Being a rainy, cool day some cottages had fires going. Not a bad smell, but it's not hard to imagine it becoming tiresome (and unhealthy) over time.
Despite the interest in the cricket match, Wales is suppose to be rugby mad. I had hope to see some, but it's not to be. Across from our hostel is the famous Millennium Stadium where big time rugby games are held. Despite the glowing comments in the guidebooks, I find this structure a monstrosity. Here a few pics as well as some from the pedestrian main thoroughfare in Cardiff.