St. David's

Saturday was yet another international trip to the city of St. David’s and nearby Whitesands Bay. Known as the smallest city in the UK, St. David’s is named after, you guessed it, the Welsh Patron Saint, David. However, he was not born here. He was actually born a few miles away in near a place called Non’s Chapel, not far from the Pembrokeshire coastal trail. Here (as seen above), a chapel still stands as does the well that was said to have sprung up out of nowhere during a thunderstorm on the night little Davie was born (see below). However, this wasn’t just any ordinary well, it was a well of magical healing powers. The blind could splash its water upon their eyes and see again, and the lame could walk after a quick dip.
St. David, himself, was said to have super-natural powers himself. It was rumored that he raised someone from the dead back in his prime. His real “claim to fame” though, was when it was being decided whether or not he would become archbishop, there were concerns that not everyone would be able to see and hear him speak. Miraculously, the earth rose so that everyone could see him. Needless to say, he became archbishop (http://sucs.org/~rhys/stdavid.html). And yes, I did just cite that. This guy seems to know it all!

So, back to St. David’s. In this town, there stands a cathedral dedicated to David. In fact, before it was built, the monastery David attended was stood there. Now, however, this MASSIVE cathedral still hold Sunday services as well as the occasional choral concert and is open to the public most days of the week. Beyond the newer part, stand the ruins of the first cathedral built. And all throughout the grounds there are several tombstones and other ominous, foreboding objects.. it’s quite scary actually. I definitely wouldn’t want to be there alone at night. But inside the cathedral, it’s beautiful! The alter is absolutely astonishing, as is the gigantic stain glass window that’s at the opposite end.

However, the rest of town isn’t much. There are a few shops and cafes and two candy shops, which I most definitely checked out. My favorite place though, was where we stopped in for tea. It was a locally run café/restaurant/pub/ice cream shop called The Bench, and boy, was it delicious! The girls I were with all got coffee and dessert, but I had to order some food, since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was now nearing 2 o’clock. So I ordered a cup of tea, with extra sugar of course, and a ham and cheese baguette. YUM! It was delightful! And the atmosphere of the place was so neat! There were big, comfy couches everywhere, an outdoor patio, and no two tables were exactly the same (see below for a close up of a table-top). It was buzzing with originality. Even the employees were unique and very welcoming.
Then of course, on our way out, I HAD to get some ice cream. I had been craving it for I don’t know how long. They had lots of flavors, so that made it difficult to choose, but after about 5 minutes of debating, I went with the traditional Welsh honey and lavender. I wasn’t going to.. I thought it sort of sounded a bit odd, to tell you the truth. But I asked the scooper if he recommended it and he said he definitely did, so I decided to try it. It was DEEEELICIOUS! I honestly think it may be my new favorite flavor. Too bad I can’t find it at the local supermarket though. Perhaps I’ll write in to Ben and Jerry’s and suggest that they make it a new flavor!
Well, that’s really all I’ve got for now. So, until next time!