Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Cardiff is the capital and largest city in Wales and the ninth largest city in the United Kingdom.  The seat of the National Assembly for Wales is located in Cardiff.

I received this superb postcard from Lita (26 March 2014) Direct Swap Postcrossing.

The left upper panel and the right lower panel of the postcard shows City Hall.

City Hall is a civic building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, serving as Cardiff's centre of local government since it opened in October 1906. Built of Portland stone, it is an important early example of the Edwardian Baroque style.  There is a magnificent clock tower in this building.  This clock tower is 59 m (194 ft) in height and has a 3.7 metre diameter (12 ft) gilded dial on each of its four faces. The clock mechanism includes an hour bell and four quarter bells which are each inscribed with mottoes in English or Welsh.

The central panel of the postcard shows the Captain Scott Memorial in Roath Park. On the 15th June 1910, Captain Robert Falcon Scott set sail from Cardiff in the S.S. Terra Nova, to conquer the South Pole. Before leaving Scott pledged  "I will reach the South Pole or I will never come back again."  Captain Scott was beaten to the South Pole by the Norwegians and he perished on the way back.  In memory of the ill-fated expedition led by Captain Scott and accompanied by his companions, a clock tower in the form of a lighthouse was erected at the south end of Roath Park Lake. Surmounted by a model of the Terra Nova, the tower was erected and presented to the city of Cardiff in 1915. The clock tower has since been one of Cardiff's most familiar landmarks.

The right upper panel of this postcard shows the Millennium Stadium. It is the national stadium of Wales and has a total seating capacity of 74,500, It is the second largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof, and was the second stadium in Europe to have this feature.   The Millennium Stadium is used for a wide variety of activities - sport events, concerts, etc.

The bottom left panel of the postcard shows Cardiff Castle.  Actually it shows only the Norman shell keep.  A Welsh flag flies proudly from the highest point.  Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion and it is located in the city centre of Cardiff.  In 1947 ownership of this structure passed to the City and these days, Cardiff Castle is run as a tourist attraction, and is one of the most popular tourist sites for visitors to Cardiff.