St. David's Day with Sammi aka. tracking down the worlds fastest parade

My weekend got even better when I returned home and met up with Sammi Steinfeld, a long time friend visiting from the St. Andrews study group. We watched a movie then went out to dinner at an excellent Mexican place because apparently they dont have much Mexican in St. Andrews and Sammi was craving it. We then spent the evening catching up on each others lives and knitting; I felt a bit like an old lady (Sammy taught me how to knit last friday).

The next day, we met for breakfast and coffee, then dropped Sammy off at the library to do some work. Then Sammi and I went on an epic walk around Cardiff city center and Bute park . We went to the indoor market and wandered around there for awhile. They sell very weird things... old records, pet birds, fake flowers, wigs, used books. It is also the home of the crazy knitting lady, who I have now had contact with three times. Sammy had asked us to pick up some 12 mm knitting needles for some thick wool she bought, but the knitting lady had no idea what we were asking and frankly, we couldnt explain it to her. After that, we kept wandering through the city, talking about a wide range of topics from grandparents to homework assignments. It was a beautiful day for walking, and we definitely walked upwards of 5 miles.

We met up with Sammy, Laura and Casey at Baguettes and Bagels (one of our regular haunts where I got to try Quorn for the first time (mushroom goo that looks and tastes like chicken)). Then we chased down the St. Davids Day parade, which was a short but very cute parade that went through the city center. They had a mini horse and children dressed up in the Welsh National Costume singing W-A-L-E-S, our country is the best! They were adorable and everyone was bedecked in dafodills and leeks, which are national symbols of wales. It was cool to see such national pride, but it is likely that the kids were having such a good time because they had the day off school. After that, we sent Sammi on her way back to St. Andrews. It was amazing getting to spend time with her, and it is always so cool seeing people outside of the Colgate bubble.

That night, a few of us went to a St. David's Day concert, which was very enjoyable. There were several orchestral numbers, as well as a harpist who played brilliantly (Jackie loved that part). After the intermission, the choir joined in, which was absolutely amazing. There were at least 100 people in the choir, and it was breathtaking to hear so many voices combined. At the end, everyone in the concert hall sang the welsh national anthem, which was truly beautiful! All in all, it was a great day to experience all things welsh!