A call from the Croatian Embassy on Wednesday afternoon advising that their Ambassador and his wife would be in Cardiff on Friday got the International Visits Team swinging into action to prepare a four hour programme to show the Ambassador of what the city and Wales has to offer.
After a warm welcome – it’s the friendliness of the Welsh people that visitors always remember; it was off for a light lunch of Welsh produce in the Senedd. The Ambassador admired the design and beauty of the building and was amazed that members of the public are able to get close to their government. As if to echo the ideal of ‘open and accessible’ government, the Ambassador met and spoke to a group of students from Barry who were there to meet and quiz their local AM.
The next stop on this whistle stop tour of Cardiff was another iconic building – the
Wales Millennium Centre (WMC). Walking across Roald Dahl Plas with the sun shining, the building looked like a ship made of burnished gold; Ambassador and Mrs Tomic were completely bowled over! It turned out that the Ambassador had in fact visited Cardiff previously, as a student in 1972 and could not believe how much the City had changed especially the regenerated Docks area. During the tour of the Centre, the Tomic’s were able to go back stage during the
Welsh National Opera (WNO) rehearsal of Wozzeck. The Ambassador was impressed by the fact that the WMC is home to the National Orchestra of Wales, the
National Dance Company of Wales and the
Urdd as well as the WNO. His reaction was that WMC completely outshines Sydney!
From new buildings to old, one of Wales’ leading heritage attractions located in the heart of the city centre –
Cardiff Castle. From Roman and Norman beginnings, the Castle passed into the hands of the Bute family and was transformed by the genius architect William Burges. The Ambassador was enthralled at the lavish and opulent interior of the rooms, each with its own special theme. The children’s nursery decorated with popular nursery rhymes and the fun of finding the ‘Invisible Prince’, the gentlemen’s room with the carving of the devil above the door – to deter women from entering and the breathtaking Arab room with its intricate and gold leaf carvings.
The Castle gives an insight into the rich and varied history of the City and for Ambassador and Mrs Tomic it was yet another reason to return to Wales and explore more of its fascinating heritage.