The ruined Bishop's Palace next to St. David's Cathedral.
It was Kelly's idea to see the cathedral at St. David's, Wales. While we never got inside the cathedral (more on that later), I'm glad he made the suggestion. St. David's is located in a beautiful setting. It sits in this small valley just on the edge of the town of St. David's. A small river runs between it and the ruined Bishop's Palace. Add the quiet that comes from having the site isolated from cars and you have a truly special place.
We toured the ruined Bishop's Palace. Entrance to the palace costs £1.70 for adults, £1.20 for students. The ruins still retain enough of the original form to give a person a very good idea of how impressive the structure must have looked in its heyday. The palace contains some excellent exhibits on the construction, function, and deterioration of the buildings. While I enjoyed my time there, I was slightly disturbed by the whole complex. My uneasiness came from my distrust of the marriage of money and religion. While I recognize that churches need money to survive, it's hard for me to reconcile ornate complexes of buildings with the traditional Christian teachings of embracing poverty. This feeling would later resurface on the trip. But, despite my inability to appreciate the building on a philosophical level, I could appreciate it on an esthetic level. Visitors to this corner of Wales shouldn't miss this spot.
After touring the Bishop's Palace, we headed over to the Cathedral itself. I was looking forward to seeing the shrine of St. David. However, there were services going on in the church and visitors were not allowed inside. So, if you plan to visit St. David's Cathedral on a Sunday, just remember that while the Bishop's Palace opens at 9:30 a.m, the Cathedral itself opens at 12:30 p.m. to visitors. Oh yes, one other thing. There's a parking lot for the cathedral about a quarter mile from the building itself. If you get there before 10:00 a.m., there are no parking attendants. But, if you think you're going to get to park for free, you're mistaken. They'll simply put a bill of £1.00 on your car while you're gone, and then you'll pay as you leave.
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