Barry Island: My first time at the sea since coming to Wales!

Today I made a trip to Barry Island, a beautiful place with sandy beaches just 30 mins out of Cardiff by train. I just needed a change. Some place calm to exhale for a while from the consumerism-oriented culture in the town and rushy preparations for the nearing Christmas. When I found out about the island from a friend last weekend, I knew right away that when it finally stops raining I have to go. Today – it stopped, finally. With the first sunshine slowly chasing the rainy clouds out of the sky I took the train to Barry Island. The fact that the ticket guy never came to charge me for the ticket all the way there just made the whole trip even more enjoyable!

When I got there eventually, I was stunned – the sea! I was at the sea! Finally I could exhale! Finally I could breathe again! Finally I was free! This is what I needed! Fresh Air, Wind, Sea, roaring of the Sea Waves, Beach, Sand, Dogs running around the beach even against the ban of dogs running around the beach , the ubiquitous Seagulls, the LIFE! Everything I’ve been looking for since I came here I found in that one very moment! I was free again and it felt great!

The island itself though feels a bit sad… Sad and forgotten… As the season’s over for this year, everything around was closed – cafés, restaurants, shops, even the local fish & chips that’s always opened was closed today. The only thing that until now remained opened from some reason – was the casino and the gaming-house… Wicked! Looks like even if people don’t have anything to eat and drink here, they’re always up for a quick stop to gamble!

Apart from the sandy beach in the Whitmore Bay, the main attraction of the island is the Barry Island Pleasure Park. Founded back in 1920, this place has been attracting its visitors from nearby towns by a promise of a quality time spent with their families on the sunny weekends during the tourist season. Just a simple idea of having a picnic on the beach with a small group of friends or a person you love, laying on the sand getting tanned and for those braver trying out the cold water while jumping up and down in the sea waves, visiting the pleasure park and its attractions, having fun and a good time taking a day off from a routine life of everyday responsibilities in the city, just simple thinking about a free day spent at this place when the weather is nice and you’re not alone, makes me feel ecstatic!

After a whole month of not shooting and wandering the streets of gloomy Cardiff like a body without a soul, today I finally found my inspiration there again! I’m so happy that I went! For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to enjoy this place as much as I did today, I am enclosing some of the pictures that I took there. Well, what more can I say? Maybe just – enjoy!

~ by martinaolbertova on November 12, 2008.