Swansea

City Center:

The city's main post office is located above the w.h. smiths store in the quadrant shopping centre.

Mumbles:

The post office is on mumbles road, between the tourist office and joe's ice-cream parlor.

internet

The city centre is a Wi-Fi hotspot zone, with a charge of £10 for 2 hours to access the system. There is also a Wi-Fi hotspot at Crossfire, on the Kezone/BT Openzone network, with single-hour access available for £6 or four hours for £10.

talk

Although it definitely has character, Swansea dialect especially from east-side can be hard to understand for the uninitiated.

The following usages are peculiar to Swansea:

bye-ya

= here example: "Put it bye-ya" means "Put it here."

ewe

= you example: "Alright, arr ewe?" means "Are you OK?"

learns

= teach, example: "Will you learns me English?" means "Will you teach me English?"

likes

= like, example: "I likes it" means "I like it"

now

= often used as an affirmative, not be taken literally example: "I'll come over now later" just means "I'll come over later."

fair dues

= to give someone credit example: "He is not rich, but fair dues he's always happy to lend money to his friends." means "He is not rich, but give him credit. He's always happy to lend money to his friends."

there's

= that's, how or what example: "There's lovely" means "That's beautiful" or "How nice", whereas "There's a mess!" would in more standard English be expressed as "What a mess!"

butt/butty

= friend/buddy. example: "How're you doing, butt?" means "How are you doing, mate/friend?"

mun

= used at the end of a statement for emphasis purposes example: "Hurry up, mun, or we'll be late".

Evening Po

= an abbreviated term for Evening Post the Swansea evening newspaper called out by road side vendors.

In addition, there is a tendency for those with a strong accent to speak in the third person. So if someone walks up to you and says, "eye nose ewe", don't be surprised. They are merely expressing the fact that they recognize you i.e. "I know you"!

The Swansea accent is more noticeable in blue collar areas of the city, whereas in more affluent areas people speak with a more refined Welsh accent. However, even in these areas Wenglish phrases like "Uch a fi!" dirty can still be heard.

About 16% of Swansea's population can speak and read Welsh in addition to English, though the majority of these are residents of the the northern suburbs i.e. those closest to the counties of Powys and Carmarthenshire. People from the original town of Swansea, east-side, Mumbles and South Gower were not traditionally Welsh speaking, and so there are far fewer Welsh speakers in these areas.

religious services

There are many religious and spiritual groups meeting in Swansea. Below is just a representative of the most common.

Anglican:

St. Mary's Church

St Mary’s Square. (http://homepage.ntlworld....) Tel:+44 1792 655-489 joint Anglican and Greek Orthodox

Bon

Yungdrung Bon Meditation Group

122 Clydach Road, Morriston. (http://www.yungdrungbon.com/) Tel:+44 1792 207-474

Buddhist:

Pulpung Changchub Dargyeling

Kagyu Tradition, 7 Benbow Close, Sketty (http://www.palpung.org/) Tel:+44 1792 524-282 Annzella Gregg. e-mail: [email protected] meetings on Wednesdays 7-9PM

Dzogchen Community

Nyingma Traditon (http://www.dzogchencommun...) e-mail: [email protected] Regular meetings in Fforestfach.

Hebrew:

Swansea Synagogue

Ffynone Road, Uplands. (http://www.avisittoswanse...) Tel:+44 1792 206-404

Hindu:

Tridev Meditation Society

5A Beechwood Road, Uplands. (http://www.tridev.org/) Tel+44 1792 208-373

Islam:

Swansea Mosque

14/15 St Helens Road. (http://www.swanseamosque....)

ISKCON:

Radha Krishna Temple (Govinda's)

8 Cradock Street. (http://www.iskcon.org.uk/...) Tel:+44 1792 468-469

Jehovah Witnesses:

Swansea Congregational Jehovah Witnesses

Kingdom Hall, Uplands. Tel:+44 1792 411861

Native American Practices

The Heyokah Centre

The Retreat, 2 Humphrey Street. Tel:+44 1792 457-880

Quakers

Friends Meeting House

168 St Helen's Road. (http://www.swanseaquakers.org/)

Roman Catholic:

St. Joseph's Cathedral

Convent Street, Greenhill. (http://www.dioceseofmenev...) Tel:+44 1792 652-683

area code

Swansea's area dialling code is 01792. To call from overseas, dial +44 1792 XXXXXX

beaches and coast

As a coastal city, visitors inevitably come into contact with the sea. Be aware of local conditions before swimming or undertaking boating activities.

Among the popular beaches, Three Cliffs is dangerous for swimming due to the strong under currents caused by a tidal lagoon. Worm's Head off the tip of Rhossili Bay has also claimed many lives. Ensure that you know the times of the tides before venturing out the the island. Many people have been swept away trying to return through a fast rising tide. The cliffs between the Rhosilli village and Worms Head have also claimed lives, some of the grass and earth on the cliff edge is eroding and walkers should heed local warnings and stick to the path. Indeed, care should always be taken while taking clifftop walks in the Gower.

From the beginning of May, Caswell, Langland, Bracelet and Port Eynon beaches are all patrolled by professional lifeguards during the weekends. From June until September the beaches are patrolled 7 days a week

Advice for safe swimming:

A red flag means danger. Do not enter the water if the red flag is flying

Consider bathing at a beach that's under lifeguard protection

Don't swim alone at a deserted beach

Don't use inflatables. They are easily swept away by strong currents

If you see someone in trouble, call 999 and ask for Coastguard

Inquire about swimming conditions at local tourist offices prior to venturing to a beach without lifeguard cover

Read warning notices posted near beach access sites

The area between the red and yellow flags marks the area patrolled by lifeguards. Don't swim outside this area

crime

Crime occurs in Swansea as in most other cities, and sensible precautions should be taken. As elsewhere in the UK, there can be drink related problems in those areas with high concentrations of pubs and clubs, e.g. Wind Street and Kingsway in the City Centre and the Mumbles Mile.

hospitals and clinics

In an emergency, dial 999 and request ambulance service.

Morriston Hospital

Heol Maes Eglwys, Morriston near the M4. Tel:+44 1792 702-222 - the largest hospital in the city - operates a specialist burns center and accident and emergency unit.

Singleton Hospital

Sketty Lane, Sketty in the west of the city. Tel:+44 1792 205-666 - a large hospital but no accident and emergency unit.

Sancta Maria

Ffynone Road, Uplands. Tel:+44 1792 479-040 (http://www.hmt-uk.org/san...) - a small private hospital located in the Uplands area - non emergency treatment only.

Swansea Clinic for Alternative Medicine

(http://www.swanseaclinic.com/), 20 Walter Road. Tel:+44 1792 644-362