Meet the twins
It's an odd idea, twinning towns; two places in completely different parts of the world with no apparent relation to one another are linked, supposedly with the goal of fostering better international relations and cultural understanding. Ok, but is the process of choosing a twin completely arbitrary, as it seems to be? Cardiff, for instance, has six twins (actually that would make the lot septuplets then, wouldn't it?).
But does Cardiff have anything in common with its International siblings, or is it the black sheep of the family? Itchy set out to do a little internet-based research on a few of these foreign relatives.
Nantes, France: Cardiff has a rich Celtic heritage, and Nantes is the home of a Celtic band called Tri Yann. Who would've thunk?
Stuttgart, Germany: It's the cradle of the automobile (both the four-wheeled car and the motorbike were invented there), and people in Cardiff drive cars and bikes. Oh yes.
Xiamen, China: Tea came from China, and special tea bread (bara brith) came from Wales.
Pernik, Bulgaria: Nope we've never heard of it either, but apparently before getting its own coal industry in the 20th century, Pernik used to get it delivered from Cardiff. Not too exciting, but at least it's an actual connection this time.
Oh and in case you were wondering, Cardiff's other twins are Luhans'k, Ukraine and Bergen, Norway, both of which we were too lazy to find facts about.
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