Turn left at the crazy half man half plant and straight on till you reach mermaids!

Being down South, and with a weekend free we decided that we should really see some sights that are around (and possibly increase my knowledge of both the spiritual and historical of the region)

Accordingly, a short car journey (well 90 minutes) saw me in Hereford. I have to admit that my knowledge of Hereford was really limited to that it was sometimes inside Wales and sometimes outside (that and expecting to see a lot of extremely healthy men, with slightly longer hair than normal for the army, and with a scary look in their eyes! - The SAS are based around there - very hush hush!)

Copyright - BBC.co.uk

Unsurprisingly really Hereford was a quiet, very pretty city (think it's a city if there is a Cathedral) with lots of very picturesque green spaces, lots of very old looking buildings, and a fantastic cathedral.

The views within the Cathedral are quite fantastic. There has been a place of worship on the site since the 8th Century, and although the original Saxon cathedral was destroyed by the Welsh in about 1055 the majority of the cathedral dates from about between 1107-1158. To see pieces of architecture that have survived for over 900 years is incredible. Currently there is a large amount of repairs going on, and although they were closed when we went, you can see an open work area outside where the stonemasons are producing replacement stone work.

One of the most interesting pieces that the Cathedral holds is the Hereford Mappa Mundi. This was the 13th Century's view of the world. To see it, it is amazing to see how our ancestors saw the world around them, and how they linked this to the spiritual world, and their extremely strange geographical and anatomical beliefs. The map is currently dated from 1300 and was made from a single calf skin.

Whilst the map attempts to identify the major pilgrim sites it is interspersed with amazing images of creatures that they thought lived around the world. This includes a mandrake, which is depicted as half a tree and half a man upside down, a unicorn, and men who have no heads but whose faces are in their chests (some kind medieval commentator had likened them to lawyers......I don't know what we ever did to them!)

Copyright - Hereford Cathedral 2009



The mappa mundi was quite spectacular, but did make me wonder if this was one of the earliest A-Zs whether directions would be by way of mythical creatures, and how difficult passing the cabby's knowledge would have been.



If you are at the Cathedral I would also recommend seeing the chained library, containing volumes of books that date from as early as 1473.



Shizzle da Brizzle

Having now been down in Bristol for four weeks, and having had a whole 2 weekends to explore (couldn't include Easter.....or heaven forbid the "WEDDING WEEKEND") I should say that Bristol has some fantastic views and sights (apart from burnt out Tesco supermarkets or riot police.....although that only seems to happen when I leave the city......heav'n knows what will happen when I leave, but if there is a smouldering hole on the map where Bristol used to be.....it's really not my fault!)

If you ever get the chance to go I would really recommend it.

One sight has got to be the Avon Gorge Bridge, built by someone famous (Isambard Kingdom Brunel - I think) but the views are really incredible.

 

If you don't have a head for heights (and to be honest even if you normally do but the thought of being a very long long way over a busy road and river) there is Clifton itself, which over looks the Avon Gorge, and where there are some really nice shops (and where there is a fantastic cider bar the Coronation Tap - where Exhibition cider is sold in half pint glasses).

Bristol is also a home of some fantastic street art, having been a home of Banksy, and more young artists coming through. There is a tour that you can follow to wander round some of his more famous pieces, but there are still little pieces that can be found just turning a corner.

There is so much antiquity that you can walk down a street and feel that you should be living 200 years ago, and then turn a corner to be faced with modernity, most of which seems to have been integrated cleanly and without significant disturbance.

And whilst away from home, I have been put up in a serviced apartment, which (although a room and en-suite) it overlooks the harbour. This is not quite as grand as it sounds.....there are no fancy yachts and big expensive cars (well there are but not in this bit of the harbour) but a lot of narrow boats and seagulls. Whilst noisy many enjoyable hours have been spent watching the world go by from the harbour side, enjoying the sun.

 

Other highlights:

The Hole in the Wall - a pub that is believed to be the basis for The Spyglass in Treasure Island.
St Mary's Redcliffe - a huge Elizabethan church
Cabots Circus - A place to find pretty much anything you could want
Glassboat Restaurant - a fantastic place to eat