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