Bristol

After our pleasant stopover in Truro we found ourselves in Bristol. Energetic, young, multicultural, vibrant Bristol. We were lucky to find some cheap train tickets to Bristol, purchased through the Megabus website. Megabus is a truly fantastic bus and train service if you can plan your UK trip using it. There are limited destinations from departure locations and you sometimes have to go on indirect routes but it saved us a bundle of pounds on this trip alone!

We stayed in Bristol for a week - hoping to do some sight-seeing and serious job hunting. We found a hostel new to Bristol called The Full Moon Backpackers, which offered cheap weekly rates (at a cost of sleep deprivation on Friday and Saturday nights due to the bar and clubs surrounding the hostel!). It was great to finally stay in one location for more than a couple of days. We actually had a chance to really get to know our fellow hostel guests, some of whom were also looking for work. Many a night we spent discussing all sorts of topics in the Hostel kitchen - from working and living in the UK and Europe to Climate Change. It was fantastic!

While we spent many hours at the Bristol City Council Libraries using their free Internet access looking for work, we were also able to do some sight-seeing. Amongst the sites we visited were the Clifton Suspension Bridge and Brunel's SS Great Britain. We also wandered up and down the Avon River, walked through the charming Clifton Village and rested in some of the many parks in Bristol. We enjoyed a cheap but delicious Moroccan lunch at the St Nicholas Market and spent a few hours in the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum. It was certainly very interesting to visit this museum from a 'colonial's' perspective to see what the British think of both colonised and modern Australia! We also suffered a veritable heatwave while in Bristol as the temperatures soared to the mid to late 20's! Some of our photos are below.

Bristol Cathedral -






Bristol City Council building -







SS Great Britain -

The SS Great Britain was designed by Isamabard Kingdom Brunel in 1843 and was the first large iron ship driven by a screw propeller.



A narrow lane on our walk to the Clifton Suspension Bridge -



Clifton Suspension Bridge -

The Clifton Suspension Bridge was also designed by Brunel and is 75m high, spanning the Avon Gorge.











Looking down onto the Avon Gorge -



Don't look down!



Hurry up and take the photo - I want to get off!