Wednesday morning and post breakfast Cherie, Kim and I headed back again into Bristol. On the agenda a visit to the SS Great Britain and then see where the day would take us.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel had an office top right in the building pictured.
The SS Great Britain is an experience and the level of access for visitors is unparalleled in my view. We had our own personal tour guide Mike a friend of Cherie's; we also had another local contact in Carol in the souvenir shop. So good of both to take the time to make our visit special.
The tour begins in a very well assembled interactive museum before taking us under the SS Great Britain and its Hull.
At the waterline the museum and dry dock engineers have produced a glazed platform covered in water. The effect viewed askance is that the ship is afloat when seen from above.
The hull under the glass is interesting.
The ship has three decks and a numerous areas of interest. Key features are the talking toilet which although pre-warned, snook up on Cherie as she tried the door. "Gadzooks" cried the male inside, "this stall is occupied".
I was further amused when I noticed that the washbasins on board were made by Thomas Crapper, a gentlemen also renowned for the flushing lavatory. Modern days words come to mind.
The kitchen proved no less entertaining with the cook blasting the cat for failing to control the rats. Running in the cupboards the silhouettes of rats.
Surrounding the dry dock a very authentic scene on all sides, spell only broken when the eye is drawn to the distance and the more modern City.
Bristol is a very vibrant City with a dark past. Its role in the slave trade a black mark. Today and in this shot the colours are far from black.
Next stop after the SS Great Britain was meant to be the Cider Barge on the river for lunch and apple beverage. It unfortunately was closed until 5pm so alternative was sought and lo and behold next door the Spyglass and Three Brother Burger Company. Plus at least 15 cider choices on the menu. Bristol is a University City in Cider Country so makes huge sense. Lunch was excellent and great value.
Bristol and its history are a visual experience and here are a couple of pictures to demonstrate. The first the Llandoger Trow is an historic public house in Bristol, south west England. Dating from 1664, it is in King Street, between Welsh Back and Queen Charlotte Street, near the old city centre docks.
The second an imposing Tower and part of the University of the West of England. The evening included fine food yet again and a lovely pork meal. The order is now placed for the stair lift to enable us to get up the stairs to bed. G'night!
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