BREAKFAST! I walked to the village around 11AM and stopped by a cafe to get some food. Though the cafe boasted quite an impressive menu, I knew right away that I had to fill myself with unnecessarily heavy breakfast food (though it became necessary considering all the walking I did afterward). I have always been a huge fan of breakfast, but I think I didn't know what breakfast really was until yesterday. Eggs sunny-side up, baked beans, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, fried potatoes, and the yummiest toast this side of the English Channel. Did I leave in somewhat of a digestive crisis? Yes. Do I regret it? Not for a second. Part of me wants to go to that same cafe every day to get this breakfast, but then I'd be spending more money that I don't have yet. It didn't seem that expensive when I bought it, but at £6 a breakfast, it's actually like a $10 breakfast. Eeek. Okay, maybe I won't do that again for a while, but that's ok. It'll make it more of a treat. Or I could just cook it at home. While I was at the cafe, I saw a little promotional booklet for the Bristol Puppetry Festival which starts weekend after next. It may sound a little dorky, but some of the shows look like they will be quite haunting. I've never really seen a puppet show before other than Avenue Q, so I think I will go to at least one of the shows.
After I broke my fast, I took to the city, but not before getting caught in a maze of cul de sacs. I already mentioned how everything here goes in circles, but I haven't yet mentioned how sometimes I can't find a way out of a neighborhood, so I end up walking the same roads 10 times trying to figure out which one doesn't have a dead end. I thought I found a way out when I saw this large cricket field which totally was not locked though it had a high fence around it, but every other entrance was locked and I didn't feel like mangling my body in barbed wire trying to get out. I presume the gate I went in was supposed to be locked, but it wasn't. I actually saw several private cricket or other sports fields that were completely locked up. They're scattered about the suburbs, and while it's kind of depressing that these huge fields of green just sit there unused all day, it's nice to know that communities do have their little sports clubs. Just not sure if it's actually available to everyone or just those who pay... I'll have to investigate.
After making several wrong turns, I finally found my way back to roads that go somewhere and headed downtown. I walked down Gloucester Road which I believe I already wrote about some. That quickly became Cheltenham Road. Both roads are a big grungy and very commercial - all kinds of little shops, cafes, restaurants, and snack places. It's the kind of road you walk down and say, "Oooh, I wanna eat there and I wanna see what's in that store and I wanna go to that club on the weekend..." but then realize you already ate and you have no money. Oh well, still fun to look. Cheltenham Road was heading south right into downtown, but right before I got to town, I noticed a very colorful building with some new age hippies in front of it selling used clothes. I didn't go and talk to them, but I wanted to see all the colors anyway. I decided to keep following this road and it seemed intriguing and I figured I was no rush to get into town. It turned out I walked straight into a Afro-Caribbean neighborhood filled with colorful stucco buildings, hair salons, jerk chicken, wonderful murals, and not a white person in sight. Within a few minutes, I had walked from what seemed to be a 90% white area into a 0% white area (well, add me in and I guess it's a little more than 0%). So many people stared at me like they'd never seen a white person before. I don't blame them for this, I just blame whatever structural forces allowed and still allow segregation to be so obvious in pretty much every place you go on earth, from small towns like Douglas, GA to big "modern" cities like New York and Bristol. I soon realized this was a neighborhood called St. Pauls which George had told me was the place to go in Bristol for drugs and prostitutes. Tssk, tssk. Some guy actually did approach me in a non-threatening way on the street, asking, "You alright, man? You need something? You okay? You sure I can't help you with something?" I told him I was just fine and didn't need any help, and then I realized this was the fourth continent in which I've been asked to buy drugs. Woo?
After seeing numerous residences with African pride colors - red, green, gold, and black - and lots of little parks with kids riding bikes and getting asked to buy drugs, I wandered back to the main road and headed into town. I came to a huge roundabout that seemed impossible to cross, but then I saw that there was an underpass that let you go under the road. Brilliant! Better yet, it turned out there was a park in the middle of the roundabout that's not visible from outside the roundabout. Mmmm, secret park. Well, it's not really a secret, but a surprise I suppose. It also had only the second public restroom I've seen in all of Bristol + burbs, so I took advantage of this rare opportunity. I made my way out of the surprise park and on the other side of the roundabout was a city waiting for me to attack. The streets were extremely lively and crowded, just how I like 'em (sometimes). I walked by (but not in) Cabot Circus which is a HUGE shopping center that just opened last September. I went there last Christmas to get some last minute gifts. It's three stories high and like most of Bristol, it's a huge maze. There's any kind of retail store you could want there and a billion coffee shops and restaurants. There was this one obscure coffee place that I remember seemed really intriguing. If I remember correctly it was called Starbucks or something really underground like that.
I somehow stumbled upon The Lanes where George and I went Saturday night. It was encouraging because I felt like I kind of knew where I was (I totally didn't though). Then I turned a corner and somehow ended up in open air market stalls surrounded by buildings and with no roads, so you can't actually see it, only stumble upon it. So many surprises here! Even though Bristol is a very unique city, I can't deny that its open air market stalls were extremely predictable just like those in London, NY, Boston... and the list goes on. I'm sure there's a market somewhere else with more original things, but nonetheless, it was an interesting browse and I got myself a hacky sack. I haven't had one of those in a while but they're quite fun a good way to meet people if you're in a busy park.
After my little market experience, I walked by the River Avon for a bit. The river flows right through downtown Bristol and as I mentioned in an earlier post, it flows through the Avon Gorge which can get up to 300 feet deep. I was getting a bit tired at this point, so I figured I would start walking home (which I knew would take me over an hour or so...), so I headed back up north. I passed by the University of Bristol which looks like a really old church/castle type building, very ornate and dark. I also passed by the College Green, a park filled with young peoples like myself, many skateboarding around a little fountain. I walked away from this downtown madness (not really madness, just crowdedness) so I could space out a bit. I eventually came upon some stone steps. It wasn't clear exactly where it headed, so of course I had to find out. Turns out there's a giant park/nature reserve in the middle of downtown, but somehow it's on this hill and you just can't really tell it's there unless you walk up some mysterious stone steps. Sounds crazy, I know, but if anything has struck me most and made me happiest about being in Bristol, it's that there are parks, nature trails, and open spaces EVERYWHERE and they pop up so unexpectedly. Even though I have a map, you really can't even get a sense from the map of just how much green space there is here. And it's certainly not exclusive just to wealthy neighborhoods. These green spots are everywhere. What's even better is that most of them have what seem to be little off-to-the-side secret entrances. I'm certain they are public places, but you can just be walking down a busy road next to a stone wall or a wall of trees and then all of a sudden there's a little path that takes you to a beautiful field or through a path of trees. It's so wonderful! There's one such space a mere two-minute walk from George's parents house. There's a huge grassy field on a hill so that you get amazing views and lots of fresh air. I frequently see people walking their dogs there or flying kites or what have you. It's very lovely. Score one for Bristol!
After making my way across this lovely park which had wonderful views of the city, I moseyed up a commercial road with lots of expensive restaurants, cafes, and bars. This area is known as Clifton and it's where all the richies live. No joke, every house is about 3-4x bigger than your house. Yes, yours! They are also all very old, probably where some aristocrats lived back in the day, but I'm sure they've all been renovated or just very well maintained throughout the years because they all look flawless, classic but not aged. Eventually I reached the Downs and from this point on, there's no need to tell you much about what happens cause we've been there, done that.
I did a bit more exploring today, but damn, I just don't feel like writing about it right now, so I'm not going to. I'm sure I've already written more than anyone cares to read, but I've never been one for brevity when writing with passion. Hope you've enjoyed more of my adventures!
Oh, and on a final note, I'm going to London this weekend for what I'm sure will be a killer party! It'll be nice to get away for the weekend.
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