UK Diaries - Bristol

Image of Clifton Suspension Bridge

It was Christmas time of the year 2017. My hubby's work assignment was in Bristol, UK. There came an opportunity to travel and experience the western part of the world. On the QANTAS flight, our journey started from Australia to UK via Dubai. It was the longest distance covered so far.. from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere..while in the plane, I spent most of the time watching flight path. We did a semi circle round of the earth.

Bristol walkway

Bristol Walkway and Saint Mary's Church

When we reached London Heathrow, it was rainy, winter morning. It is summer in Australia in Christmas time. On the other hand, it was a shivery winter in  the UK. We pulled out our warm clothes from the luggage and wore them in layers. Next hour, we were on the bus to Bristol. It was 2 hours bus journey from Heathrow Airport to Bristol bus terminal. Bristol is a city on River Avon. Whenever we walked to the shopping centre  or anywhere in the city, we always crossed the tiny, muddy river Avon. 

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Observatory

There are footpaths and bikeways along the river. It was pleasant experience crossing the river over Clifton Suspension Bridge. After crossiing Suspension Bridge, there is an observatory from where one can see all of Bristol city. Giant's Cave is another thrilling lookout.

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Saint Mary's Church

 

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Pendulum of Chaos

The tallest building in Bristol is Saint Mary's Redcliffe Church. The Church building is visible from all places in the city. The Church is very old but well maintained. The interior is also quite interesting. There is a statue of a man lying down, he was a wealthy merchant who helped the Church financially. The most fascinating thing is Chaos Pendulum. There is a semi- circular metal pipe oscillating side ways. From the top, the water is getting poured into the pipe. We stood in front of it guessing which way the water would flow. Sometimes water poured on the right side, sometimes on the left. Sometimes water gets poured right side consecutively. This pendulum illustrates the uncertainties in the life. None can predict which direction will the water gets poured next. This phenomenon is called chaos.

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Statue of wealthy merchant

We still remember our stroll through narrow, brick streets of Bristol. Whenever there was bit of sunlight all of us sat outside by the bank of the River enjoying the view of old boathouses. There is status of Raja Ram Mohan Roy at the Collage Green of Bristol City Hall. He is mentioned as Indian Scholar. This city became our home for short period and opened the doors for us to travel other British as well as European citiies. Met many new friends there.. attended Christmas parties.. strolled through weekend markets situated at the walkways..watched snowfall and blizzards first time in the life....Miss you, Bristol!!!