A WEEK IN BRISTOL

Arriving in Bristol on the train, we were looking forward to once again having an apartment which included a wash machine.  It's always a surprise to see what type of building the cab pulls up to and what the accommodations will be. This one turned out to be another very nice, comfortable home away from home.

Here we are arriving.

And immediately getting to work!  Figuring out how the wash machine/dryer works is always a test of one's intelligence.  Wow!  Sometimes I don't do so well!  I will admit we are getting better at figuring out these foreign machines.

After finishing our chores like getting groceries, doing laundry, and unpacking a bit we were, you'll never guess, hungry!  I got out my trusty phone ( well it works sometimes) used trip advisor to see what was close by.  We found The Volunteer Tavern.  An appropriate place for 4 military officers. At first we weren't sure about it but the personnel were friendly and the food was great!  In fact we went back for lunch one day and they were preparing for a big event that evening.  Four times a year , the beginning of each season, the chef does a seven course meal.  They showed us the menu and it was fantastic!  They dress the place up with tablecloths, polish the silver, and decorate with beautiful flowers!  Would have loved to attend.

Lovely old trees lined the walk to the Tavern.

On Saturday we had a few chores left to do. Go to the bank, go to the drugstore, and visit the Visitors Center.  We got thru just in time for lunch!  We found a neat Italian Restaurant and were seated in an outdoor area.  We were enjoying our meals when I looked up and thought I saw a number of bicyclists up the street and I thought they were nude.  Sharon ,Ginger and JoAnne looked up and confirmed my suspicion.  I'm not sure what you call a group of nude bicyclists but I think it might be "a giggle",

After lunch we decided to walk down to the larger Visitor Center and explore the city a little. It was a lovely day and a lovely walk!  

We walked around the waterside area and the market 

One if the things we really noticed about both Plymouth and Bristol is that they are of course very old cities but they are also pretty depressed looking.  Bristol had built an expansive shopping mall and is a shopping Mecca for many.  They had every store imaginable. 

Looks just like any mall in any city in the USA!

I hate to even mention this but we were still so tired from all our travels that we skipped dinner and popped popcorn and ate cheese and crackers, and apples!  We did have a little liquid fruit with that:-)!  After taking it easy for a couple of days we felt ready to take on another excursion. We had plans to venture off to Bath on Sunday!