After leaving Billy and Ted, the laid back cats from Horsham, we traveled to Longwell Green to stay with two chocolate labs and 6 ducks. The labs, Buttons and Lily, were sweet old ladies who loved belly scratches.
We had a wonderful stay in Longwell Green. Longwell Green is midway between Bristol and Bath. Bristol is a lovely town with much to see. Bath's claim to fame are The Roman Baths. We made several visits to Bristol, leaving our car at the Park and Ride. The Park and Ride is so much easier for visitors like us. We pay a minimal fare to ride the bus to town centre. Chuck gets to see the scenery this way (I still haven't gotten up the courage to drive yet). On our first visit to Bristol, we happened upon a motorcycle show.
We had fun just walking the cobblestone streets and looking at all the motorcycles. We also wandered through a small market and enjoyed the street performers. There is an area in Bristol known as the Christmas Steps. Rumor has it that this little alley with its steps is the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
On our next visit to Bristol, we toured the city on the Hop On Hop Off bus. There was so much more to Bristol than we knew. Two stops on the tour were our favorite: The Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain. The Clifton Suspension Bridge was originally designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel designed and built the SS Great Britain. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a true genius. Chuck and I attended several lectures aboard the NCL Jade (our transatlantic cruise to Southampton). Here's a short YouTube video about Brunel.
The nest day, we toured the SS Great Britain. It was fascinating. We spent several hours touring the ship. The brave and daring could pay an extra 10 Pounds to climb the rigging. We chose to just watch.
Touring the SS Great Britain was a time well spent.
Chuck and I found, quite by accident, that charity shops, a.k.a thrift shops, are great places to find souvenirs. We like to find prints and watercolors that remind us of our adventures. We started this while in Chester and have continued our search for treasures to document our travels. We found a great copper etching in Horsham of the Carfax where we heard the concert on Market Day. Bristol and Bath were no exceptions. We found prints of the cities that remind us of our visits.
We just missed the Hot Air Balloon Festival by a week. This festival is held in Bristol in August. However, one evening while on my way to put the dogs away for the night, I looked up to see 2 hot air balloons. What a way to end the evening!
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