Bath to Bristol, a whole 39 miles but a fair days travel. I can’tget over how long it takes to get anywhere here even though the freeways and tollways have a 70mph (115k/h) limit. They’re always stop/start. Back to day one – I picked up the car at London City Terminal, two train stops from Justin & Janes. It took nearly an hour to drive back.
But on with the tale. Bristol is a city in South-west England with a population of nearly 500k and another 250k round-about. It houses Bristol Cathedral…..
which was founded in 1140 consecrated in 1148 but built in the years 1220 – 1877. It is the final resting place for monks and abbots and knights with tombs dating back to the 1200’s. It is, like so many of these old cathedrals and palaces and castles, inspirational/spectacular.
There’s lots more to Bristol ….
including the river port, the SS Great Britain (Engineer Brunels last effort – look it up cos it and he is very interesting).
There is a lot of history here too but isn’t that the case with all of Britain and Europe.
Then it was on to….
although we never actually got to Piddle just loved the sign as we travelled through to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Two days touring Stratford experiencing Shakespeare in everything. It was glorious and probably could have spent more time there but the crowds got a little tiresome…
I know, I know, but we did avoid most of them but I had to wait to get some shots…
The photos above in sequence are;
a bank in historical building, a row of Tudors (about 1600’s), the site of Shakespeares last house torn down by a later owner to piss off the council, council living in the past, Jude trying to get into the past, Shakespeares daughter Susanna and husband John Halls house (medical practitioner), the little punt and the punter, Anne Hathaways cottage (Shakespeares wife who was 8 years his senior when they married), great costuming for the tea shop, more Tudor fronts and Shakespeares birthplace ( family home where he took his new wife after they married to live for a time with Mum and Dad)
It is interesting to note that Shakespeare became seriously wealthy in his time and a significant property owner. Anne Hathaway was of a very comfortable family too and inherited well, but the Shakespeare line ended with William as no boys reached maturity in the family to carry on the name.
We even took the little punt – across the Avon. By the way we are told that there are many Avon rivers in England cos when the Romans took over they asked of the then inhabitants what each river in an area was called to be told ‘Afon’ which apparently just meant river so now we have many river rivers.
Sunday market was a buzz – no amber glass ashtrays at all. We actually bought stuff. Don’t know how we’re going to get it all home yet – maybe the Royal Mail.
We also took a bus tour of the region which is fast becoming a mandatory familiarisation procedure….
( street light given to Stratford by Israel (I think), a last thatched roof, the English rolling hills, a vintage footbridge over the railway) – all from the bus.