Bristol

Bristol offers so much more than just a visit to the local Ikea and Costco. It is a diverse port city where the Avon River meets the Bristol Channel with established roots in graffiti art, theater, performance art, valuing its history along with examination of its past identity, customs and architecture. Our numerous Bristol expeditions have found a city that has more diversity than a kimchi-curry taco.

Bristol was one of England's major cities until the early 19th century. A major ship building port, ships launched from its shores searching for answers to questions about the New World.

John Cabot, a Venetian, was the first European to land on mainland North America. A self marketer, Giovanni Caboto changed his name to sound more English after Spain refused to sponsor his voyage.

John Cabot statue in Bristol

Art

Bristol's associative gift of artists is not only Wallace and Grommit, Morph, Early Man, Robin, Robin, Chicken Run or Shaun the Sheep at Aardman Animation but will always be associated with Banksy and the music with Massive Attack and Portishead.

What I learned is that Bristol has an equally amazing roster of actors, to name a few: Cary Grant, David Prowse (Darth Vadar), Sir Michael Redgrave, Hugo Weaving, John Cleese, Masie Williams (GOT) and Peter O'Toole, etc. etc.

Banksy's art is produced with a stencil technique which on enquiry doesn't always get a thumbs up amongst local artists. I like the controversy that Banksy's art provokes. In the stencil below he uses a security alarm for the pearl.

Banksy-Girl with the Pierced Eardrum

Short days and winter months bring out the best in Bristol, a bus ride (free with my Senior pass) takes us 45 minutes to city center.

Bristol's Old Vic, port and colored home fronts, loitering tourist, electric cargo cranes built in Bath, gravestone of Admiral Sir William Penn, father of the founder of Pennsylvania William Penn, in St. Mary Redcliffe Church in Bristol. Peter O'Toole spent his early acting years at Bristol's Old Vic.

Northern cities bring winter months warmth and light with their innovative Light Festivals. Bristol's light show fascinated us with its creative energy and interactive Ophelia from Hamlet. She's alive!

Bungie jumping from a crane-interested?

Innovation

The SS Great Britain, at home in Bristol, was at one time the largest passenger ship in the world, the creation of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The SS Great Britain was the world's first iron-hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered luxury passenger ship.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the greatest innovative engineers of the 18th century, was an endless inventor, problem solver and designer able to see possibilities where others saw obstacles not only in ships but tunnels, train stations, bridges, railway lines, size of the rail gauge and pre-fabricated hospitals.

Brunel won the competition for the Clifton Suspension Bridge in 1831.

The Avon River starts to run dry as it passes by Bristol on its' way to the Bristol Channel partly due to previous year's drought and the high tidal range forcing river traffic to carefully time expeditions to the Channel.

Isambard King Brunel's statue at Paddington Train Station in London, one of the stations Brunel designed.

Slavery

In June 2020 the statue of Edward Colston, 17th century slave trader, was dumped in the Bristol Harbor. Bristol's history of slavery documents the 2,000 slave ships carrying 500,000 slaves to the Americas. Bristol benefited greatly from the Colston family and their philanthropic endeavors. The toxicity of the slave traders and their harm to human life juxtaposed with the tremendous wealth given to the city, is what Bristol is grappling with at present.

The Church of England's exhibits acknowledge their acclimation of riches as a result of the slave fortune of their benefactors. Their exhibits open a deeper discussion of what this means in current history and how to make amends for what they consider is a crime against humanity. They are clear to state that the beautiful stained glass windows in their churches were a gift at a cost of the trafficking of human lives.

British taxpayers including the descendants of the enslaved would end up paying the equivalent of £17 billion - $23 billion for former slave owners in compensation for abolition of slavery of which the loans have only been recently paid off. Enslaved people received no compensation.

Bike Trip

An Ebike trip to Bristol of 26 miles round trip sounded like a good idea one day and we found that Ebikes are great when judiciously using the electric power.

See Monster

A retired oil rig was creatively reimagined into a temporary art installation in Weston Super Mare by the Bristol Channel.

Legacy Tree Planting

We planted a family legacy tree at the American Museum, a Quercus Robur, English Oak tree that will live for another 860+ years past our lifetimes.

Damien, the museum head gardener said that this oak tends to grow 300 years, remain stable 300 years and take 300 years to die. I like the idea that this is the same species of oak where King John signed the Magna Carta and Robin Hood took refuge from the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Quercus Robus will have a nice fence dug deep and around it to keep the roe deer and rabbits from nibbling at its branches and roots, festively sporting a dedication plaque around its neck.

"Dedicated to our family tree - Stottrup, Fisher, Arraki 2023 Wendy/Youssef Arraki Trees are nature’s magnificent gift to shelter, enrich and inspire us to leave respectful traces of our existence."

If you are ever at the Museum I can give you a location map for Quercus overlooking Claverton Down, the new baby lambs romping around the fields below and a senior oak mentoring it from a distance extending its roots to form an alliance and share nutrients.