Good Bye Bristol

Dear visitors,

In a few days I will be leaving Bristol to

earn my living on the other side of the Atlantic...

I have to say that having to stop this daily photo blog so soon

(just 2 months old) is a bit frustrating. I just hope that, through those

pictures, I succeeded in showing how much I love and enjoy this city.

Thanks to all the visitors and to those who posted comments which were

always nice to read! I hope I will be able to restart this blog

in the future (who knows what will come next?)...

Cheers and "Au Revoir"!

The River

Colston street going into Saint Augustine's Parade... the City Centre.

During the latter part of the 20th Century the Centre functioned

as a large roundabout, with many sets of traffic lights and crossings.

It was remodelled with water features as part of the Millennium project.

In the background you can see a large structure of poles

which represent the masts of sailing ships that used

to throng here when it was still open river.

English Interior

Through the window of a shop...

Book Now Limited Spaces

For the last couple of weeks, restaurants all over

Bristol have been advertising for the upcoming Valentine's Day!

The ad's pages of some magazines ("Venue" to mention one)

and newspapers will also be reminding you to book NOW for your special evening...

and this is just to avoid (dreadful) disappointment.

The Crane

One of the Harbor's cranes...

Diamonds

Bare trees in front of a modern building...

Imax

Imax Theatre (@t Bristol)

Music Hall

Classical, Jazz or world music...

St George's Bristol is one of Britain's leading

concert halls and recording studios.

Les Mouettes

"Mine!"

Jubilee

Bristol Corporation commissioned this marble statue to mark Victoria’s Jubilee in 1887.

The artist selected was Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, sculptor to the queen,

who designed the coinage for the Jubilee. After 50 years on the throne,

half of them in mourning for her beloved consort Albert,

Victoria is shown in majesty and gravity, every inch an empress.

The statue was unveiled in 1888 by her grandson Prince Albert Victor.

Let's Dance

This little girl was having so much fun dancing on this small

pier, in the harbor, that I couldn't help taking a picture...

Industrial Britain

The Bristol Industrial Museum

showcases Bristol-made cars, buses, bicycles and motorbikes,

real aircraft and engines, the story of the Harbor, a print gallery

and the story of Bristol's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

But the museum's biggest exhibits are outside and include cranes (pictured),

two tugboats and a fireboat, and Britain's only dockside steam railway.

Arnolfini

The Arnolfini (on Narrow Quay) is the centre for contemporary arts.

It reopened last september, after having been closed

for months for redevelopment and expansion.

Established by Jeremy Rees and his wife Annabel,

the Arnolfini started in 1961 as a contemporary art gallery

on the first-floor premises above a bookshop in Triangle West,

close to the City Art Gallery and the Royal West of England Academy.

Rowing

Clifton College's boys (not) rowing

on the River Avon... exhausted!

University of Animation

The University of the West of England (UWE) is

one of the rare places in England where you can study either

2D, stop-motion or computer animation.

The Animation MA is finishing on monday, so I wish

good luck to a very special animation student !!!

Bath Time

A pigeon taking a bath in one of the

@tBristol's fountains... Pigeons seem to be quite

prosperous in Bristol, but they are far from competing

with their french cousins in Paris. Maybe because

nobody dares feeding them!

Millenium Mile (part 3)

... And here is the SS Great Britain.

Millenium Mile (part 2)

Following yesterday's photo, here is

Temple Meads train station...

Millennium Mile

Pero’s Bridge, designed by Irish artist Eilis O’Connell, spans the water

from the Arnolfini to the @t-Bristol site, creating the ‘Millennium Mile’

(Brunel’s Temple Meads station is linked all the way to another

of his great projects, the SS Great Britain).

The heart of a Soldier

On Queens Road, the statue of an advancing soldier contemplating

the Cannons Health Club (in the background).

Are you feeling a bit rusty, soldier?

The Golden Unicorn

One of the two golden unicorns on the rooftop of the Council House...
In fact, the Unicorns are part of Bristol City and County's Arms.

A Room with a View

The John Cabot's Tower.

The 100 feet high tower commemorates John Cabot's voyage

to America in 1497 (he discovered Newfoundland) and was built in 1897

on top of Brandon Hill, 260 feet above Bristol's Harbour...

Yesterday's picture was taken from there (to answer Geneline's question).

Terraces

Some charming Terraces and, in the background,

some more recent (and less charming) buildings

on the Harbourside.

The Toll Gate

Between11,000 and 12,000 motor vehicles cross

the Clifton Suspension Bridge every day... With a toll of 30 pence

that makes 3600 pounds a day... that's a living (for a bridge)!

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

Happy New Year!

A Flying Machine in the City Museum... Hanging in the foyer to the museum is a reproduction of the Bristol Boxkite, which featured in the film 'Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines'. The rest of the museum features a wide range of local, historical and natural history topics.