Beneath the sea

Recently, I have been in Blue Reef Aquarium. The weather was rainy, so we planned to go "under the sea" on a Saturday afternoon. I found a 20% discount voucher online which you can save £2 pounds with. However, there is a £1.5 booking fee for the online booking! So we obviously didn't use the voucher and paid £12 each for the ticket, with the student discount.

The aquarium is located very centric, right in the Harbourside, and it is opened daily from 10am to 5pm. We arrived there at 3pm and as it was not crowded, we had more than enough time to see all the fish there. 

In the aquarium you can find the Native Display, from the jellyfish display to giant North Sea Fish, the Bay of Rays, the Coral Display with loads of colorful fish, the Amazon Tank...

In the native display, species swim around sunken ships hull and you are able to observe them through a giant reinforced tunnel display window.

The Giant Pacific Octopus deserves a special mention. Its majestuous size left most of the visitors open-mouthed. The Enteroctopus Dofleini is a large cephalopod which can be found in the coastal North Pacific, usually at the depth of around 65m. Adults usually weight around 15kg, with an arm span of up to 4.3 m!! It is very impressive!

As well as the octopus, the Green Moray must have a special space in here too. His almost threatening look and movements made me had goose bumps. Bites of this kind of morays can be particularly dangerous due to its large size! 

As an overal opinion, I have to admit that I really liked the decoration of the aquarium. Most of the animals are kept in very big displays where they can swim freely. However, me and my friends agreed that, for example, electric eel's and giant octopus' displays look too small for the size of the species.

Anecdote of the day: the unexpected photo shoot the photo-team made of us. More than 20 pictures, in more than 10 different possitions! They should know that we are not cute enough to pay £12 for just one picture of ourselves.

INTERESTING LINKS
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Blue Reef Aquarium: http://www.bristolaquarium.co.uk/displays/giant-pacific-octopus/
Discount: http://www.smartsave.com/uk/bristol-aquarium
Giant Pacific Octopus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enteroctopus_dofleini

Sherlock: scene one, take three. Action!

Today, Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Watson came to Bristol. The famous BBC serie have been filming some scenes this afternoon in Portland Square in front of St. Paul's Church. 

I passed by the square at 5pm and a huge bonfire was being prepared right in the centre. None of the actors were there yet, though. 

 

By 7.30pm, extras and main actors arrived and there were a bunch of fans taking pictures of their favourite actors from behind the fences of the park, quietly, regardless the 0ºC.

Personally, I haven't heard about TV serie before but apparently Sherlock is a British television crime drama that presents a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. It stars Beedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Six episodes, broadcast since 2010, have been produced, with three more episodes scheduled to begin production in this March. The series has been sold to over 180 territories.

More information about Sherlock: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t4pgh

Symphony of a thousand

So many memories. I was around 12 years old. I went to Bayonne with the choir in which I used to sing. It was the first time singing surrounded by a massive orquestra, 3-4 choirs, a powerful organ, 6-7 soloist singers... Everytime I hear the first notes of the symphony, I always have goose bumps.

VIDEO: Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Georg Solti. 

This time, Colston Hall was the venue for Brunel Sinfonia to team up with choirs from across Bristol and Gloucestershire (Bristol Cabot Choir, Nailsea Choral Society, South Goucestershire Choral Group, Colstons Choral Society and the Red Maids' School) to perform Mahler's mighty 8th Symphony. 

Because it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces, the symphony is frequently called the "Symphony of a thousand", although the work is often performed with fewer than a thousand. 

Conductor Tom Gauterin made a great job in front of over 500 non-professional performers and the result: an excellent one-hour-and-a-half concert of my preferred symphony.

The structure of the work is unconventional: instead of the normal framework of several movements, the piece is in two parts. The power of the symphony is evident. Mahler, in renouncing the pessimism that had marked much of his music offered the Eighth as an expression of confidence in the eternal human spirit.

The performance tonight was great. This symphony is technically complex and performers did a very good job in an almost full venue. However, I still cannot get used to pseudo-elegant atmosphere where drinking beer while listening to classical music is the crop up in this country. Apparently here in the UK, it is very typical to get your beer and bring it inside the hall, which would be practically unthinkable in other places.

Winter summary

21st March: winter is officially gone. Flowers start invading parks and gardens and the city looks more colourful every day. As I was walking down Park Street this morning, the Cathedral was looking so nice that I couldn't resist to take a picture.

PICTURE: The Cathedral in College Green, today.

I did a little bit of historical research of winter weather here in Bristol. Despite the fact that most of the days the morning temperature was below 0ºC, apparently it was not the coldest winter in Bristol at all. This following graph taken from "Bristol Weather" webpage shows data collected from 2001 up to today.

Summary Winter 2012/2013

First frost date: 30 November. And we had "just" 7 snowy days. Nothing to do with the 16 snowy days back in 2009 winter, with 19cm of snow depth. It did not rain much either, which is very nice. I can put up with the cold; I just put some more clothes on. But I can't stand the rain, don't like umbrellas. So, after all, it was not that bad. :)

Now, let's welcome spring with a flowery picture and a lovely poem by Billy Collins.

Today

BY Billy collins

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,

so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw

open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,

indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths

and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight

that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight

on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants

from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,

holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,

well, today is just that kind of day.

Stokes Croft Riot

A painting still remains on the wall, almost two years later, as a reminder of the confrontation. Everything started the 15th April 2011. 

MESSAGE: "93% of local people say "no" to Tesco. Think Local, Boycott Tesco"

Despite a long campaign against its opening, the Tesco Express at 140 Cheltenham Road opened on 15th April 2011. Tesco was aware of the protests and  put additional security measures to defend the establishment. 

PICTURE: Tesco Express store in Stokes Croft, today.

Protests took place both inside and outside the store the following seven days after the "big opening". Locals didn't want Tesco in the neighbourhood range from the impact on independent shops and farmers. Although almost all protests were peaceful, such as attempts to use monopoly money to pay for goods, a small minority chose to throw paint and urinate on the shopfront.

On 21st April the police evicted squatters from the building known as 'Telepathic Heights', a property opposite the store.

PICTURE: Telepathic Heights, in Stokes Croft

This action led to a riot involving several people (160 police raid squat) and lasting for much of the night. The shop-front of the Tesco Store was damaged and some looting took place. Further confrontations between police and protesters occurred in the early hours of 29 April.

Source: http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/local-boy/observing-stokes-croft-riot

According to The Post last year, local traders and residents in Stokes Croft believe that local businesses did not suffer because of the opening of the new supermarket, but it helped to bring more people to the area. 

The following video (here) is a community-based view of events of why did the Bristol Stokes Croft riot happen. It attempts to tell the story of what happened through the eyes of local people building up a picture of the chain of events. 

What did the press say?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/22/bristol-riot-tesco

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/22/bristol-riot-police-injured

http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/local-boy/observing-stokes-croft-riot

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/year-riots-Tesco-praised-Stokes-Croft-Bristol/story-15746826-detail/story.html#axzz2NGvSvA6b

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8690292/Bristol-riots-clashes-in-St-Pauls-and-Stokes-Croft.html

Laughter Therapy Session

It is a funny story how I came across the venue. One day, after taking some touristic pictures of Bristol Cathedral, a friend and I headed towards the Harbourside. I have done this road before, but I have never paid attention to the building at that corner behind the Central Library. Luckily, my friend did. RIPROAR, big orange letters over black background.

Apparently, they were closing. There were just a few lights on left. We moved closer, but we could see nothing to give us a hint of what was going on inside.

A couple of days later, I saw a voucher in KGBDeals with the same logo: RIPROAR, big orange letters over black background. 

If I hadn't seen that logo before, probably I wouldn't have clicked on the link. But I did. A comedy place. That's what RIPROAR was. And here we were, ready for our laughter therapy session.

As suggested in the voucher, we booked the tickets in advance. Tickets are £12, £20 meal-inclusive tickets. We paid £4.75 for each ticket with the voucher, thanks to KGBDeals.

The show was scheduled for 8.30pm but the dinner was served beforehead so we were at the venue around 7pm. There was already a queue to get the tickets and confirm the booking. We bought our meal tickets at that moment (£3) and went upstairs to our allocated table.

The venue has canteen-style tables and also stands at the back. Even from the table, you could see the show perfectly.

Our meal ticket included burger or lasagna with chips and salad, and vegetarian version of these were available as well. It was enough for me, but my friends were very hungry after. So, if you are a guy, I suggest you take 2 meal tickets each.

There is a bar next to the food but it closes during the show. As a reference, a pitcher of Carlsberg was £14 (5 pints). If you are a group, it is really worth it to get a jug as pints are £3.5 each.

At 8.30pm the show started. Geoff Norcott first, then Kevin Dewsbury and Sully O'Sullivan to finish. Shows were around 30 minutes, with little breaks in between to be able to refill our jugs. Three of them interacted very much with the audience. That's how we discovered that Charlie in the first row was not dating his ex girlfriend "yet" (as one of the friends shouted), a New Zealander guy serving in the navy was based in Scotland doing "nothing" and that "Tree House Designer" is actually a real job.

Me and my friends really enjoyed the night. Obviously, we haven´t been able to understand every single joke (except for my Australian friend) but we found it a very nice alternative plan for a Saturday night.

MORE INFO

http://www.riproarcomedy.co.uk

Not everyone can improvise

Bristol has always been one of the most leading cities of new and innovative projects. 

Starting 4th until 9th March, there is a celebration for the improvised comedy in The Bierkeller Theatre, a unique festival guaranteed to surprise everyone: 

The Bristol Improv Festival 2013

Today, 7th March, a friend and I decided to go to there and check what it was all about.

The show started a little later than expected. It was scheduled to start at 7.30pm but they announced that the show would not start until 8pm. The first group was simply amazing. Spontaneous combustion. 4 people (apparently they are 5 but one of them couln'd be there) who totally engaged the audience with their very particular style. When asked, "heavy" and "retirement house" were the two words audience selected to inspire and guided the four comedians, who interpreted a one-hour long exceptional show. 

"Last night in Bristol we learnt that in 1979: the lives of a shamed ventriloquist from Birmingham seeking a new life in London, an Irish-dancing Southern Belle striving to become an astronaut, a whale-watcher from Hull pondering the disappearance of her brother and a Neo-Nazi businessman sending subliminal messages to the young to vote for Thatcher (plus a potty-mouthed taxi driver and a NASA instructor with wandering hands) converged as David Bowie takes the stage in Hyde Park.... outrageous lies? Or were they True Confessions?"

Posted on Spontaneous Combustion's Facebook profile, 8th March.

After a short break, Bristol Improv Society was on stage with a medieval flavoured story. Kings, queens, wizards, curses and fights were the ingredients for a conventional story with a very original interpretation. Beyond all doubts, the funny storyteller dressed as "Robin Hood" was the best.

£6 for the ticket (concessions) in a very peculiar venue in the city centre, where I have never been before, but I will surely come back.

MORE INFO

Bierkeller Theatre: http://www.bierkellertheatre.com/

Spontaneous Combustion:  https://www.facebook.com/spontaneouscombustionimprov

Bristol Improv Society: http://www.bristolimprov.co.uk/

Bitten by Springtime

PICTURE: Broad Quay in Bristol, today.

Needless to say, today's topic was the weather. Rising from the coldness of the winter, a visible blue sky, bright sunbeams and very warm 14ºC (BBC said so) desperately shouted "Spring is here!"

Snow has completely melted and days last longer now. It is not dark anymore when you go to work, and it is not dark by the time you leave the office. Nevertheless, flowers did not come out yet, people do not have picnics yet, birds did not start to sing throughout the day... Nature is not awake yet. Spring does not officially start in the Northern Hemisphere until the vernal equinox at 7.02AM the 20th March, 2013. 

Today we have been bitten by spring. Do not get very excited, though. Apparently, showers will be back from tomorrow on, according to the weather forecast. It was good while it lasted!

International Jazz and Blues Festival

Welcome March to the tune of Jazz and Blues!

Starting 1st March and for three days, the city of Bristol plays host to some of the world's most innovative jazz musicians. For a whole weekend, there will be 24 individual concerts and free late night jam session, being Colston Hall the main venue.

http://www.bristoljazzandbluesfest.com/

Tickets available for the festival:

• Weekend Festival Pass (very limited availability) £130
• Friday Evening Tickets £30
• Saturday Day Ticket £60
• Sunday Day Ticket £60

Individual concert tickets also available: See prices HERE

The festival includes performances of Ginger Baker's Jazz Confusion and the UK legend Chris Barber on Friday, guitarist John Scofield with his new project on Saturday evening and Cuban virtuoso Arturo Sandoval and his sextet on Sunday night.

The weekend will also bring over New Orleans official musical ambassador Lillian Boutté, funk maestro Pee Wee Ellis, local heroes Andy Sheppard and Get The Blessing, BBC radio stars Clare Teal and Alyn Shipton.

The bar in Colston Hall plays host music sessions which will kick off before and after the performances on each evening. Very good opportunity to enjoy the jazz and blues for free, protected from the cold weather.

PICTURE: The Zenn Hussies performing in the lounge on Friday.

Thanks to Groupon (Gotta love it!), we got 2 tickets for 8 pounds to see the performance from UK legend Chris Barber last evening. The actual price was around 25 pounds so it was an unrejectable deal, even though I was feeling a little bit under the weather.

A "young" 80-year-old Chris Barber welcomed everybody and introduced the big band he brought to Bristol, which made us travel to the very 30s. One hour and a half of very professional performance to convince the audience that 60 years of experience is not just a number. 

If you still haven't got any plans for the weekend, do not doubt: go grab a drink and enjoy at least the concerts in both Colston Hall bar or in Foyer for free. I am sure you will not regret it.

French Market

According to the flags around Broadmead, something "frenchie" is going on. Bristol Shopping Quarter is hosting the French Marked for the weekend.

Soaps from Provence, traditional French dishes such as Ratatoille, honey, saucissons, Dijon mustard, foie gras, sweets... They are some of the things I could identify in the market.

My french friends will have to judge if those goodies are really French or not, but I found something in the cheese stand that made me smile and miss my country very much.

P'tit Basque cheese has its heritage in the Basque Country, a proud region between Spain and France, where the culinary tradition very much alive.

For more information about the market: http://www.bristolshoppingquarter.co.uk/offers-and-events/news-and-events/2013/3/1/french-market-on-broadmead-a2093