Mus Tournament in Bristol

The Basque community in Bristol is increasing every day. Some come to Bristol only for a weekend, others escaping from the awful job market in the Basque Country, while a few are settled down in Bristol.

For those who don't know who the heck Basques are and were they are from, here is a brief explanation. The Basque Country is the name given to the home of Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast. The region is home to the Basque people (Euskaldunak), their language (Euskara), culture and traditions.

These days, there are many Basques around the globe for many reasons and in order to maintain their traditions and culture, many Euskal Etxeas (in English, "Basque Houses") have been created all over the world.

In order to create a centre-point for Basques and showcase the Basque culture to the British people in the South West of the UK, a group of Basque people officially presented the Bristol Basque Cultural Society (Bristoleko Euskal Etxea) last month among friends with a traditional filling Basque lunch: black beans with sacramentos (meaning ribs, chorizo, black pudding, etc.).

Food, dance, games, logo competition... it was an excuse to meet new people and have a wonderful time. Additionally, the society has selected the two logo finalists and just selected the final logo yesterday.

The charity is organising a Mus Tournament next 7th February and celebrate Carnivals at the same time with a Carnival Costume Competition at The Crofters Rights, Stokes Croft. Mus is a traditional card game originally from the Basque Country similar to poker (more info here). Details about the event will be posted in the following week in the Facebook page as well as on the website. In advance, I can say there's gonna be a course for beginners to learn how to play, food will be provided and there's gonna be real prizes for winners!

Are you interested in participating in the Mus Tournament or Costume Competition? Write an email to bristolbasque@gmail.com and ask for more details. They will be delighted to have you there!


WEBSITE:

http://bristolbasque.strikingly.com/
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/609346609114447/

Anna Cake Couture

Anna Cake Couture: this little place on Boyce's Avenue in Clifton could go unnoticed if it wasn't for its outstanding smell of baking when you pass by. The display by the counter invites you to add a cake with your 5pm coffee and finish with your intention to diet in 2016 just like that. 

We ordered a cortado (£2.00), a cappuccino (£2.50) and two slices of delicate cake (£3.80 each) which looked too tempting, and proceeded to the small sitting area at the back of the shop. We were lucky to be able to choose between two empty tables.

A simple yet cleverly decorated sitting area stays next to a large open plan kitchen next to it, where you can see cooks baking the beautiful creations. The atmosphere at the patisserie is calm and relaxing for any coffee or tea lover with a sweet tooth.

WEBSITE: http://www.thisisanna.co.uk/

Welcome 2016! We are back!

It's 1st January 2016. I found myself writing new year resolutions on a piece of paper, which I never do, and I couldn't but include one I am fully ashamed of.

It's been months since I haven't written anything on the blog. It is so out-of-date and abandoned that I have been ashamed of coming back. My only excuse is that I just had been incredibly busy to write, and whenever I had some spare time, I did not have the energy to spend it writing. What a shame!

Nonetheless, I have added "keep the blog updated" next to "eat healthy" and "practice more sport". I have some topics and events in mind already, I just hope you join me!

So, I would like to wish all of you a healthy and fulfilling 2016! Speak to you soon!

The Bright Night

Bristol Bright Night will be taking over the city for the second time tomorrow, 25th September 2015. It is an unmissable celebration of local research in a Friday night like no other.

The programme, which is available at the official website, is full of free drop-in events from 6pm to 10pm in At-Bristol, such as Researchers' Fair, Science Cocktails and Chem Dine With Me. Other bookable activities such as the Flavour and the Mind Planetarium, Bite-sized Research Talks and Stand-up Science Comedy are sold out. Organisers say that there may be extra tickets available on the day if people don't turn up. So, please, speak to the staff if you are very interested in one of those activities.

Additionally, science will meet art and hit the streets of Bristol offering pop-up street performances. 

Pictures and selfies are welcome... but remember to share them using #BristolBrightNight! :)

WEBSITE: http://www.bnhc.org.uk/bristol-bright-night/

Banksy's Dismaland

Dismaland is a temporary art project organised by world wide known street artist Banksy. It has been built at the Tropicana, a disused outdoor lido in the seaside resort town of Weston-super-Mare, England. It opened doors on the 21st August with only door tickets available after the website crashed when visitors attempted to purchase online tickets.

We are not sure whether it crashed or Banksy deliberately did not activate the online purchasing system creating a chaotic reaction in the social media. Dismaland, which is a sinister twist on Disneyland, does not have any image of Mickey Mouse, yet other Disney characters such as Cinderella and the Little Mermaid are very present.

The show is a very well thought, intelligent but sarcastic exhibition with many artists being involved. You will find yourself laughing at things you probably shouldn't laugh at.

Tickets are only £5 which might suggest that Banksy does not want to make big money out of this show. However, food and merchandising accessories are incredibly expensive inside! I have heard that the third batch tickets were sold out in 15 minutes. 

For those who have not got tickets yet, I really encourage you to keep pressing F5 in the next release as the exhibition is worth it. Meanwhile, you can enjoy our pictures! ;)

Arcadia Spectacular

On the 4-5th September, Arcadia will be landing in Bristol city centre. The iconic spider built from recycled military hardware will be back in Queen Square, unifying a community of all backgrounds, ages, beliefs and ideals through a mesmerising experience.

This year's show is called "Metamorphosis", and it will see the spider come alive as a living organism, harnessing every creative element within Arcadia. 

The lineup include Roni Size Reprazent and Congo Natty on Friday, and Annie Mac, Eats Everything, Monki and Gotsome on Saturday. There are some tickets still available: £39.50 for Friday and £45 for Saturday (free entry for kids aged up to 3). If you want to earn a free ticket for the event, organisers are giving away a ticket per 6 tickets sold to your friends. If interested, sign up here.

WEBSITE: http://www.arcadiabristol.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/865692610181537/

Christmas Step BBQ

If you don't have a plan for this Bank Holiday Sunday (30th August), here is one: BBQ at Christmas Steps! After the Shapes Harbourside Festival party, the Chrstimas Steps courtyard will open again. 

It will be more than music and food in the sun (hopefully in the sun!) featuring an outdoor BBQ of culinary delights expertly cooked by the Christmas Steps' head chef as well as 11 hours of music. The outdoor free event will start at 2pm until 9pm at the courtyard. Then, the party will continue inside until 1am. 

With expert selections from three of Bristol's finest musical staples (Feel The Real Soundsystem, Soulworks Bristol and Boogie Cafe Records) expect some good house, boogie, funk and sould sounds. 

OUR POST ON "Christmas Steps":
http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/christmas-steps.html

FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1489479201367470/

International Kite Festival

The International Kite Festival returns to Bristol this weekend, 22nd-23rd August. This year, there is a new location for the event: Durdham Downs.

The kite festival is a well-established event which celebrates its 28th birthday this year! It started with a working budget of only £300 in 1986 and now, it is an ongoing annual.

The free event will be the perfect occasion to bring your family along and enjoy the amazing sky full of colourful giant special-shaped animals, mock aerial combat  with traditional Japanese fighting kites, synchronised sport kite team routines and many more surprises. There will be plenty of activities for children to enjoy, starting from kite-making workshops to giant bouncy castles and other attractions. Do not forget to bring along your kite to fly in the public flying areas!

11.40 - Team Flame: synchronised routines choreographed to music

12.00 - UK Rokkaku Challenge: mock aerial combat with Japanese kites

13.30 - Colours in Motion: mass ascent of artistic kites 

14.00 - Traditional Indian kite fighting

14.55 - Pulling Power: latest in extreme power kites, buggies and landboards

15.15 - Portraits in the Sky

16.15 - Festival of the Sea: a feast of sea-themed kites

This is only a selection of the activities going on, you can check out the full programme here. 

The weather is forecasted a mixture of heavy rain and intermittent sunny spells. Apparently, the summer is officially over. Nonetheless, experts suggest Saturday will be the best day, reaching temperatures up to 24 degrees.

OPENING TIMES: 11am - 5pm

WEBSITE: http://www.kite-festival.org.uk/
NOTE: Pictures have been borrowed from the official website. Thanks! ;)