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,...

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...

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...

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...

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:...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...