Bristol is and will continue to be one of my favourite cities. There is just so much about it to like about it including, but not limited to, it's gorgeous parks, great food (head to St. Nicholas Market for the best selection), breathtaking views, and buzzing nightlife.
Furthermore, I learned a lot of new things about myself I hadn't known before. Including the fact that I might actually be more of a morning person than I thought, or that I do like being outdoors, and exercising--or better yet, exercising outdoors! Back at home you'd never catch me suggesting to do any of those things. Waking up early...to work out? Are you kidding?? (My friends can vouch for that, just ask them)
But in Bristol my daily schedule began to look something like this: wake up early, head to breakfast, go for a long walk, light lunch, jogging in the afternoon, hang out at Brandon hill until sunset, dinner/hangout with hostel friends.
Rinse, lather, repeat. Being healthy never felt so good :)
My hostel in Bristol also made a world of difference. After a smaller party hostel in Bath, it was a bit of a relief to move to somewhere bit more spacious. I met a couple colourful characters during my stay including a lady who claimed she was a prophet. When we first met she told me a story of a time she predicted her neighbour's pregnancy, which allegedly came true. After that story I decided not to ask her to read my fortune lest it turn out to be something I didn't want to know haha.
Another guest was a 96 year old woman that, according to the hostel regulars, owns a huge lavender farm in Portugal and she would show up in Bristol every few months and stay for a few days and then heads back to run her farm. Every time I saw her she was always having a chat with someone new--I wish I had a chance to meet her as well, imagine the stories she would tell!
Furthermore, I learned a lot of new things about myself I hadn't known before. Including the fact that I might actually be more of a morning person than I thought, or that I do like being outdoors, and exercising--or better yet, exercising outdoors! Back at home you'd never catch me suggesting to do any of those things. Waking up early...to work out? Are you kidding?? (My friends can vouch for that, just ask them)
But in Bristol my daily schedule began to look something like this: wake up early, head to breakfast, go for a long walk, light lunch, jogging in the afternoon, hang out at Brandon hill until sunset, dinner/hangout with hostel friends.
Rinse, lather, repeat. Being healthy never felt so good :)
My hostel in Bristol also made a world of difference. After a smaller party hostel in Bath, it was a bit of a relief to move to somewhere bit more spacious. I met a couple colourful characters during my stay including a lady who claimed she was a prophet. When we first met she told me a story of a time she predicted her neighbour's pregnancy, which allegedly came true. After that story I decided not to ask her to read my fortune lest it turn out to be something I didn't want to know haha.
Another guest was a 96 year old woman that, according to the hostel regulars, owns a huge lavender farm in Portugal and she would show up in Bristol every few months and stay for a few days and then heads back to run her farm. Every time I saw her she was always having a chat with someone new--I wish I had a chance to meet her as well, imagine the stories she would tell!
I also find that scouting for shooting locations from a television series or movie is one of the best ways to see a city. Skins was and still is one of my absolute favourite shows to date, and the whole series was set right here in Bristol. It was really easy to google a list of shooting locations and use it as a basis for my exploring. And while I'm on the subject of google--thank god for google maps (& GPS tracking) or else I never would have been able to find most of these places.
And of course let's not forget good ol' fashioned recommendations via word of mouth. Stokes Croft (pictured below) was recommended by a friend (Hi Kei!) who's currently studying in Bristol. This was a whole new neighbourhood I hadn't explored before and would have completely missed it if he hadn't pointed it out. Personally, I had never been biggest fan of street art, but I am learning to appreciate it. And I did see some early Banksy pieces in Stokes Croft, which is pretty darn cool, especially since, at the time of my visit, talk of Banksy's newly opened exhibition, Dismaland, virtually broke the internet.
