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June 6, 2005
Interlude: Bristol
One travel bargain left in Britain is the bus. National Express has a series of Funfares that take you to most major destinations to or from London for as little as £1. If you know your destination and times of travel well in advance they are very reasonably priced and comfortable for short distances, if not remotely glamorous. I'm using them them to and from Bristol and to Birmingham.
The Victoria Coach Station was confusing to locate; it is not contiguous with Victoria Station or the Underground station. It’s about 3 blocks down the road and not clearly marked once you leave Victoria Station. Cross the street and walk about 3 blocks to the left to find it. You will pass a mall on the other side of the street that is very confusingly marked. The Green Line buses depart from it, but not National Express.
Bristol is a two and a half hour journey due west on the M4 through verdant and pastoral landscapes once one passes Heathrow. Most service is nonstop. My brother and sister-in-law were waiting at the bus stop and we went to their home in Redland.
They live in a great Victorian pile of a house on a street with a row of similar homes; this one was built in 1894. It’s got seven (!) bedrooms on three floors.
Here's the garden:
A view of their street. Their house looks similar.
It was my brother’s birthday; my present was dinner. We went to Sands, a Lebanese restaurant and I spent the most I ever have on a restaurant meal. A very tasty dinner for three included appetizers, mixed grill, a bottle of wine and a hookah (really!) after the meal. £110. I’m still not used to the prices here. I guess it's balanced out by the 25 peso meals in Buenos Aires.
The next day we went to Dyrham Park, (pronounced like Durham) a grand manor house a few miles away in South Gloucestershire. The house was William Blathwayt’s transformation of an inherited Tudor house into a 17th Century Dutch style mansion.
This provides a perfect opportunity for Monday Peacock Blogging.
This fellow was lounging by the orangery. There are about six of them that live on the grounds. Peacocks are noisy as hell. You can hear them from a long way off when they hoot.
Posted by Leigh Witchel at June 6, 2005 7:07 PM
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Comments
Ooooo! Peacock Blogging. He is very photogenic! What day is Beagle blogging day??? WE WANT HAYDN!!!!
Posted by: Steve at June 7, 2005 1:32 AM
Friday is beagle blogging day.
Posted by: Leigh Witchel at June 7, 2005 3:30 AM
Ooooo! I always look forward to Fridays and now I have another reason. Kitties and Beagles and Peacocks, oh my! BTW, I like the aliteration in Beagle Blogging!
Posted by: Steve at June 7, 2005 9:03 PM