Travel: Bristol

Why have two cocktails when you can have four (for the
price of two?!)

So my trip to Bristol was far too short, especially once I'd realised how well this city and I would get on! I was visiting a friend who's just moved there, but she had an exam the following Tuesday, which meant that I didn't go until Saturday afternoon, to give her time to revise. We'd booked a table at Turtle Bay, a Caribbean restaurant that has an amazing 2-4-1 happy hour - a rare find on a Saturday night! Apparently it's a chain (normally when I go somewhere new I like to find a more local place to eat), but we couldn't resist BOGOF cocktails! Apparently neither could anyone else, because the place was rammed! We managed to grab some drinks just before happy hour ended, and even a seat to drink them at while we waited for our table. It’s a good job we did, because the trip seemed a little wasted once we realised just how hot all the food was! Neither of us are big spice people but we figured that if we went for some safe options (i.e. nothing with the words “chilli” or “jerk” in them) we’d be okay. Uh-uh! Cue lots of water-downing. So, whilst I could appreciate how quick and fresh the food appeared, the experience was kind of wasted on us.

Pic from my Instagram: @coffeeandundercuts

The next day Flo and I met up with a friend of mine from uni, who’d come into Bristol on the train from Swansea. I’d Googled to get an idea for breakfast places and found Bakers and Co highly recommended, so we headed there after getting Ffion from the station. Unsurprisingly - being noon on a Sunday - it was very busy, and we didn’t get seated until about twenty minutes after we arrived. They seemed somewhat understaffed; it’s only a small place but every table was full (even outside, and it was raining!) and people were constantly coming in. So, to me, two waitresses didn’t seem like enough! It’s a shame because those who were working were doing their absolute best, and I completely understand that the shortcomings weren’t their fault - they just needed more support. I’m not sure if it was because we weren’t very assertive but people who came in the door behind us kept getting seated at the bar and then at their tables too…although this might have been because we could fit at a table for two. Finally seated, our drinks came quickly, but the coffee wasn’t to my liking (I think too bitter?) and the wait for food was quite lengthy too. At least when it came it was hot and absolutely scrumptious. I got a bunch of sides put together to make poached eggs, mushrooms, and bacon on sourdough toast, and then couldn’t resist adding one of their homemade cinder toffee chocolate brownies. Strong contender for one of the best brownies I’ve ever eaten (strangely, best ever probably goes to Pret a Manger!).  

After that, Ffion and I left Flo to her revision and went to explore a bit more. Because brunch had taken so long, we didn’t have much time, but we managed to get a few beauty bits I needed, and discovered an amazing bookstore where everything (and I mean everything) was priced at £3! So I picked up a copy of Nancy Jo Sales’ The Bling Ring - as I’d found the Sofia Coppola film based on her Vanity Fair article of the same title so fascinating - and a book about short stories for my boyfriend. I could’ve bought such a lot more but I’ve already got a reading list as long as my arm to get through! 

We also walked past the city’s (free!) museum and art gallery, which surprised me by being quite extensive! It’s definitely made me determined to take my boyfriend to Bristol at some point, as there is a whole floor on natural history. Ffion and I only really looked at the current exhibition ‘Death: the Human Experience’. For January, this took the form of a deeper look at assisted dying - including a recreation of a room at Dignities, the Swiss dignity advocacy group. I found the exhibition extremely interesting and moving, and was glad to see that it’s helped people consider that assisted suicide may have a place in the modern world.*

Unfortunately, as it was Sunday (and still raining), things started winding down at 5 o’clock, so Ffion and I headed back to Flo’s for some oven pizza and Say Yes to the Dress! It was so nice seeing my two best friends at the same time - they’re quite similar so get on well - and I’m definitely up for visiting Bristol again soon! Hopefully on a weekend with less rain and more time!

*This is just my opinion and I recognise and respect that other's may not agree with me.