This is day two in Bristol after arriving yesterday and having a long long day.
Things are wonderful here so far... spent one night in the youth hostel and slept like a baby, after arriving in London at 7am, taking the bus to bristol at 10 am, arriving at noon, checking into the hostel and then walking around Bristol getting to know the city and searching for flatshares until around 9pm, at which point I bought a salad or two from the cafe at the hostel and crashed.
It was a long day, I've never walked so much in my life... but it was really great to walk around the city and check out a few flats. Nothing decided yet, but I saw two places and have quite a few leads to think about.
This morning I woke up and checked out the listings in last night's evening post and made a few appointments for today. One this morning I walked two and about halfway there I gave up because it was too far... I bought a mapbook (they call it an A to Z) which has really helped. Last night I got completely lost trying to find a place in "southville" a small little suburb south of the city and I depended on a really nice guy and his sister who helped me find my way via their' AtoZ at their house.... after that I figured it would be worth £4 to invest in my own.
I'm trying to decide if it will be best to live close to everything and pay a bit more for rent and groceries or live further away and buy a bike. Seems like I could get a cheap bike for around £20... and that I could save a lot of money by shopping in the markets and butchers rather than at Tesco which seems to be the british equivalent of Loblaws.
Also trying to decide what to do about phones... I am investigating mobile phones which are pretty cheap, it seems like the one I got from the past intern will not work very well for me... but I'm looking at some that are only about £25 for the phone plus a pay as you go plan which is fairly manageable. It seems like cell phones are cheaper than real phones, and that I could use my cell and buy international phone cards for calls home.
Bristol is a beautiful city, a mix of old and new as it has really rejuvenated over the past few years. I wish that I could post the pictures that I am taking... they'll come soon. So many beatiful buildings here, with an interesting mix of architecture because many old buildings were bombed in the war due to Bristol being an important port city, and newer buildings have been popping up between the surviving landmarks since the 1960s... Also the weather is beautiful, nice and sunny and hot today which makes househunting a lot easier, but has also upped my beverage costs. So far I have managed to only spend about £20, most of which was spent on water and phonecalls - pay phones are about one pence a second!!!
There are a few things i'll have to get used to, like looking the right way when crossing roads and also the different traffic patterns in Bristol, but those aren't so bad. Drivers use their horns a lot more here, so even though I'm crossing the right way hearing horns makes me a little more nervous that I'm doing something wrong... so far all the honking has been at other drivers and thankfully not at me.
Another cute thing I noticed was that a lot of bars have signs that say "under 25 allowed at managers discretion" meaning that they like to keep the clientele young... seems like those are th emore expensive and posh bars, so I'll probably be staying away from them despite my being under 25.
Lots and lots to do in Bristol, there were over 30 listings for live music in the Venue magazine I picked up last night (and that was just for TONIGHT - a Tuesday)... so I think things will be lively aorund here. There is an organic food festival this weekend which should be lots of fun, as well as films and concerts coming advertised everywhere I turn... it seems like once I get settled It will be easy to find fun things to do, and that if I make the right decisions having fun in Bristol won't be too costly.
I'm off to explore the Mountpellier area a little more. I have a meeting at 5 at the Museum to meet some staff and go out for drinks, but it might be cut short by a flat I am seeting at 6:30. It seems like evening is the best time to look at flats because people are home from work, but that makes things a bit tricky since I am always on foot and I want to get back to the hostel by dark... I pretty much know the good and bad parts in the city, but wouldn't want to get lost at night just the same.
Also - Bristol is very hilly... but built in a pretty nice way so that all the major routes are pretty flar and various neighborhoods and streets go up hill. That way once you get down the hill from your home, all the major shops and markets are on the flatter streets.
I think I'll also go check out "Christmas Steps" this afternoon, which is sort of a market/shop area built uphill, apparently there is a tower at the top with an awesome view of the city.
Before I head out though I am off to search for a bargain lunch in St. Nicholas market - its a mix of shops and food places that all seem very cheap.... While I was walking through last night i noticed a place which has £2.50 "salad box" lunches, so I might end up there for a bite before I continue my never-ending walking tour of Bristol.
Wish me luck!
- C
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