Bristol Street Art

So I was in Bristol the other weekend for the first official Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival.  My partner and I were there primarily to see Ginger Baker, an amazing jazz drummer and former member of the super group Creme (with Eric Clapton) on Friday night but it was going all day Saturday and Sunday as well.  While they had paid acts in Colsten Hall they had free acts performing in the Foyer so everyone could get their jazz on.

< < Band playing in the foyer
They had an awesome chick on the baritone sax

 While we were there we spent time wandering around Bristol, a city known for it's cosmopolitan population and amazing street art.  Banksy is a Bristolian!

Banksy - on Park st, just down from the Bristol Cathedral.

Ginger Baker's Jazz Confusion.

Drums: Ginger Baker

Percussion: Abas Dodoo.

Tenor Sax: Pee Wee Ellis

Double Bass and Electric bass: Alec Dankworth

These guys were EPIC.

 

Bristol Cathedral

City Hall

 The Llandoger Trow

Can you tell I'm obsessed with medieval building's?  This is Welsh (pronounced Shklandoger)

 An amazing public house steeped in history and reputed to be the inspiration behind Daniel Dafoe's Robinson Crusoe.  I had a burger and fries ;-)

Another Banksy - the suit pouring the paint.  One of my favourites.

Other things to do in Bristol are:

*Take a river cruise - they have regular boat tours.

*SHOP - The shopping in Bristol is pretty insane, one of their shopping centers:

Cabot Circus:  has all the usual suspects (and is HUGE - like 4 stories).

Then there's the St.  Nicholas Market - which has 3 vinyl stores!  And Park Street/Queens Row has high street mixed in with second hand stores and unique boutiques!

*Check out any of Bristol's many Maritime attractions - the SS Great Britain, the first giant ocean liner built entirely of iron (as opposed to wood) a true engineering marvel.

*Pub Crawl - Bristol is a mecca for the enthusiastic drinker ;-)

I got so carried away purchasing second hand vinyl in Bristol that I didn't buy ANY shoes, accessories or clothes!  That has got to be a first!  So sorry, there's no eye candy in this post - Stay tuned for some epic finds from my week in London and Scotland.

 Gratuitous picture of the Bristol sunset over the canals.

Bristol is also the home of the TV series Skins - nuff said.