Saturday, 8 April - Brunel's Birthday

The focus of Saturday was to get to the library and try to post some sort of a message on the website.  We had had some success on each of the three different computers getting on to one of the local wireless networks and the library seems one of the best.   Maybe not the best - so far the "Boston Tea Party" seems the best but it is a restaurant and I feel somewhat obligated to buy something if I"m just going to set there for a couple of hours. Got to the library and tried four different places within the library and got four different transmitters (or none at some places).  There must be a lot of steel in this building.  The bells in the Bristol Cathedral next door were banging - four notes over and over again.  It was like the controller was caught in some kind of loop.  Went on for at least two hours.  As the wireless signal changed so did the volume of the damn bells.  It was enough to drive a person batty. The connection on my computer was such that I could do some simple email but editing the website was out of the question.  Bruce was having better luck with his connection, so I borrowed his computer and got on long enough to post a cryptic note to the website advising everyone that we were working on the problem --- Please Stand By. Today is the "Big" Celebration in Bristol of I.K. Brunel's birthday - 200 years and counting.  Actually he's been dead for about 150 years.  Brunel was a very innovative engineer and way ahead of his time.  He is credited with the first railroad station (Temple Mead), the first screw driven steam ship (the SS Great Britain), and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The Gorge of the Avon River showing the Clifton Suspension Bridge

South Tower of the Clofton Suspension Bridge - note the Egypian influence of the architecture

The suspension bridge is impressive.  The river between Bristol and the Bristol Channel runs through a gorge.  The famous bridge crosses the gorge. The bridge has been there for over 130 years.  To celebrate Brunel?s birth, the city added new and updated lights to the bridge.  The ceremony to turn on the lights involved a choreographed fireworks display to music.  There were carnival vendors with food booths, children?s rides and souvenirs.  The usual British food was covered; i.e., fish and chips, sausages and bangers, coffees and teas, and an unusual one, donuts.pppI?m getting a little ahead of myself in our story.  We hadn?t visited the bridge yet.  We saw it on our first day but hadn?t gotten close.  After lunch we walked up Constitution Hill yet again and we all pulled cash from the Barclay?s bank on Queen?s Road.  We then walked along the to of the hill to Clifton Village and the north end of the suspension bridge.  We photographed the bridge from every angle, crossed over and back and had a pretty good understanding of what we were going to see that night.

The compulsory "I was there pictures" of  B&P and N&J with the Ciftton Suspension Bridge

The Bridge was shut down so that the fireworks could be staged on the bridge surface

The Bridge with the the city of Bristol in the background

The bridge had been closed to traffic in the early afternoon and the workers we busy laying out the fireworks on the roadway.  The orientation of the mortars and cannons gave some hint as to what we could expect during the nighttime display.  The ?press? (radio, TV, and print news) where also playing up the event pretty well.  So we were hyped by the time we walked back down the hill to our flat.  pppWe had a quiet time before dinner.  Right at 6 o?clock Ruth showed up.  Nancy had invited Ruth for dinner but without a phone or email we hadn?t heard if she was coming.  We had a nice supper while watching the traffic and walkers build up on Hotwells Road.  By the time dinner was over the girls were so pumped that we had to get moving.  It had been cool all day and very windy.  The idea of standing out in the cold for a couple of hours didn?t excite me all that much, but Nancy, who had read everything published about the event assured us that there would be plenty of entertainment. The highlight of the pre-fireworks entertainment was to be a concert by no less than 200 saxophones.

The City of Bristol as viewed from the center of the Bridge At the bend in the road under the bridge is where we stood for the fireworks later

Near the Bridge is a  rock cropping.  A strip had been polished over time to form a kid slide.  It was bumpy but the kids loved it.

We had elected to view the happenings from the riverbank. No fear of missing the saxophones because there were loudspeakers set up in the gorge for our pleasure.  As we pushed through the crowd to get nearer the bridge it became obvious that the loudspeakers were mute.  Instead of saxophones the weather entertained us while we waited.  It was cold, it rained and then it hailed but we persevered and both the bridge lighting and the fireworks were awesome - especially in that narrow valley.

The fireworks display as viewed from down by the river.  First the new permanent lights were turned on.  In the dark they were pretty impressive. But, when the fireworks started they faded into the background. The black stripe in the middle is a lamp post.

We all walked home in the crowd and got into the warm house and had a nice cup of tea and some biscuits (cookies).

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