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Planes, are faster; trains, more convenient; buses, less expensive- but ferries are by and above the most civilized way to travel. The freedom to, among other things, stand up and go for a walk is of prime importance to someone with my legs and ferries simply win in this regard. Of course, this boat ride is five and a half hours long... but it's somewhat appropriate to enter and leave England by boat.
I originally planned this post as a list of things that I missed in England, but I quickly found I did almost everything I set out to do here; I missed a couple museums and shows in London for lack of money and abundance of sickness, but I saw London, Yorkshire, Bristol and Plymouth, and for every sight I missed I found something unexpected - Marks and Spencer Grocery Stores, or Heather and Honey Yoghurt.
The one thing I really did miss was seeing family; I got me the Leslie connection - it was Nikola's birthday on the 14th, and I met really everybody and anybody connected to Dad; but most of the Harrymans were busy. I sometimes forget that I'm kind of freeloading right now; I get to chase my fancies- or at least, for another six days I do - but the rest of the world is at work, at least with the exception of Andy and Martin who are retired.
So they took me around Bristol and the surrounding area for a few days, and then I took myself to Plymouth and have since left England.
Bristol and Plymouth are both decent stopovers, for someone who doesn't own a car. Bristol and Plymouth both have diversions enough to occupy a jaded, cynical traveler fresh from London and Paris for a couple of days, but I get the feeling they are both very nice places to live.
Actually, Bristol is a good stop. It's the home of Bansky, the graffiti artist; he's got a piece in the Bristol museum and there are a few more out in the streets (of course!) One could spend a worse sunny day than walking around Bristol sighting the original works. He's inspired a number of artists - outside a thai place there was an entire forty foot mural that went up overnight - so the city has more paint on warehouses than in museums.
The area to the west of downtown is also quite strange. Bristol stretches mostly to the east of the harbour - I missed that because Andy claimed there's nothing there - and at that point it opens up to some good walks, estates and commons. That's mostly because of the gorge that separates Long Ashton from Bristol.
Martin took me to the Haynes museum, close to Bristol (a forty five minute drive if one makes the trip directly) which has a stellar collection of Mercedes; it's a car museum and there are probably more British made cars inside those barns than out. A particular treat would be the nearly complete E type collection, the favourite car of the entire freakin' world. And Cheddar is close enough that it would be possible to go to the Haynes museum in the morning, find lunch in a country pub somewhere and then do the Cheddar gorge and caves in the afternoon.
Plymouth is also deserving of a day to itself; I managed a walk through the markets, a trip to the cinemas and a run along the waterfront and it's not enough. Essentially the whole town is protected by the National Trust. All of it! And the moors and downs around Plymouth are breathtaking. Had I more time I would have spent a day out walking on them, and another taking a sailing lesson in the excellent harbour.
Don't bother with the cinema, though; it was only five pounds for a Sunday night showing, but the screen was about the size of a postage stamp. Still that's about all I wanted to spend on Cowboys and Aliens. As far as that movie goes - it's got cowboys and aliens, and cowboys fighting aliens. If that sounds like a waste of time don't waste yours. And the hostel could do with a renovate.
Tonight, I sleep in Roscoff, and I have time enough to go for a walk tomorrow morning before catching my train to Rennes. Don't know when exactly I'll post this - settle on 'soon'. They do have internet on board but at four pound an hour it seems dear. I'm also currently without currency so there are obstacles to overcome!
Six days left. Three cities. Two trains. One plane...
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