I really wanted to get some kind of "Oktoberfest" celebration in during the month of October since I am so close to the festivities here in England. It was hard to schedule since I had class most weekends, but I managed to find Bierschenke, London's Authentic Munich Beer Hall, and booked a reservation for us on Halloween.
We had beers and brats and watched the Rugby World Cup Final before the band started to play. The food and beer/cider was all really good, though the platter had a lot for the two of us to share. It lasted us the entire game and we were plenty full by the time we left. I really thought we'd dress up in the traditional clothing since it's Halloween, but Dayne had to explain to me that everyone dresses up scary for Halloween here in England. It's not like costumes in America that could be anything (and I saw some REALLY good ones this year!) Part of me wonders if Dayne just didn't want to dress up... but the only people at Bierschenke in costume were the workers, and yes, they were all scary... covered in blood no matter what they were. I was glad we didn't show up in any costume. Afterwards we headed to a pub quiz that was Halloween theme and put on by one of Dayne's co-workers. The two of us on our own team unfortunately didn't win, but I'm sure if I ever attend a pub quiz again either of my siblings will be in attendance. I hope they'd be on my team! The only category I was good at were the songs! A few weeks ago I spent one of my off days exploring North St., a busy main street just across the river from Bristol City Centre. It is home to many different shops, cafes, and restaurants, and I was able to stop in many as I walked down the road. Towards the end of my jaunt, I noticed the sophisticated “Curtis & Bell” on the corner of the street and decided it would be a good spot to stop for some lunch and reading for class.
I immediately was drawn in by the bright orange color throughout the entire cafe, well accentuated by the occasional white or brown accent color. It is the perfect balance between energy and class. I found a table in the corner to drop my things and ordered the lunch special; chili with a roll of bread and a cup of tea. It was hard to pick just a lunch, because Curtis & Bell has a varied selection of pastries and cakes set up in their window that spans across the entire length of the cafe. Unless you sit in the front of the store, you have to walk past them all or sit staring at them. They taste as delicious as they look... I came back the next week and got a salted caramel eclair with my hazelnut latte. Perfect! Curtis & Bell has plenty of visitors throughout the day, and their outdoor patio is perfect to enjoy some of their homemade ice cream. Along with the tables and chairs, they have a few cozy nooks set up with smaller sofas for a more relaxed experience. My table towards the back corner was perfect for my laptop and meal both. I can’t help but multi-task. The staff are incredibly friendly and took a moment to let me know that it might be a bit loud for a few minutes as they were going to be mixing together ingredients for a recipe. They hoped it wouldn’t disturb my reading. I thought that was really kind. This is easily my favourite spot on North St. I know I have a few more places to stop and enjoy, but I will definitely keep coming back to Curtis and Bell. Today, Dayne and I headed to Whiteladies Road to visit a coffee shop that is on the list, "10 of the best coffee shops in Bristol." Our goal, as I may have mentioned before, is to visit all 10 of them. This is the 2nd one we've gone to, Brew Coffee Company.
It was a beautiful Autumn day, so we were able to sit outside on their front patio. We missed the bus into town, so we and did not get there in time to have brunch. This was a bit of a disappointment, as that was a highlight of Brew pointed out in the “Top 10” article. We ordered our coffees, (mocha & hazelnut latte) and decided what we’d have for a late lunch from the four menu options they had for us to choose from. We opted for homemade chili with yogurt, guacomole, and tortillas. At first, I thought it was a bit expensive, but we got a huge bowl of chili and it was very satisfactory to eat. Chunky, full of meat, vegetables, and beans. It took quite awhile to eat, so I felt we got our money’s worth. My hazelnut latte was the perfect balance of sweet and strong coffee. I did not need to add sugar, which is rare for me. They also did a really nice design on the top, which is always fun. At 3:30pm it was not too busy that we didn't have a seat, but the flow was consistent throughout our visit. Many people stopped by for coffee and a chat, while others came in for a full meal. I loved how relaxed the patio was despite being close to a busy street, I never felt distracted by those passing-by or cars and buses. As it got warmer out, I allowed myself to try a glass of their homemade peppermint guava ice tea, which was incredibly refreshing and the perfect way to cool down after the previous ‘hot’ courses of coffee and chili. After our stop at Brew, we walked up and down Park Street, which was a struggle for me on a full belly. I felt like I could have rolled down the hill on the way back down! Still, it was nice to be able to explore more of Bristol by foot. I’d like to go back earlier in the day (& maybe not on a Sunday) so we could have brunch and visit some of the shops on the street. Whiteladies Road is a bit outside the City Centre of Bristol, so we will likely visit some other areas of Bristol and the other eight coffee shops before we come back to Brew Coffee Company. So much to see, so little time! I look forward to returning. Football (soccer, in America) took over the televisions at Walkabout tonight, so Dayne and I headed across the street to The Commercial Rooms, a proper English pub owned by Wetherspoons. I love Wetherspoons pubs because the food is fantastic and the price is unbeatable. I had an assortment of proper English cuisine on my plate as part of their Sunday Club; Lamb & mint sauce, mash and gravy, peas and other assorted veg, Yorkshire Pudding (a first for me!), sausage (but not blood sausage), roast potatoes, and wine. It was great!
We found our Sunday Night Football spot! I mentioned before that Dayne and I are both American Football fans and it's one of the reasons we talked so much at the start of our friendship. He helped me with my first Fantasy Football team and now we are playing in the same league with my college roommates. Go Yankee Rebels!
American Football games are often broadcasted late at night here in England, because we are five hours ahead, but last night a few started at 6pm that we were hoping to see. Since American Football is not one of the top sports to be broadcasted in England, there were few places we could go to watch them. Enter Walkabout Bristol, an Australian sports bar/pub in Bristol City Centre that promoted online it could show the American Football games. We headed that direction. Immediately upon entering I managed to make friends with one of the workers, Cameron, who is actually from Australia. Not only did he get the American Football game on for us, but he hooked me up with a "Mates Rates" card for student discounts. Dayne and I each got a "pie of the day" (chicken and ham) with mash potatoes, peas, and gravy. We also somehow rearranged our seats three times to get the best seat for all of the football they could show on the ONE channel that covers American Football. Walkabout itself just finished a 500,000 pound renovation and was quiet as could be for us to watch our game. Of course, England had just lost to Wales the night before so it was understandable not many people were out. Cameron explained to us that the entire establishment was packed the night before, and it took hours to clean up. You would have never noticed walking in for Sunday Night Football. I'm sure when we go back there will be another rugby or football game on and we won't have as good of luck getting the best seats and service, but we'll try for it every Sunday before Dayne heads back to London! On today's "Tour of Bristol" by Dayne, we stopped for a snack and coffee at one of his favorite spots to meet his friend, Tank. Coffee #1 is a popular chain although I don't think you'd tell at first as it looks like a really unique coffee shop with it's own flair and theme. It reminds me a little bit like Biggby, because it's coffee and cake was SO SWEET!
I actually opted for a more sugary drink than my standard hazelnut latte, but that's because they were promoting their Fall... Autumn drinks, and as I was hastily running to the loo, I told Dayne I'd have the cleverly named 'nutty' hot drink (who's name I can't remember) thinking it was a hazelnut coffee. Turns out it was a peanut butter flavored hot chocolate. I didn't drink the whole thing, but the cheesecake was good. Again, very sugary. Dayne and I split it and didn't eat all of the crumbs. I should also mention that Dayne deterred from his standard 'mocha' order and got a mocha with mint to shake things up. Again, it was too sweet for him to finish. I really liked being able to sit in there. Although there were patrons in and out and a family with kids sitting close, I never felt like I was distracted. They also had outdoor seating in the back garden and front patio. I'll have to head back there the next time Dayne is in town so we can get our hazelnut latte and mocha. Although I took a red-eye flight, I didn't sleep much. Other than excitement and the fact it was a shorter flight than usual (since I left out of Toronto), it was also difficult to sleep between meals being delivered, the lights not turning off, two babies crying, a woman having a diabetic meltdown of some kind, and the girl next to me refusing to let the chair in front of her recline, I couldn't really manage. Nevertheless, after just under 6 hours or so, I arrived in London. I made it through customs, and then spent too much time trying to find my checked bag (yes, only one!) on the belt, I briefly panicked before turning around and spotting it on the ground. It had fallen off. Soon, I was out the arrivals door where I saw a handsome, bearded man in a Michigan State shirt standing watch. He took my bags, and we quickly boarded the Gatwick Express back to Victoria Station. It felt so good to be back. A bus ride later, we were dropped off just outside Westminster where I spotted, for the first time in over a year, The Elizabeth Tower, otherwise known as Big Ben. After a few touristy pictures taken on the bridge, we were able to drop off my luggage and move on to our next activity. Being a fantastic boyfriend, and knowing how important it is to stay awake to combat the jet-lag, Dayne had a surprise planned to hold my interest. He booked reservations for us for the rest of the day. Being in London, I had no clue where we were going. We hopped on a tube and then started a walk in an area of London I'd never been. After about 5-10 minutes of walking, Dayne stopped in the middle of a square and asked whether or not I trusted him. "Yes...?" "Will you put something on to wear without knowing what it is?" "What!? I don't know, maybe?" "Just a shirt." "Okay." "Close your eyes." Soon I was handed what seemed like a t-shirt. I could feel there was writing on it and wondered whether or not he had a shirt printed that had some kind of joke on it. A little reluctant, and very skeptical, I put the shirt on. He told me I could open my eyes to keep walking, but to not look down. We kept walking and I could soon see in the distance, I could faintly make out a neon-light sign that said "Jet-Lag." Then I really became worried about what my shirt said. The closer we got, the closer I realized it was a sports bar. I knew this had to be our destination. Dayne guided me inside. The top level was packed; there was no room at all. People actually sitting on top of one another, watching some kind of British sport and cheering loudly. I honestly thought, you have got to be kidding me. Then I heard Dayne say to the bartender something about "Michigan" and we were being directed down a staircase. Soon we found ourselves in a massive lounge, completely empty. It was dark with purple mood lighting, very relaxing. Aside from the multiple TVs lining the walls, there was also a bar, tons of tables & chairs, sofas, & a 15ft cinema screen in the center of the room. We were the only ones there. In the center of the room, right in front of the big screen, there was a coffee table in front of a love-seat sized sofa. On it was a place card that said "Dayne x2, Michingan & Notre Dame." I looked down at my shirt, and saw it was gray. In green were the words, "Michigan State," the football team Dayne decided was his favorite after his trip touring stadiums this past summer. Not only do I love college football, but I love being comfortable while watching it. Here we were, the only two in the lounge, with cozy center seats for the Michigan State game that was about to start and the Notre Dame game that was to follow. I was shocked we had this huge room to ourselves, but figured that there probably wouldn't be a huge turnout for American College Football in London. Boy, was I wrong. Apparently, Jet-Lag is a huge hub not only for fans from all nations to come enjoy sports, but it is also the go-to spot for Michigan fans. Slowly, other Michiganders started to arrive. Some one-by-one, others in pairs or groups, all donning Green & White or Maize & Gold, as the Michigan game was on at the same time. Soon, there were 40-50 other people in the lounge, easily a dozen Michiganders to 1 opposing team fan. Anyone there not cheering for a Michigan team was severely outnumbered. We ordered food and drinks and soon the games were underway. Dayne was praised for getting State on the big screen, and we talked a bit with other fans. After hearing where I was from, the guy to my immediate right told me he had lived there for work many years ago for a company my Dad worked out. It is such a small world! The entire atmosphere of "Jet-Lag" on College Game Night in London astounded me. The food was delicious (we split a quesadilla and beef sliders, both phenomenal!) and spirits were high, as both Michigan and Michigan State won. True to it's name, The Jet-Lag Sports Bar definitely helped me fight my very literal jet-lag that day. I felt right at home there despite being hundreds of miles away. We will definitely be going back. Love, Jacq Side Note: American Football is something Dayne and I both know and love. One of the topics we talked about so much last year was Fantasy Football, as he helped me with my first Fantasy Football team. This year, we're in the same league! I wonder what will happen when we have to go against each other! |
Hiya!Jacq is a "Made in the Mitten" gal experiencing life & love across the pond. She enjoys the theatre, both onstage and off, traveling, & taking pictures. You might spot her on her way to class or enjoying a hazelnut latte. She hopes to soon find a good spot to do yoga in the city. Follow her adventures as she discovers her favorite places & spaces in Bristol, Bath & beyond! Topics
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