Exploring Bristol for the First Time (Not What We Expected)

We're spending the next few days exploring Bristol, a city known for its maritime history and modern culture among a lot of other things. From Banksy's iconic street art to engineering marvels like the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol has a lot to offer and over the next three days we are going to explore just what makes this city so unique and cool. We are partnering with Visit Bristol on this trip so if you are planning a trip to Bristol use the links below to get information and help planning your trip. We each got ourselves a pasty, had an excellent latte, now it's time to explore the city and already I love it here. I think we've seen a lot of kind of cool things like there's really old neat buildings, there's really new modern buildings, there's a building that looks old but also has a unicorn statue on the top. There's just a lot a lot to take in so far and I think what we're doing next is a really good way to acclimate ourselves to the city and that's by taking a walking tour. From Blackbeard to Banksy is the name of the tour that we're taking and our tour guide Teresa is fantastic. She's shown us our first Banksy which we were both very excited about. We learned all about Blackbeard, we saw a very old pub that had human skin on the door. I guess you have to touch the skin door. She took us around and showed us all sorts of street art. There was a street that was full of huge murals and she took us down an alley that had a bunch of like tiny street art and it was just all very cool. We learned all sorts of interesting history about Bristol including their trade history. We got shown the Bristol Nails where trades would take place. This building is the Corn Exchange built by a famous architect called John Woodley Elder in 1743 and it's where many of the merchants came to trade including slave traders when they had their produce back. But before 1743 this was more open air. There were a lot of these these kind of tables stretching all the way back through. These are called nails, Bristol Nails and they have the shape of a nail when you look at them and what they were historically before the Corn Exchange was built was where you did trade. You'd you put your tobacco here there would be other traders. Do you see the other tables? A discerning shopper would go around and look at the different tables and then they might come back to you and say what is the price of your wad of tobacco and you say oh it's such and such and he says fine okay I'm a tobacconist I run a shop I need a hundred of these and he would say yes I've got a hundred of them on my ship yeah they would say I require payment on the nail. This is called a nail the English expression payment on the nail which means cash in hand or immediate payment it comes from these nails and it means that he would trust the seller. She packed a lot of information into two hours I think we feel like we have a better bearing in the city now and gotta go check some more stuff out. Now that we know all about the city let's go outside of the city because there's a very important landmark that we have to see while we're here. We've come out to Clifton and we're about to walk across the very famous Clifton Suspension Bridge. Now I think one of the things that makes this so amazing and special is that Brunel who I think it's kind of considered Bristol's engineering rock star we learned on our tour just a little while ago that he was responsible for multiple things that are important and significant to Bristol not just this bridge but also getting the train between London and Bristol running and the SS Great Britain which we will be visiting tomorrow so we're gonna see all the Brunel things or at least the the major three I guess well I don't know we did take a train here that counts right but for now we're gonna walk across the suspension bridge which looks like it's under a bit of construction at the moment but still magnificent. The weather might be a little nicer in the summer probably the changing colors of the trees makes it worth it to visit right now I think. That's fair yeah it's really pretty. Jeremy's not the biggest fan of bridges or at least walking across them. Brooklyn Bridge probably being the worst experience. You're doing great. We're almost there. You did it. Proud of you. It's much windier on this side let's go cross it again. I just knew how at the lowest point you could touch these. You did it. Proud of you. Yay. Now do you want to go see it from another angle and learn maybe a little bit more about the history about it? As long as I don't have to cross it again. No but you will have to go up there in that tower is that okay? I don't care about that. Okay. When there's a place selling hot drinks right outside the bridge you get a hot drink which is exactly what I got. I got a latte. He ran out of boba and he still made Jeremy a little bubble tea for free without the boba. So kind. After walking across the bridge we had to come up here and see it from a better angle. Seeing it from this vantage point you really get the sense of what a huge accomplishment it is. Especially because when Brunel designed this in the 1830s it was unlike any bridge that had ever been built before. It wasn't completed until I think 1864 after his death. It spans 700 feet across the gorge and it is 245 feet above the water. It was originally made as a horse-drawn carriage bridge and now sees I think it was over four million cars a year that I saw which that's so amazing and wild that something that had such a different intended use could still be like such a beast in modern day. It's raining pretty hard out here I think we should go inside. Yeah let's do it. We have made our way to the Clifton Observatory which has some amazing views of the bridge even though we've kind of had to look at it through rainy windows. As you go up the tower there is a small museum that tells you about what this building was and the surrounding areas. At one point it was a Roman and Celtic fort and also at one point it was a windmill which is interesting. And up here at the top they have a camera obscura that unfortunately we can't really use today because of the weather but I'm sure it's very cool as well. They also have the Giant's Cave which is like 130 steps down and gives you a different view of the bridge. I'm gonna just be honest I don't think I'm gonna like being in a little cave that has a an outshoot over that canyon or whatever it is. But it does look really cool. It looks like a very cool option if you're a little more adventurous than I think we're both feeling today. Yeah. The woman working in there she did say that if we were to go down in there today it's really slick and you have to be really careful in the cave which I think you know on a day like today rainy day has been a great day because it's not been crowded at all. We've seen it from all these different views and had the place to ourselves but there is a downside the camera obscura wasn't working and the cave is kind of slippery and wet so if you do want to do those things make sure you come on a nice sunny day. We've made our way back into the city center to one of our favorite places Cozy Club. We've been to a number of locations throughout England and one of the things that I always love about them is they often take over old beautiful buildings and turn them into a nice kind of upscale looking restaurant with cool fun art and this one is no exception. This is a former banking hall and it is absolutely gorgeous. The ceiling has all these ornate details on it. There's a glass dome. There are deers wearing tiny hats. It has everything that you would want in a vibe but we also have drinks and we have food on the way and the drinks are really good too. I don't know if we've have we drank at the Cozy Club before? I don't know if we have. Not cocktails anyway. I don't know. They have good cocktails. I got myself a gin drink. It's my first of the trip and I'm excited about it. We both got our own variations of burgers. Great food. Great vibes. Good drinks. Good drinks. We had a great day today but we have even more to do tomorrow so we'll see you then. Good morning from what just might be the coolest accommodation we've ever stayed in. Brooke's Guesthouse here in the heart of the city center is hosting us in one of their rooftop rockets which are airstream caravans sitting on the roof of this boutique hotel right in the heart of the city center. When Visit Bristol asked us about the type of accommodation we wanted to stay in I said quirky and fun and I don't think it gets much more quirky or fun than this. And there is plenty of room in here. It has a double bed, has an ensuite bathroom which has real plumbing. It's not it's not you know camping toilet or anything. And it has amazing views. I always love to have a fun view wherever we stay. This is probably one of the coolest views combined with most quirky experiences in the best way possible. Included when you book here is a nice hot breakfast which we both very much enjoyed. They have a lovely courtyard garden which we might not get to enjoy this time. And they are right next to Saint Nick's Market which we are really excited to explore hopefully later today. The little bed nook is cozy. The heater put out a nice amount of heat. I would say the one thing is if you are interested in this and you can't do stairs this might not work for you because there is one flight of stairs that you have to go up even if you use the lift. It's a very unique but cool experience. And it's snowing right now. That is something. This is our first time experiencing snow in England so that is exciting. Snow, rain, whatever we experience today we are going to have a lot of fun today. Let's let's go explore more of the city. We've made our way down to the harborside. We just talked to some school girls who are surveying us about our trip here so far and they told us that this area used to be pretty run down but they've really regenerated it more recently and it makes sense. This whole area used to be a busy working port and ships would come from all over the world here. Now it seems like it's definitely been transformed into this cool cultural hub. You can still see all that maritime heritage all around which is why we are visiting the SS Great Britain which is one of Brunel's great masterpieces. We're about to walk around, go on the ship, and just learn more about it. The gentleman working told us to look out for the talking toilet. I'm not sure what that is but I'm excited to find it. He said children usually are excited about it but we're the two adults that'll be into it. An interesting thing about the ship is that it was steam-powered and wind-powered and they have a mechanism to raise the propeller out of the water when they're using the wind power so the propeller wasn't causing drag. That's so interesting. I think that might have been your favorite part was being able to move the mechanisms and make the propeller go up and down and such. And now we get to actually board the ship. I thought these were real people. I was like what's going on in here guys? It's interesting how authentic of an experience it is. Like it's really toasty in here. It's like they're wanting to make you feel like it would have been, you know? This lavatory is occupied. Go away. Not only is this a fascinating ship but the kind of interactive experiences, all of the different smells in the different rooms, like the kitchen smells like food, the bathroom had like a florally smell. Yeah it's just it's so neat how much care they put into making you feel like you know what the experience was like on the ship in different parts of the ship. What an incredible ship and what a fantastic museum. I think maybe perhaps the most fascinating part of all of this, this ship was left abandoned in the Falkland Islands in the 1880s and was left there until the 1970s when Bristol said hey let's get her back let's restore her to her original glory and that's what they did. It sits in the same dry hole that it was built in so that's pretty fascinating. What an incredible life that this ship has had. It's going to keep on giving so make sure you come here because this was one of the highlights for me so far. We've made our way along the harbor down to M Shed which is Bristol's main city history museum sitting in what used to be a 1950s transit shed. This museum has over 3,000 objects and personal stories from local people divided into three main galleries. Bristol places which shows how the city developed, Bristol people about local communities and Bristol life covering everything from music and art to industry and food. Another significant thing that they have here is the statue of Edward Colston the slave trader whose statue was pulled down during the Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd's murder and thrown into the harbor. We saw the empty place he was supposed to be yesterday our tour guide talked about it but I wasn't expecting to see the actual statue here very interesting. Outside of M Shed they also have cranes and different things operating probably more at peak times and when it's not raining slash snowing but something you could check out if you came and this museum is free and definitely worth the time. Earlier today on Instagram one of our followers Claire recommended that we come to Wapping Wharf and it is right across from the M Shed so that's where we are and what a cool place this is. This is Bristol's newest food quarter and cargo here is the city's first retail yard made of converted shipping containers which feels very appropriate for a former maritime area. It's getting quite chilly so I picked up a coffee at a local bakery but we really need to find some food. We stopped in at Seven Lucky Gods because well it smelled really great as we walked up to it and it had indoor seating which was a very nice choice at this point. We decided to order some of the things that were recommended basically she told us that two of the things we were contemplating were things she recommended so we have the chicken katsu curry and we have fried cauliflower. Szechuan. Szechuan fried cauliflower thank you and it all smells so good. Jeremy also ordered a meat bento box that has pork belly and Korean spicy Korean fried chicken so it all smells so good. It really does. The highlight for me is the fried cauliflower it just has such a nice flavor really strong ginger note on the front. Well I really also enjoy the cauliflower I think my favorite might be the Korean fried chicken it's very crunchy and just has a really nice flavor some spice but not too spicy just really good all together. I think everything everything has been really fantastic that's true we clean we cleaned everything so never underestimate a place that smells good because that was amazing we've had a fantastic time exploring Bristol harbour lovely lovely place but we have one more thing on the agenda today and that is to I think get a more local experience so we asked someone who knows this city a lot better than we do what should we do and this is what he said. Hi Jeremy hi Cara it's John Robbins here comedian digital DJ and west country boy I am so delighted that you're getting to experience some of the southwest and as a Bristol boy myself I'm gutted that I can't be there to show you the greatest city on earth. Bristol has an energy I think that's rooted in its history of radicalism it is protective of its community of independence both in the sort of the shops and the art you see there it's got a wonderful history of alternative music and performance and man what a place however in spite of not being able to be there I can give you a recommendation and if I was showing you Bristol even though I don't drink anymore I would give you a tour of some of its best pubs because I think that's such a great way to explore any city or town especially in England and the UK because pubs really are sort of little museums all of their own they're often the parts of the city that have been there the longest so I would start at Hair on the Hill and I would go then next door to the Hill Grove where I spent many a night in my 20s with friends I'd then walk through Cotton up Cotton Road past my old flat and I'd turn the corner onto St Michael's Hill to the Highbury Vaults make sure you take your first right when you go in through the front door and see if you can get a seat in the little snug bar there and have a pint of tribute which is what I would have done it's very well kept and they've got a lovely little electric train that goes through the pub and they've got a barbilliards table which is something I don't know if you get in America but hopefully there'll be someone there can teach you how to play barbilliards it's an amazing game then I would walk down with you hand in hand down St Michael's Hill down Christmas Steps one of the oldest parts of Bristol looking at the incredible shops there I think there's a violin shop a stamp collecting shop then across the main centre taking a bit of the harbour side I would then walk you through St Nick's Market past the Nails and then onto King Street where they've got a wonderful collection of pubs they've got the Royal Naval Volunteer they've got Small Bar the Beer Emporium Renato's this wonderful restaurant that stays open very late sometimes but you're never quite sure when it's going to close or open the Old Duke the Llandegar Trow which is one of the oldest pubs in Bristol and then at the end the Apple which is a cider boat where you can experience some of the best real hard cider that the southwest has to offer and in that space that cobbled street with all of the tables outside I just have so many fond memories of that community in Bristol long summer evenings talking to friends and enjoying myself and that's what I would wish to impart on you so all the best for your exploration I hope you have a wonderful wonderful time bye bye thanks John we wish you could have been here with us too I loved the Hillgrove's chill atmosphere and great music we also loved the Highbury Vault Snug Bar and Cara just might be good at bar billiards I think I'm good at this maybe kind of still don't totally understand the rules but might be my new colleague we'll see you tomorrow we got a little bit later of a start this morning than expected but we had some nice sunny views this morning from our rooftop caravan and now we are finally going to experience uh an open and proper Nicholas Markets or Saint Nick's as every local we've encountered has referred to it as established in 1743 this is Bristol's oldest market which is pretty neat I was reading that the exchange building here was designed by the same person that designed a lot of bath John Wood the Elder is his name I only just now realized seeing the sign saying Saint Nick's Mark Saint Nick's Markets that this is actually a whole bunch of different markets all combined in one place so I think we're going to scope out the whole area check out the different ones and then definitely get some food here in the glass arcade Jeremy found the one he's excited about when a place has stanchions like there will be a queue it's probably a good place to try right it's probably a good sign you ready to have some low and slow barbecue we have heard that if we're gonna find good barbecue in the UK that it's here and I'm really excited to try it plus uh the person who served us happened to be a viewer uh who said he found us through Ellison John so thank you Chris he let us have this on the house so much appreciated we are so excited to try this we got a box that has a little bit of everything and it smells really good I'm gonna start digging in gotta start with brisket do you like how I'm using your fork like they're chopsticks that is hands down the best brisket that we've had in the UK it's really hard to come by here and this is not only the best but one of the best we've ever had including all of our travels throughout the southern United States so good right really nice smoky flavor super tender like that's some of the most tender brisket I've ever had that is very good so in the box that we got it also comes with their pulled pork and their burnt ends and then you get to choose two sides we chose mac and cheese and beans and all around everything is wonderful now I understand why they have the queues and the popularity that they do because that was incredible if you come here you definitely have to check this place out that's coming from two Americans who have tried all kinds of delightful barbecue throughout pretty much every state that it's famous for in the U.S. and this tops them all so definitely come here we had a couple other things we had intended to do today but between getting a late start this morning and doing a little bit too much shopping in record shops we are needing to catch our train but we've had an incredible time here people have told us that if we lived in the UK that we would live in Bristol and I think they might be on to something because we really enjoyed our time here thank you to Visit Bristol for partnering with us on today's video thank you so much to John Robbins for helping us plan some things showing us a side of Bristol we wouldn't have otherwise seen thank you to our patrons for supporting our channel and thank you for watching if you're new here and you aren't subscribed please subscribe and make sure you go check out our video when we went to Bath it was on our very first trip to the UK but we had a lovely time and we saw a lot of cool things it'll be right here there