Across the Pond (Part 5): A Bit of Bristol & London

Where did we leave off?  Oh, yes, we were in Cornwall…

Enjoying the most splendid summer weather.  Our last day in Cornwall we spent at Trebarwith playing on the beach and enjoying another pub lunch at the Port Bill.

Do you want to hear more about our trip?

You do?

Oh good, because I was going to tell you more anyway…

Hang on to your seat and your hats because we’re driving a bit to stay with our dear friends, James, Clare and Bethan in Portishead.

Would you care for a cuppa?

Ah, there you go, I believe it is Earl Grey.  We stopped at Cox and Baloney in Bristol for a spot of tea. A quirky, little spot stuffed to the brim with wonderful goodies.  It is a tea room filled with wonderful smelling teas, mismatched cups and scrummy cakes.  I had the Mr. Darcy (English Breakfast) and it was perfect.  Tea just tastes so much better in china cups and in England.

Not only do they have tea, but they also have Annie Sloan Chalk Paint – be still my heart!  I spent a good amount of time perusing the colors that aren’t available in the states yet and wondered about bringing some back.  Alas, I thought it was too risky.  Can you imagine a suitcase full of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?

What a waste of good paint!

I did get a recycled leather bag which I’m bringing to Haven with me.  Yay!  Cox and Baloney also had lovely handmade goods, vintage dresses, hand painted furniture and a dress makers’ workshop on the lower level.  Such a fun place!

While in Bristol, we also searched for Gromits and the children loved that.  The Gromit Appeal is done by Aardman Entertainment and their billing it Gromit Unleashed – 80 Gromits in 10 weeks.  It is going on now until September 8th.  Proceeds support the Bristol Children’s Hospital.  So if you find yourself in Bristol with little ones, we highly recommend doing this.  We found 20 and were exhausted.  This was my favorite one, called Bunty, and it has an image of Clifton and the suspension bridge.

Pubs are such a huge part of English culture and that is one thing we miss here in the States.  Our friends took us to a fabulous one.  Hold your breath because the decor is a-maz-ing…

Hall and Woodhouse, a shipping container turned gastro-pub, is set right on the waterfront in Portishead Quay Marina.  Look at that decor?  Gorgeous, huh?  I love the orientals, lights and white walls.  This is a vision I have for our new living room.  I love the rustic old floor boards with a twist of the industrial.  The food was so amazing too!  Lovely tapas, salads and fantastic meals for the younger ones.

While in Bristol, we were lucky to attend the wedding of our lovely friends, Gav and Jo.  Boy, did they luck out with the weather.  I think it was the hottest day of the summer in the UK.  The wedding was on the famous SS Great Britain. Don’t my little sailors look handsome?!?

Early the next morning we headed up to London:

and tried to cram as many sights we could into one day.  Lots and lots of walking.  Big Ben, the Eye, Buckingham Palace…

John loved London.  Well, he actually, loved all of England.  He wants to live there.

Thank you so much to family and friends for making our trip so special!  So many of you have sent lovely comments and emails about our trip and your own travel plans.  Hope you felt like I was able to take you in my suitcase!  If you have any questions or want more information about places we visited just leave a comment or send me an email.

If you’d like a recap of our trip.  Here are some other posts (click on title to see the post):

Part 1: A Farmhouse in Devon
Part 2: Castles! 
Part 3: Trebarwith Strand
Part 4: Down to the Farm