Spartacus is back!
25th June 2014
So as I said yesterday I'm travelling to Bristol today... I've already
been and am writing this on the train back. What the hell? I just looked out
the window and there’s a giant white horse?
Anyway, it's been a pretty sweet day, the sun is shining, I have
Spartacus back and I've travelled the farthest away from home ever alone. I
feel a bit grown up...
So firstly, travelling to and from...
I had planned my wake up to perfection. I had 3 or 4 alarms waiting to
blast out an annoying tune to wake me up, they did not need to, i was awake
half an hour before they were due to go off, so all I needed to do was get
dressed and pack my laptop. After doing this the taxi was phoned, I had at
least 40 mins to get to the train station....
But boy did it get close to missing my train, I stood and waited and
waited for the taxi, the minutes passing and my worry growing, if I missed the
train my whole day would be screwed! Eventually the taxi arrived 15 mins
"late" his excuse... The traffic.
So finally I get to the station and buy my tickets with 4 mins to spare,
a very close call for someone who likes to plan ahead.
The train arrives and as you can imagine, it’s already packed, people
are complaining over reserved seats and the heat already... We have not even
started moving... Shut up!
Damn, the ticket lady has got it going on!
I arrive at Bristol Temple Meads unharmed, now to wait an hour for the
train to Yate...
There was no way in hell I was waiting at the station for an hour so I
asked if I could pop outside, they let me through and I got to see Bristol for
the first time... What a S**t tip.
Half the buildings were falling apart by the looks of things, there were
a lot of advertisements all over the buildings, begging for someone to buy the
space and "develop" the area.
I strolled along the main road just looking around, some of the
buildings are beautiful, and some are not.
I keep walking until I stop and see "Baristas Coffee
Collective" I immediately enter. Upon entering I see a bar, a snug area
with a projector aimed at the wall showing a blue square (obviously nothing on
today?) and a few people standing up at the bar, one ordering the other two on
bar stools drinking their coffee.
I was in a rush so didn't really get time to look at the full menu of
drinks or food, so I did what any normal person does when being asked the
question...
"What would you like today?"
At least the barista was nice,
"Urrrrrrrrrrrrgh?" You know this noise? This is what I did,
just like you do when you don't know what to order....
"Double espresso please?"
"1.60 please"
"That’s cheap" I thought, probably going to be a bit crap
then?
Well, what was handed to me in an espresso cup can only be called liquid
gold. Peachy liquid gold. Gold.
I lifted the gold to my nose and smelled the coffee, peach.
I dipped my finger in the crema and tasted it, intense, thick, dark and
rich.
Finally I lifted it to my mouth, sipped and swilled. It was heaven,
flavour rushed my tongue. The longer I held it in my mouth the more it tasted
of peaches. I was in love for about 30 seconds... I had to leave and get my
train.
However you can experience the same pleasure as me by going and visiting
them some info below.
So I walk back to the train station and board the train.
The thing I've noticed all day is that trains are crap, I often complain
about how horrible the ones in and around Portsmouth are, green, dirty...
falling apart!? But never again will I complain, have you been to Bristol and
used the trains here? I thought I was going to die.
However another thing I noticed was that the further away from a major
city you get the nicer the train stations get? It’s a shame that this is the
case, I'd rather have nice trains and nice stations. Hell, even just having
trains I feel safe in would be an improvement!
All day, or at least the times I was sat on a train the scenery was
beautiful, there are so many beautiful houses and castles/churches/I don't even
know what they are but they were pretty sweet!
Anyway back to the point....
I made it to Yate, the train station is about 50ft below the main road
so you have to climb up a set of stairs which take you up onto a bridge which
crosses the tracks. But when you get to the top you are welcomed to the town of
Yate. The view is nothing extraordinary but it’s not until you start walking
towards my destination, Chipping Sodbury, the next town across, that you notice
how wide the roads are, how even though it’s the middle of the day traffic is
minimal and that everyone seems to be in a good mood? Something in the water?
Yate also came second in their first Britain in Bloom entry in 2011, maybe that’s
why it’s so nice? Little fact for you there, I'm so knowledgeable...
"Cough" thanks Google.
So, I had to walk to Chipping Sodbury from Yate, it's really not too
far. Plus when the weather was as nice as it was today it's beautiful, the only
shame is that you do have to walk all the way down a main road, however it is
lined with wild flowers, so it's not too bad, and you do have something to look
at.
After about a half hour walk I arrived in what can only be described as
the most beautiful and old fashioned/ authentic town centre in the UK.
You really do need to see the place to understand how amazing it is. So
like a complete tourist I asked a passer-by where the local police station
was...
"'Halfway down t' high street"
So I wandered down looking at everything, I mean everything, the
buildings were beautiful (I've used that word far too many times already, but
it's the truth). Finally I reach the police station, shaking with anxiety and
excitement, I was also a bit scared. What if something’s happened to
Spartacus?
That has been my only real fear in this ordeal, the fact that I don't
know what’s happening half the time, communication between oneself and the
authorities has been quite minimal. So the whole time I have been expecting
something to have gone wrong at some point.
I enter the police station, which may I add looks amazing from the
outside, and as I entered it reminded me of my old school, polished wood and
smooth red brick, cold but clean.
I walk up to the desk and wait for 20 seconds until an older fellow
turns up from around the corner.
I tell him that I am here to pick up my bike, where I have come from and
about my day, how impressed i am with the town and how very pleased i am that
someone on his small police force has been able to locate my bike and recover
it.
He replies with,
"You're very lucky to get this back"
To which I reply
"I know, very lucky. I didn't think I'd see it again"
So I take a seat after handing over the paper work.
