Bristol
Tsk! Never doubt Brunel.
Anyway, she is quite a ship.
With impressive detailing:
The ship is in a fantastic dry dock. The top is glass with running water, it looks like the ship is floating, but you go through a door and then I get a sinking feeling because you go down below the water and under the ship. Gulp.
But it's amazing, amazing how thin the hull is, and pretty scary thinking that this is all that's keeping back the river:
At the back is the technology, a balanced rudder and screw propellor providing easy maneuverability (and a prototype for modern steering and propulsion in ships).
Livestock were kept on the main deck, for food I guess?
First Class was mostly 2 bunks, and so very narrow!
On board barber shop - he must have been skilled and balanced, or the other guy reckless:
Others in steerage class slept width-ways in dormitories:
The ship was salvaged off the Falklands in 1970 and sadly will never sail again; too many too big holes:
But apparently you can rent out the dining room for weddings and bar-mitzvahs!
A great ship, precursor to all the cruiseliners we
Bright and breezy Bristol
I decided to ride from
work to Paddington and normally this would take about
25-30 minutes. Certainly when I used to commute this
way it would take about 30 minutes. Imagine my
surprise though...I was in conversation and didn't
notice the time. It was only 30 minutes before my
train was going to leave! So I rushed to get the bike
and set off at top flight, watching the clock. I got
to Paddington 20 minutes later. Not bad at all eh?!
Empire
Museum
Anyway, Bristol was looking marvelous in the summer sunshine and on the way back I popped into the British Empire Museum to ask a question. Last time I had visited I was disappointed not to find an Empire Map, did they have one? Yes, but in the book section (where I hadn't looked). I got an Empire map tea towel as well. Smashing.