Thinking outside the Triangle

Picture: Constance Malleret

Bristol is a wonderful city. Whiteladies road offers a plethora of bars, coffee shops and lunch options, Stoke Bishop is a fantastic rowdy mixture of freshers awkwardly finding their feet and returners promoting their ‘organised fun’, while Cabot Circus is a hot spot for clothes shops and chain restaurants. However, putting irony aside, do Bristol University students know anything other than the straight line from Halls to town? Do we really know our city like the locals do?

As a 4^th year languages student, I have spent the last 12 months exploring the French city of Bordeaux and the Spanish city of Malaga. With only 6 months in each place to lap up the rich culture around me, spare Sunday afternoons were spent in art galleries, days off work involved whistle-stop tours of local landmarks and hangovers provided little barrier to my desire for exploration. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the 2 years I had spent in Bristol previously. I imagine the most exotic voyage I ever made was to watch a French film at Watershed or perhaps the one time I climbed Cabot Tower.

Aware of my generalisation, I feel strongly that a large majority of Bristol students have their blinkers fixed firmly to their faces when it comes to exploring the city. The well-heard complaints that, ‘the Student’s Union is just too far away’ or the stereotypes that 2^nd years live in Redland, while 3^rd years opt for Clifton seem restrictive and unnecessary. With a host of sights to see and things to do, why do we all seem so apathetic about our surroundings? There is more to Bristol than the University and a really nice bridge.

Inspired by my year abroad, I have made a plan. With only one year to go in the pearl of the South West, my 4^th year is to be a second attempt at my 1^st year (with maybe a little bit more studying thrown in). Back to being an inquisitive fresher, back to square one. Day trips to Weston-Super-Mare, Bath, Stonehenge and Salisbury are all on the list. Lecture-free afternoons will be spent at M Shed, St Nicholas Market, Ashton Court and SS Great Britain. Fewer Friday nights spent in Lounge, and instead exploring the variety of cocktail bars and the occasional speak-easy for which Bristol is actually quite famous.

In the future, if I am ever asked by a Bristolian where I went to university, I would feel a sense of shame if I was unable to engage in a conversation about our city other than the well-trodden roads around the university. If, as seems likely, I am to move away after graduation, I want to feel that I have made the most out of my time in this beautiful, arty, yet very rainy city that seems hooked on much more than just hot air balloons and valuable graffiti.    

This article was originally written for Bristol University's newspaper, Epigram. The article can be found here. 

   

Why You Should Spend All Your Money On A Skiing Holiday

Insert some sort of 'on the piste' joke...

We all know that a trip to the French Alps is not exactly the cheapest way to spend your holidays and perhaps not the most important use of your student loan. However, I hope to persuade you that if you find yourself with a tiny bit to spare or you need an (energetic) break from uni, a ski holiday is the answer.

The Mountains. Exams getting you down? Dissertation looming? Fresh air is obviously what you need! I’m not talking about the untouched fumes of the countryside, but the refreshing sparkle of snow and the glint of a freshly pisted double black diamond run. 

The Alcohol. Almost as important as the skiing, some might argue that it is more so, is the necessity to party and to make sure you get as little sleep as is humanly possible during your week away. Not only do you party like it’s 1999 (apparently that’s a song?) but you discover a whole host of drinks that you aren’t allowed to even sniff when back home. Toffee Vodka? Yes please. Smirnoff Ice? Totally socially acceptable when abroad! 

The Humiliation. Watching people fall over is funny. Falling over is quite funny. Causing people to fall over is pretty funny. Trying to do a CAB 1440 MUTE  (that’s a freestyle ski jump apparently) and then bailing is pretty funny, providing you don’t break any vertebrae in the process…

The Competition. There is no way of denying it, when skiing with friends, there’s a battle to be the best. Luckily enough, you can just about get away with whispering expletives under your breath while dropping that cliff without anyone hearing your cries of fear. You may be completely terrified, but you will have secured your place as the most outrageous skier to all those watching and can go home with your head held high (as well as your broken arm). 

Image: LA Observed

The Places of Bristol: Cabot Tower

Possibly one of the most romantic spots in Bristol and only a 2 minute walk from Park Street, Cabot Tower is an isolated fairy tale just off the beaten track. The 32 metre high tower offers stunning views of the city and is situated in Brandon Park, allowing for a perfect lunch spot after the panoramic sights. 

Image: TripAdvisor

Although some may argue that Cabot Tower isn’t exactly a secretive landmark, it took two years until I discovered this beautiful place that steals you away from the hustle and bustle of the Clifton Triangle. It seems the perfect location to spend a much-needed lunch break away from the worries of the day or even a romantic walk in the evening with a view included. Although the actual tower closes at 3:45pm each day, the views are still fascinating from the base of the tower which sits at the perfect height to catch a glimpse of Bristol by moonlight. There really isn’t a more seductive spot. 

Where? Brandon Hill Park

How much? IT'S FREE.

Why I Love the BBC

From a lonely drive made more interesting by the dulcet tones of Jeremy Vine to a desire to find out the headlines in English while abroad, the BBC seem to have all areas covered. After a recent conversation with a friend, I discovered that I am rather a fan of the BBC and the extent to which it surfaces in my daily life. Beyond praising (rather patriotically- there were mentions of how America just cannot do the same) this wonderful corporation, we managed to completely justify to ourselves the £145 annual TV licence. I thought I’d share a few of those reasons with you…

The Choice of Radio. They do it all. Want to hear some calm Sunday morning chit chat? Fancy a gentle introduction into the history of the blues? Read a bestseller book recently? Radio 2. Fancy putting on your pretentious hat and forming strong opinions on Cameron’s Europe speech? Want to hear what records Nick Clegg will take to his desert island with him? Need your Archers fix? Radio 4. Too young/cool for the above? Radio 1.

News. I don’t want anyone to burst my bubble. The BBC news website provides us with unbiased, up-to-date, well written journalism. Forget the typos of the Daily Mail Online and the ridiculous stories dug up by The Sun, the BBC gets to the point and you feel like an educated person wrote the words that you are reading. 

Sport? Not something, if I’m honest, that I pay attention to on a daily basis, but people tell me that they’re the website to seek. 

David Attenborough. Now this one is important. We came to the conclusion that without the BBC, there would be no David Attenborough. From Life on Earth in the 70s, the more recent Frozen Planet to the current Africa, many Britons would argue that the nature and wildlife genre on TV will cease to exist when Attenborough retires. Which, considering he is still going at 84, he never will.  

Remember this?!