The S.S. Great Britain in Bristol

We said goodbye yesterday morning to our couchsurfing hosts (thanks Cynthia and Nigel!) and took the bus from there into town. We dropped our bags at a hostel near the bus station where they looked after them for a cost of £2.00 ($3.28) each.

Then we walked to the S.S. Great Britain. This is a restored passenger steamship, designed for transatlantic crossings between Bristol and New York. It was built in Bristol and launched in 1843.

The S.S. Great Britain.

After many transatlantic crossings, and then quite a few emigrant voyages to Australia and back, the passenger ship was sold and turned into a cargo ship. Eventually, it was abandoned in the Falkland Islands. In 1970, the ship was refloated and brought back to the dock in which she was built in Bristol where it has been a restored museum ship ever since. It costs £12.50 ($20.50) for one adult admission.

The entire hull of the ship is in dry dock, and is fitted with a modern dehumidifier system to prevent further corrosion. The ship is made of iron, and needs to be kept in an environment that impedes corrosion.

Kevin with the huge anchor.

The upper deck.

The first class cabins.

Even first class cabins were tiny. If you were traveling as a single, you were placed in a cabin with a stranger. That could make for a LONG 14 day voyage!

The kitchen. The restoration is amazingly well done, and in the different areas of the ship there are smells to make you think you're really there! 

Steerage class cabins.

Ruth, seated in the first class dining area.

The rear of the ship.

Now, compare the S.S. Great Britain to this reproduction of the ship that John Cabot used to sail from Bristol to Newfoundland in 1497.

We enjoyed our visit to the S.S. Great Britain. The restoration is extremely well done and it's an enjoyable journey exploring the ship as a passenger would have seen it in the 1850's. For something different to do, it's worth the price of admission.

After that, we made our way back to the bus station. We had bought a one day travel pass for £7.00 ($11.50) each, which was kind of expensive, but it would take us all the way to Glastonbury about 27 miles (43 kms) away. Ruth's cousin Helen met us in Glastonbury and drove us the short distance to Keinton Mandeville where we will be for the next couple of weeks or so.

Here's where we are now.

Ruth, Chester, Helen, and Tony.

We're in the countryside now, and there's lots of walking and exploring to do. Helen has next week off work so she'll be joining us, and husband Tony will join us when he can. Dog Chester likes to explore too!

So, what was missing in that picture yesterday? 

Pick up trucks! I think every second vehicle in the U.S. and Canada is a big 8 cylinder pickup truck of some kind. Not so over here...mostly very small cars and that has to do with both the road system and the price of fuel at around £1.30 ($2.13) per litre ($8.05 per gallon). But many small cars get over 50 mpg so they are much more efficient.