One of my favorite places to have lived and now visit is BRISTOL, ENGLAND. Centrally located in the West Country, The Cotswold, Regency Bath, Cheddar, Somerset and Stonehenge, and many more are an easy day’s outing. Wales is across the river.

There’s a brilliant web site at www.visitbristol.co.uk for more information about the historic and modern city I called home for two years.

My favorite attractions are the s.s. Great Britain, (Great Western Drydocks, Gas Ferry Road), the world’s first sea going propeller driven iron ship. The ship is faithfully restored both inside and out and rests in the same drydocks where she was built in 1843. What stories she could tell. The captain and officers dining room is my favorite.

The thirteenth century Gothic church, St. Mary Redcliffe, (Redcliffe Way, Redcliffe, Bristol,) was said to be the most beautiful church in England by Queen Elizabeth I when she visited. Look up at the gold leave rosette ceiling for a visual treat. Thankfully, the church managed to survive the bombings of World War II.

If you’re interested in seeing how wealthy people lived in the eighteenth century, do visit Georgian House, (7 Great George St., West End, Bristol). The house is furnished to show family live both above and below stairs.

The English are deservedly proud of their gardens. Take a walk in The Downs with a view of the Avon River Gorge and the tidal river below. You’ll see the Clifton Suspension Bridge built during the Victorian Age. There’s free admission to the Clifton Observatory and the Camera Obscura. Imagine what the Victorians thought of such an engineering marvel and their pride when it was finished.

More information on all these attractions can be found at www.visitbristol.co.uk. with directions and times that they are open to the public. Have fun.