Wapping Wharf, the new fashionable area in Bristol
When you think of **Bristol**, what comes to mind? It is the city where geniuses like massive attack or the always original banksy and was one of the most prominent ports in England. But it's also a young, active, culturally diverse, stimulating metropolis...
We've gone to see what's going on in this city that never stops, full of signature breweries, gastronomic markets, food tours and lots of urban art. Let's start!
Bristol, more alive than ever
The rise of low cost flights to the English city has led to its becoming one of the favorite destinations of young people from all over Europe . And it was precisely the young people who revolutionized the Bristol scene.
There they live more than 90 nationalities different that have been coming together as a united whole, in a city that has always fought for social rights -from its first revolts in 1793 to the last ones, which took place in 2011-.
That spirit of struggle and freedom attracted the attention of numerous urban artists who saw in it the place to capture their art, both political and pictorial.
It is the destination in which a young Banksy began to stamp, every weekend, his stencils - a method that consists of spray painting on a template - to the surprise of those who went out for a walk on Saturdays and Sundays. He worked with a maxim: you better not get caught . For this reason, he developed this technique that allowed him to leave his works on the wall in the shortest possible time.
Banksy's 'Girl With The Pierced Eardrum' appeared in Bristol in 2014
Today, the possibility of seeing all his paintings along with those of other urban artists, takes shape with the art tours of ** Where the Wall **, which organizes guided tours every Saturday and Sunday in a two-hour tour from the center From Bristol to Stokes Croft, the most creative neighborhood in the city.
With them you will discover the urban art and graffiti of one of the most important points of the United Kingdom at this level, in whose walls 30 years of history have been impregnated in pieces such as The Well Hung Lover , which Banksy captured right in front of the offices of the Bristol City Council -where they hated urban art-, or Girl With The Pierced Eardrum, inspired by The girl of the pearl by Vermeer -in which he replaces his earring with an alarm box in the street-. They also visit works of international street artists like Pixel Pancho, Jps, Tats Cru or the awesome Breakdancing Jesus by Cosmo Sarson.
'Breakdancing Jesus', quite a show
THE MECCA OF CRAFT BEER
Another of Bristol's strengths is its beer scene . did you know they have 15 independent factories in the city ? That factor, combined with loads of pubs where you can try each and every one of them, make the place one of the main beer destinations in the whole of the United Kingdom.
In 1975, the city had only one brewery. The boom had its beginning when, ten years ago, Moor Beer it obtained the accreditation to bottle its malt juice - or, rather, canning, because almost all the beer there is sold in cans - and the number of factories skyrocketed.
He knows a lot about all this Heather Goodford , an enthusiast of the world that she created bristol hoppers , a tour to get to know first-hand all the craft breweries that, in addition, has just win a prize (Silver Guided Tour of the Year at the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards) .
Their tours visit places like Left Handed Giant , an independent brewer that started with a pub, Small Bar , on Kings Street, and became one of the biggest on the scene in 2015. Their beers change almost daily, and the cans are so cool that you'll want to take them all home.
Another of the hits in the Bristol Hoppers experience is the tap room of the aforementioned Moor Beer, where they present a book as well as organize a get-together for geeks from starwars and they dedicate beers to that very thing. How about a Return of the Empire...?
The best way to finish is to do it in The Wild Beer Co. , in the modern area of Wapping Wharf , always full to the brim. There, in addition to trying all their ale, all their lager and even creations like the pale ale with passion fruit, orange and guava, you can eat and have a good time.
FOODIE HOTSPOT
The experts have spoken . In the guide 2018 Good Food Guide , Bristol is named as a foodie hotspot - that is, a food lover's paradise -, and the critic and journalist Jay Rayner , a contributor to The Guardian, already said that the city had become one of the most interesting gastronomic cities in England.
We ratify it: in Bristol you can find cuisines from all over the world, the largest restaurant in the country -for 2,100 diners- and, at the same time, small gastronomic spaces of no more than ten square meters. Be that as it may, everything calls for giving yourself to the pure hedonistic pleasure that is the act of eating.
One of the crown jewels is the Saint Nicholas Market , the oldest market in Bristol, which dates from 1743 and that has been converted into a gastronomic street food market with numerous stalls to visit. In it there are pitas, feet of fresh vegetables and meat of Pieminster , middle eastern cuisine, gyozas in eatchu , there are the spectacular **Ahh Toots** cakes…
Saint Nicholas Market
And do you remember that we talked at the beginning about the importance of bristol harbor ? Well, two years ago they gave new life to the area (called Harborside), re-converting shipping containers into Position , a small foodie town that now contains the best of the city's food scene.
What do you want, for example, tacos? you'll take them in Canteen Charge , where they serve genuine flavors of Mexico such as the lamb taco with mint, green sauce and cucumber and veggie options such as the celery, pineapple, pico de gallo and chipotle taco; an explosion of flavors.
English cheese fans have their place at The Bristol Cheesemonger , where they select the best examples of artisan cheeses from the area and sell them to take away or to taste right there. is there too Box-E , recommended in the Michelin guide and with the chef Elliot Lidstone across the street, serving seasonal New British cuisine with a menu that changes almost daily.
Cargo Cantina, pure taste of Mexico
However, if you're overwhelmed by so much choice, join one of ** The Bristol Food Tour ,** the walks of Jo and Alice, foodies who promise to take you on a culinary journey around the most exciting independent restaurants in the whole city.
They organize tours of Cheltenham Road and Stokes Croft, that we have already baptized as the most creative area of the metropolis, and others that go from east to west discovering hidden gems in St Nicholas Market and Harborside. They tell us that they even manage to surprise the people of Bristol with novelties or places that they had not even noticed before.