Out and About in Bristol

Traveling into and back out of the city (not once, but twice) today, the following sites caught my attention:

• an Orthodox Jewish man walking north on Clifton Triangle. Wearing a tallit, and it being a Saturday, I assumed he was on his way back from the synagogue on Park Row, home of the Bristol Hebrew Congregation. On my return from town (about 40 minutes later) I noticed that he had reached White Tree Roundabout. Driving on the Sabbath, except in a life-threatening emergency, is generally avoided by the majority of Orthodox Jews.
  

• the Whiteladies Road Farmers' Market, which seemed busier than I have seen it for some time, and which has now expanded to the east side of Whiteladies Road, with several stalls now in front of Barclays Bank. I also noticed some live music at the market, in the form of an acoustic guitar and accordion duo.
  

• a protest further down Whiteladies Road by the Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign against alleged bias by the BBC in its Death on the Med programme broadcast last Monday. I assume the Jewish gentleman (above) walked past this demo, which had around 20 participants with banners and placards.

• A black-lead gospel music event on College Green. No Greater Love appears to be a grass roots event, organised by a small team of local Christians. The music was cool, but the crowds were small.

• The Bristol Bike Show, organised by the local Motorcycle Action Group, had closed off the streets around St Nicholas' Market this afternoon for a get together, with live music and plenty of, well, motorbikes. Westbury on Trym residents may notice that the event's After-Show-Party takes place at 6.00 today at the Saracens Rugby Football Club at Cribbs Causeway, just up the road. Should make for a quiet end to the afternoon.

All in all, a good vibe and a nice cross-section of city life.

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