Land is a scarce resource in HK. That's why the architects endeavour to build as large the floor area as possible from a small plot of land. Although the Britain is not a big country, the citizens are more fond of open space. During town planning, the planners try to insert more grassland and parks in the cities. However, I don't think they are good town planners. It seems that new building sites are not properly regulated. New buildings rise amongst the old ones. It's just a mess! 

Queen Square is just like a green carpet at the city heart. It is embraced by stone-paved road and a series of old English style buildings. Time seems moving backwards to the 19th century. Some of them are even over 300 years old!! Though Bristol is not the largest city in England, there is a theatre here which is claimed to be the oldest one on the Island.

The parking ticket selling machine worths some more description. First, you insert some sterlings into the machine. Then, a ticket with time will then be issued. This ticket is to be displayed on the windscreen for spot checking by the officers.

Just a block away is the oldest pub in Bristol - the Smugglers Bar. But what do/did they smuggle? Only God knows. There are some other pubs in the area. At weekends, the air is often filled up with gossips and casual talks.

星期六，晴。經常聽到人講英國天氣差，十分潮濕，兼且成日毛毛細雨。但筆者身處英倫島上，又冇遇過咁差嘅天氣喎。相反，風和日麗，有點微涼，空氣清新乾爽。又有人同筆者講，到外地一定要入鄉隨俗，食一啲地道食物。筆者都有嘗試過(詳細情況見另文)，可惜英國嘅飲食文化遠遠不及其文學般多姿多彩。

在英國食唐餐，好多人都以為唔好食。不過，筆者於Bristol食嘅第一頓唐餐又唔會失禮人喎。與太座、其好友F及阿B到位於市中心嘅酒樓午膳，吃的都係一盅兩件。所叫嘅點心都幾豐富，計有白雲鳳爪、炸兩、奶黃包、蝦餃、北菇雞飯等。食落比好多本地酒家出色：炸兩裡嘅油條甘香可口，而且份量十足，冇輕飄飄嘅感覺。包在外面嘅腸粉亦彈牙，十分對辦；奶黃包嘅外皮一般，不是太鬆軟，不過內裡嘅奶黃雖不是流沙，但也弄得香軟滑溜；最出色嘅係蒸北菇雞飯，飯粒吸收了冬菇嘅芳香及雞油嘅甘香，食起來軟綿綿，加上吸收了雞油，食完可說是齒頰留香。

在外地中式酒家吃午膳比香港有明顯好處，一來人流唔會太多，唔會有壓迫感；二來少咗啲中國人，環境變得冇咁嘈吵，可以安靜地、悠然地(因為唔駛被催促或暗示埋單走人)享受飲茶嘅整個過程。代價也是大約廿零鎊(三大人一細路計)，折合港幣三百零蚊。一樂也。

Bristol is one of the key ports by the mouth of the Severn. That's why there are a few quays at the city heart. As quays feed a lot of dockers, it is natural that many pubs and restaurants are situated nearby. Besides human, quays also feed sea gulls, a very common bird in Bristol. They are as common as sparrows in HK. They are white-headed and chested with a pair of grey wings. When they stand, they look like gentlemen in tuxedo. But don't be cheated by their outlook. They are as annoying as crows. They are much bigger and stronger than sparrows. Hence, they can turn over the trashes and look for food debris from gabbage.

The Millennium Square is on the other side of the aorta of the city. It is built in modern architecture. We didn't spend much time here. We walked straight up to a slightly elevated area where the Bristol Cathedral is situated.

It is recorded that a church has probably stood on this site for over a thousand years. It became prominence in the 12th century. It was built in the medieval design - Gothic architecture. Gothic architecture is featured by its elegance and complexity. A good photo taking site.

The best place to have an overview of the city of Bristol is the Brandon Hill Nature Park. This is where the Cabot Tower stands. The Cabot Tower was built more than a hundred years ago in memory of John Cabot, the pioneer who discovered the continent which is now called Canada. It consists of a spiral staircase and two viewing platforms which overlook the city. There are reports of supernatural encounters in the tower. Believe it or not! The tower is now closed for inspection and repair due to the propagating cracks within the masonry blocks. The park is featured with different soft landscapes. It is a perfect site for photo lovers.

It was a Saturday. The weather was mild with abundant sunlight. Our activities were mainly within the heart of Bristol. Fresh air was free and of unlimited supply from the trees. Birds chirping were also free of charge. We walked down the Perry Road and enjoyed the colourful small houses by the roadside. And there was where we were heading to dine in. But first of all, let's get a glass of fresh beer.

"Zero Degrees" are renowned for its freshly made beer in their micro-breweries. Our family friend had pale ale while I had wheat ale. In its pale brownish colour, wheat ale is quite easy to drink. It has a strong flavour of wheat. Half a pint of beer only costs you GBP 1.50. There's an outdoor area where you may enjoy your beer and the beautiful city at the same time. While we were chit-chatting and sipping our beer, there were balloons of different colours and patterns floating in the mid-air. They give extra beauty to the peaceful city.

Zero Degrees also serve Italian food. The most popular dish is the mussel kilo pot (i.e. a kilo of mussels). Of course, the kilo pot was our target by norm. We had pasta, pizza and desserts as well.

Pappardelle (GBP 9.25) - it's a very broad fettuccine. This pasta is served with spicy sausage, mushrooms and cream. It was not very creamy. The taste was seasoned with spicy sausage and the aroma of mushroom. The pasta was firm but not too hard or too soft. It could be graded as "al dente";

Linguini (GBP 9.25) - it contains mussels, squid, anchovies and cherry tomato. Again, the pasta did not disappoint us. The seafood was fresh and juicy. The linguini was well-textured without the floury taste of fresh pasta. It was of "al dente" grade as well;

Mussels kilo pot (GBP 12.50) -  The mussels were served in a small silvery bucket. The amount of mussels served was indeed jaw-dropping. The mussels were fresh and juicy and the taste was further uplifted by white wine, basil, parmesan and cream. All these were mouth-watering ingredients;

Four seasons pizza (GBP 7.95) - It is so named as there are different ingredients on each quandrant of the pizza. The toppings include mushrooms, pepperoni, anchovies, olives & tomato sauce. The pizza is of southern Italian style, which is featured by its light taste and fruity toppings. The crust itself is crispy and porous. Thanks be to the suitably mixed flour and brewer's yeast;

Apple tart & New York cheese cake - The desserts were sizeable. Perhaps too much for us after kilograms of mussels and pasta. The desserts were also too sweety and burdened much on taste buds. After all, Caucasians are more tolerant to sweety desserts than the Chinese.

The average expenditure per head is around GBP 13.0. I consider it as one of the must-go restaurant in Bristol.