After completing the blog last night we went out for a meal at Za Za Bazaar, an 'all you can eat' restaurant offering a range of different cuisines, including Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese and European. The staff were all very pleasant and helpful and the food was uniformly tasty and well presented. The buffet stations were amply stocked with an enormous variety - at times the only problem was making a choice!
Today we stayed in Floating Harbour in order to explore the harbourside and some of the city centre features.
First of all, Mike went for the usual newspaper, walking across Pero's Bridge and Millennium Square with its striking globe structure.
Eventually we set off to walk across Prince Street Bridge to join the pedestrian way along the waterside. A number of historic boats are moored alongside including the Balmoral (picture yesterday).
Four original 'nodding' cranes remain as well as a steam crane that, according to its informal board, can still be operated.
A steam railway also operates along the harbourside - no locos today but some of the preserved wagons (including those adapted for passenger trips) are kept in the sidings.
The tour starts by going down into the dock where the part of the hull which was below the waterline in its working life is now kept in specially heated and dry conditions (20% humidity). After sitting in water for so long, the iron had seriously decayed through rust and absorption of salt which hastens the process.
The scale of the imagination of Brunel and his skill at persuading investors to back his innovation are evident when this close up. Its main novelty lay in the use of iron instead of wood. The reduced weight of the hull meant that there was more room for passengers and cargo. The other new development was the use of a propeller rather than paddle wheels for the steam engine to power the ship. Although this latter was not Brunel's invention, he took the idea and developed it to a practical level. Even so, there were problems with the original propellor which had to be modified some years later.
In fact, the original intention was not to use the engine all the time and the propellor also had a retracting mechanism when the ship could make speed under sail, thus saving on the expense of coal. The engine could not drive the ship faster than its best sailing speed but by combining the two the ship could sail more direct routes, thus reducing journey times.
Next came the museum display which contains a number of early components including the original wooden rudder.
On then to the three decks of the ship itself. Although the use of the ship varied throughout its working life, the current re-creation shows its initial use for the transatlantic trade in which there were three classes of passenger with very different standards of accommodation.
First class saloons and cabins, with various supporting services and music to accompany their dining were reminiscent of later luxury ships from fifty or more years later. The middle class cabins were mainly used by the better off merchants whilst steerage was often used by those emigrating to make a new life, having found it impossible to achieve their expectations back in England. There was limited privacy and few amenities.
The engine dominates the central part of the ship and it must have really made its presence felt day and night when it was forcing its way through high seas.
The main galley seems quite well fitted although, since so much more of the work was by hand with more staff than today, it was perhaps never the pleasantest of working conditions.
Alongside the ship, the dockside shows a little of what a busy departure port would have been like with many passengers packing up their entire life's possessions in trunks before boarding for a new future either in the America or, later, in Australia.
Whilst we were looking around the ship, the replica of Matthew, the ship in which Cabot sailed from here to explore the new world of America, passed by. It offers visitors short trips around the harbour. We will do our own tomorrow, hopefully.
After eventually leaving the SS Great Britain having had a fascinating 2 and half hours, we walked back along the harbourside to St Mary Redcliffe, a large 15C church which at one time was very popular with departing emigrants, eager to say their prayers before setting off into an uncertain and challenging future.
We were told about the church by the lock keeper yesterday and also that it serves lunches prepared by a team drawn from those in the city who find employment difficult.
The church itself is almost cathedral-like in proportion and no doubt has a very different budget from the average PCC in rural Cornwall!
After lunch we returned to the boat where we made a short trip (accounts for all of our mileage today!) across to the opposite bank where we made use of the elsan disposal facility. Alas no water supply here that we could find.
Back then to our previous mooring where Mike washed down one side of the boat which had been rather marked by passing birds! He also found the nearest tap and set up a lengthy hosepipe connection which eventually allowed us to fill our water tank.
By now the day was a little cooler so we set off for another wander. We headed first to the cathedral where Evening Prayer was about to begin. Unlike most days, this was a said service so, with the officiating minister there were about eight of us there. However, as the cathedral was now closed to visitors it was a welcome sanctuary and quiet moment.
There was an abbey on this site for a very long time but gradually almost abandoned. There were some remains to incorporate when the present cathedral was built in the mid nineteenth century. Pearson, the architect of Truro cathedral, worked on the completion of the nave and the two huge west towers.
We summoned up enough energy to complete the uphill climb by making our way to the Cabot Tower on the highest point of Brandon Hill, a large park area overlooking the city. We even managed to climb the 81 steps up the tower to the lookout gallery near the top of the tower. Alas, we could not find the energy to make it to the very top but the views from where we reached could hardly have been improved.
We returned then to our boat, coming down the steep hill rather more quickly than we had climbed upwards. We opted to 'eat in' tonight (still recovering from last night's extravaganza).
Whilst waiting for food to cook, a series of around a dozen hot air balloons flew past, looking most spectacular against the clear blue sky and the masts of a tall ship in front.
As we sat eating our meal, we could 'people watch' the many folk sitting on the dock edge just a short distance away. There was a very happy and warm atmosphere - we were rather amused by one person's system for keeping his lager cans cool!
0.5 miles - 0 locks
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