Marching to Clifton Suspension Bridge with Sheila/Carlos Pueblo

Marching to Clifton Suspension Bridge with Sheila/Carlos Pueblo

A smiling pretty young lady ran into me in front of a restaurant by

the Floating Harbor across a small statue of Captain Cabot across

the water. She asked me if I was from the Rock & Bowl, the hostel.

She saw me at the kitchen and I asked her where she is going to.

Clifton Suspension Bridge here we came, marching to the Avon

Gorge with Sheila, a Spanish girl just finished her English project and

going home to the Southern Spain on that evening. She was equipped

with an i-phone and I thought that I could manage the long distance

march.

We’re on the west direction toward the Clifton Village on the River.

During the wind power sail era, Captain Cabot had moved half a

million from the City Center of Bristol to the America, we called it

the British Slave Trade in history, of course, there were some other

ports to be functioned for such purposes such as Liverpool, etc. Even

though she had the GPS and I had a city map, I still was accustomed

to ask people on the streets to make sure our direction. We passed

by the famous ocean liner sail with the city’s name now a museum

by the river bank and a bridge to be across to the north bank in order

to get up to the hill like gorge to reach the Suspension Bridge.

We passed by a hilly subdivision of Clifton Village and we were very

close. The suspension bridge is not in a big scale like the San Francisco’s

and yet very scary if we looked down to the river bottom. Pedestrians

are allowed to walk across freely yet the vehicles are under control of

numbers to limit the weight burden of the bridge. We walked across to

the southern end and came right back to enter the beautiful green park

with a pretty church and an Observatory on the Observatory Hill. We

went directly downhill toward the Brandon Hill and I encouraged her to

climb up to the Cabot Tower and see the entire city.

I brought her to the Palestine Museum to have a vegan plate for a late

Lunch. She has been a vegetarian practitioner for years. I gave her Neal

Barnard’s Reversed Diabetes for a future reference on vegie diet. She

took me to a mall for some table tennis, Ping Pong. I wished I knew that

I would play with a pretty girl with a strong back hand during these days.

Sheila is one of my adopted daughter during these 4 weeks stay in England.

克利夫頓吊橋行/莊峻華

克利夫頓吊橋行/莊峻華

克利夫頓吊橋，建設在阿豐河峽上，附近有彩色峭壁，遠處可

看到懸褂橋落，我在一河畔餐廳出來，遇見一年輕貌美女郎，

對我微笑曰，是客棧來者，原來早餐相遇廚房，席拉小姐，在

英國南部工作結束，準備傍晚搭機回西班牙南部故鄉，今日準

備參觀吊橋，我問是否讓我跟隨？於是就成，克利夫頓吊橋，

隨美女席拉行，她隨時翻閱手機，因此我無需看市圖。

我們啟行位置，應該是浮動碼頭附近，就在卡布特船長小銅像

對岸，離那艘古帆船布里斯妥號博物館不遠，經過帆船，過門

而不入，然後一路問路，走向西方，遇見一群中國女遊客，詢

彼是否從吊橋來？曰走路十五分鐘可達。繼續西行上坡，經過

滾石住宅區，一先生滑手機，指示方向，也遇見愛犬女主人，

也肯定方向，吊橋就在小丘山坡，旁邊是一美麗公園，有一觀

望台，一美麗之大教堂，我們走過吊橋，再順路走回，穿過公

園，然後就是下坡，走回市區。

先達布蘭登山公園，我鼓勵席拉登上卡布特塔，我就在塔下座

椅等候，前日我在雨中登樓，感慨萬千，是有書中登岳陽樓之

感，我解釋卡布特船長，帶來布市之歴史。我們穿過市中心，

回到客棧附近之巴勒斯坦餐廳，她是長年素食者，答應閱讀我

介紹尼爾巴納德之反糖尿病素食之說法。飯後，她尚有時間，

帶我到大商場二樓打乒乓球，她有一強勁之反手，我答應回家

後，開始增加乒乓運動，她答應當我女兒，我真是老來運轉，

這次英國行，我收了四位女兒，將一一介紹。

席拉準備當學校體育老師，據說需要再讀研究所，我相信她可

以達到目標，也祝福她，一切順利，也感謝她一直和我通信。

Palestine Museum of Bristol, England/Carlos Pueblo

Palestine Museum of Bristol, England/Carlos Pueblo

Palestine Museum of Bristol, England is a very small function yet

with a significant mark on the map. It is located outside of the

St. John on the Wall not far from my hostel and the Castle Park of

the Old City. I was curious when passing by and entered for a visit.

The Museum is on the 2^nd floor and the first floor is a vegan restaurant.

The museum is only open during the weekend while the restaurant

Is open four hours a day. After listening to my visiting purpose, the

restaurant owner invited me to go up stair to visit the facility. After

the brief visit of the museum, I came back to the restaurant and chatted

with the employee about the reverse osmosis apparatus of their new

purchase for the making of a Japanese Kombucha tea which took a while

for me to figure out what it was.

I guess that the young lady up stair is a teacher of a day care center and

the museum is a community center during the weekend. I saw some

chairs for children and books on the shelves. I greeted the young lady

in Spanish after I learned that she just came from Spain. I didn’t stay

very long because that the facility was very different in what I thought

of a museum. I came down to the restaurant to continue my conversation

of reverse osmosis with the owner. I have had some experience of selling

and serving the filter since 1992. I also fully understand the principle of

the purification of such drinking water. They were surprised that an old

oriental guy walked in and talked about the reverse osmosis in confidence.

They are making the Kombucha, a kind of fermented tea with some alcohol

content and strange sour taste. Eventually, I find out that is a  tea of sea

weed. Kombu is sea weed in Japanese and cha is the tea. It might have

something with Manchuria because it is also called on that name. It is

costed 2 British Pounds for a small bottles. Jars of fermented products are

stored on the shelves of the restaurant. I had had three vegan meals during

my stay in Bristol.

One day, I went to the Clifton Suspension Bridge with Sheila and took her

to the museum restaurant for a plate of vegan food. She is a vegetarian

and enjoyed it. On the next day, I tried to inform the owner what I found

on the Kanji edition of Kombucha; however, I missed my afternoon partner

and the next day was my day of checking out. I left before the restaurant’s

open schedule.  

巴勒斯坦博物館/莊峻華

巴勒斯坦博物館/莊峻華

剛到布利斯妥客棧，經過巴勒斯坦博物館，是一微小兩層樓房，

就在聖約翰教堂，城牆拱橋一端，一日行軍城內回來，路過好奇

入內，博物館僅週末開放，樓下素食餐廳，聞我興趣後，邀請我

上樓參觀，原來是一托兒所，有些兒童閱讀書籍，顯然有些巴勒

斯坦文化收集，管理小姐剛上任，可能是托兒所教師，教授阿拉

伯語文，我未多留，下樓後，和店主人聊天，他正在研究如何安

裝逆滲透過濾器，是裝置在水台下，和我販賣之桌型裝置有異，

但我仍可解釋逆滲透之學理，餐廳準備利用淨水，釀製昆布茶，

我看架上置放一整排產品，顯然銷售量大，我喝一小瓶，要價兩

英鎊。

昆布茶，是日語發音，酸味有酒精，我回客棧後先查英文版曰，

滿州茶，顯然在中國東北開發，店東也不知何物？第四日，我按

日音翻譯，找到漢字昆布茶，然後豁然開朗，餐廳只售純素食，

我曾採用該素食法七年，圖逆轉糖尿病不果。

連續三夜素食，第三夜邀請西班牙素食愛女席拉共餐，她不喝昆

布茶，但曾索尼爾巴那特醫生之純素食暢銷書名，離客棧前，想

通知餐廳該茶真名真意，但餐廳尚未開張，也不知何年何日，得

以重訪。

Visiting Bristol, England/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Bristol, England/Carlos Pueblo

Bristol is located on the southwest of England, a lovely city rich in

history. I was recommended by a local guest at Manchester hostel

kitchen and sanctioned by Pei-ven at Birmingham to make such visit.

I came to hostel through a river bank to the Castle Park and got lost

at the hilly alley nearby. On the second day, I marched to the City Center

to visit significant view of the city; then on the third day, Sheila took me

to the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge; on the fourth day, I accompanied

Dorien to register to her physician and to visit the city Library.

A gentleman advised me take the river bank to the Castle Park due to the

new construction on main streets. The river bank is called the floating

harbor, one of the two rivers concurrent at the city and the other is the

River Avon. It was very busy traffic during the wind sails time of Europe

to the rest of the world. The ocean liners could follow the rivers to the

city. Captain Cabot and his colleges had shipped more than half a million

slaves from here to America. I reached to the Castle Park, a small park still

preserved the original Castle of a lower rank of Royalty and a lovely park

with an extension of castle wall to the streets where I got lost. My hostel

is on the corner of a church called St. John on the Wall, there is actually a

wall on a side of the church. There is a Palestine Museum caught my eyes.

Several Chinese restaurants and grocery stores are located near the hostel.

I marched to the City Center on the next morning through the Old City, a

very well maintained city square with several erected persons of distinguish.

I saw my first view of plaque of memorial of local to the Burma Conflict

1941-1945. It has reminded me many things of the historical study of myself

about that conflict involving the British, American, and Chinese forces versus

the Japanese Imperial Army. Japanese was one against three at that time.

Then, I came to the floating harbor again and visited the beautiful College

Green surrounded by the beautiful Bristol Cathedral, Central Library, the

City Hall, the University of Bristol Tower, and the Bristol Museum & Art

Gallery.

It was raining, yet my march went on. I reached the top of the Cabot Tower on

the Brandon Hill. It is a huge park with green everywhere. Captain Cabot was

the famous British slave trade figure. I am going to travel to the Caribbean

again very soon and I’ll have an additional knowledge of the previous slave

trade history. The figure of Bristol only was 500,000 plus.

  

英格蘭布利斯妥市行/莊峻華

英格蘭布利斯妥市行/莊峻華

布利斯妥市，在英格蘭西南，在曼徹斯特客棧，有客推薦拜訪，

經佩文贊同，我在伯明罕訂下四夜，然後再北上牛津鎮。同樣困

難是下車尋找客棧，經人肯定，沿河北上市中心，我還是在城堡

公園迷路，終於問到客棧，這是一有趣之客棧，初視繁雜，但一

日後遂習慣，許多人使用廚房，於是我放棄煮飯，外面就有小唐

人街，結果我在一巴勒斯坦素食餐廳解決晚餐。我先後參觀城中

心景點，包擴城堡公園，廣米德蓋洛立亞商場，市政府，大主教

堂，布利斯妥大學，市立美術館，布蘭登丘之卡柏塔，還有克利

夫登吊橋。

先是迷路之城堡公園，看到城堡遺址，小型公園，客棧就在附近

，商業地圖，強調街道名，故似遙遠，其時近在咫尺，我寄下行

李，走出客棧，先吃一碗麵，然後逛到閙街中之一小教堂博物館

，都是史蹟。翌晨，走出客棧，穿過老市區，這是一廣場，樹立

幾尊銅像，也有一紀念碑，紀念當地軍旅，出征緬甸事蹟，我在

英格蘭東北角，新城堡旅行，也看到類似紀念碑，紀念當地人征

戰緬甸，這是對日本入侵故事，有紀念碑，必有文字描述，不知

今生我有機會拜讀。

市政府，大主教堂，布大校園，美術館等，均環繞一美麗綠地花

園曰，學院綠地，市府，布大均容入大廳，美術館則免收門票，

中有一大禎油畫，描述英軍列隊，謢送印度王公和英軍總督夫妻

乘大象遊行之壯觀，這是大英帝國之盛況。

回到客棧，這些職員，都是外國人，流利英語者為知客經理，尚

在學習英語者，當整理打掃，換取住宿免費，其間達成學習英文

之目的，房間內則有建築工人，也有外地英國青年前來打工，英

國基本工資十英鎊，約為十三美元一小時。我遇到一位香港小姐

前來覓職，她曾在我將去牛津客棧工作，離去前，已經找到工作

。

Visiting the University of Birmingham Campus/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting the University of Birmingham Campus/Carlos Pueblo

There is no way for me to march to see the University of Birmingham

Campus from the city center of Birmingham. Pei-ven who just finished

her master degree in architecture from this University showed me how

to take the train. It is only one station away toward the international

airport. I was attracted by an unique sport called the netball, the

predecessor of the modern day basketball. There are ring and net on

the pool without bouncing board and can only pass the ball during the

match. Obviously, there were matches on that morning for high school

girls from nearby cities.

I walked straight into the campus and taking pictures of what I saw.

The engineering school, the physics school, and the chemistry school, etc.

I came to the student center and rested. An attractive high tower erected

in front of the campus and all buildings are located harmoniously among

gardens with last stage of the summer roses. I hated to leave; however,

it was a commute day and I was not quite sure if I could stay a bit longer.

Some prospect high school students were there in the late morning to

visit the campus arranged by the University.

On the train, I met a family from China. The parents came to visit their son

at the Ph.D. program in electrical engineering. I showed my admiration of

their effort and wished him well and successful. I always admire students

studying abroad to have their future opportunity expanded. It’s why I love

to visit famous campus and getting closed to the academic than anything

else.

As usual, I dropped by the markets near by the central train station for

my cooking at the hostel. I had done several cooking ever since I checked

in in Birmingham, the chicken soup with vegetables, pompanos, and more

chicken skeleton bone soup with more vegetables lasted for three nights.