I’ve been to Bristol last week, 6 days in total, living in a University Hall, the type that brings out suicidal instincts, if you have any.
But do not worry, you will only think about it, you could not possibly commit one in there as it is a too much safe environment.
University Hall is a big complex of student flats, rent out to tourists during summer.
I was in Bristol for work and I shared a flat with 4 female colleagues. It’s fundamental to point out that we were 5 women with 1 bathroom, sharing the most depressing student apartment in southern England.
In fact that flat looked amazingly gloomy.
If you are thinking of starting Uni in Bristol, keep at safe distance from University Hall.
Five bedroom apartment, dull and unfriendly as much as it could be.
Five single rooms identical one to the other, same plaintive bed sheets, same ugly curtains, same room sizes, same number of plastic hangers in the wardrobes.
Five rooms clone of each other, you could only try to guess from which one the others have been cloned.
There was no point in choosing your room, as they looked exactly the same.
I wonder if it is an English thing. Like at college: same uniform for everyone. Great idea if the uniforms were actually fair.
The kitchen was even more sad then the bedrooms. No gas, only an electric stove. Big signs around the walls were making you aware that it was a strictly no smoking flat.
More than a flat it looked like wing X of Bristol hospital for psychotic people.
Its windows had very same curtains as the other rooms.
5 cupboards in total, 5 plates, 5 mugs, 5 glasses. You were not supposed to have guests unless they were bringing their own crockery.
One toilet, one wet room. The wet room is an open shower, basically a hole in the bathroom floor. No shelves in the wet room to leave your stuff, very little space by the basin for toothbrushes.
All doors were fire exits, that meant that if you did not remember to take the keys before shutting them, you could not get in again.
Two of the girls locked themselves out twice in 5 nights, both time while in their pajamas.
I stayed there only five nights, I cannot see anyone living there for an entire term.
You could probably go mental a whole year in there.
On the other side Bristol is nice, the old city is lovely, people are a bit up-tight, but it is always like this in small cities, isn’t it?
I thought there wasn’t much to see or perhaps I haven’t seen much because I was working, but it looked alright. I’m back to London now. It was good getting out of here for a week, but I’m also glad to be back.
I couldn’t write within those walls!
I went there to help on the opening of a new bar, Searcy’s at Arnolfini. Arnolfini is an art gallery, very well considered by Bristonians. The Bar is next to it. If you are in Bristol it’s worth of a sneaky peek.
Why this newsletter is in English? Mainly because in six days in Bristol I haven’t met any Italian and anyway I felt like I had to write in English this time. Well, that’s all for now.
Take care everyone!
