Oxford Trip

Oxford – the “City of Dreaming Spires” – is a beautiful place, as we all found out on Saturday when we took two coach-loads on a day trip. It was a lovely day again (we’re getting good at booking nice weather for our trips!) and the guided walking tours of the city with which we started our day were very informative and interesting. We got a good overview of the university town from the guides, and were able to look around pretty Brasenose College. Following that, people went their own separate ways and explored the market, the museums or climbed one of the towers to get a view of the whole town. We met up for tea and coffee together later in a church building which was a well-needed break from all the sight-seeing and a good chance to chat with new and old friends! We’re now looking forward to our trip to Cambridge in May so that we can compare the two famous university towns…
Click here to view photos from this trip.

Cotswolds Trip

The sun was shining (for once!) as we set off out into the Cotwolds to the north of Bristol. Our first stop was Chedworth Roman Villa which was a really impressive example of a Romano-British villa from the 4th Century AD. We could see the remains of beautiful mosaics that covered the floors, Roman bath houses with rooms for steaming yourself before jumping into cold water, Roman toilets and the very clever under-floor central heating that warmed the house in winter. The view down the valley must have been just as beautiful when this place was inhabited by an upper class family so long ago. We also enjoyed a very informative video presentation that really helped you to picture what it probably looked like originally.

We then drove on further to the village of Bourton-on-the-Water, with Elvyn giving us a very interesting commentary on the way about the scenery and history of the Cotswolds area. We had plenty of time to get some lunch and wander leisurely around the village and some people popped into some of the little tourist attractions there too.

When it was time to move on again, we all piled back in the coach and headed to Broadway, another typical, pretty, little English village where we enjoyed a generous cream tea together in the Horse and Hound pub before having a walk up and down the main street in the evening sunshine.

In all, it was a lovely day, as I think you can see from the smiles in the photographs!
Click here for photos.

Japanese Evening

At the end of the evening, all that was left was the Japanese symbol for “heaven” marked onto the window panes of BISC. A few brightly coloured origami birds, boats and boxes were left scattered about on the floor and the distinctive smell of sushi and soy sauce in the air. All this could only hint at the fun and delights that had gone before.

The Japanese Society once again did BISC proud as the centre was filled with new and unusual sights and flavours. As guests were welcomed in, their names were written in Japanese script on their name badges, before being ushered into the lounge to be served special tea, by a beautiful and strangely familiar young lady, dressed in an elegant pink and grey kimono. Tiny pink, blue, white and green sweets, like flowers, were available as a starter, before generous bowls of beef and potato “Nikujaga” appeared. This was followed by “Okonomiyaki” or “as you like it” pancakes and “Miso” soup served with “Asazuke” vegetables.

Throughout the evening, guests had the opportunity to roll their own Sushi, filled with a selection of avocado, thinly sliced cumber, smoked salmon, fried egg and crab, all wrapped in Japanese seaweed. In the mean time, highly trained engineering students used all their concentration and skill to grapple with the delicate origami techniques to achieve aerodynamic planes, boats and delicate birds. And others were taken away like foreign princesses to be wrapped in bright floral fabrics and intricate bows in Japanese kimonos.

A truly vibrant and educational experience, which few of us are likely to forget in a hurry. Many thanks to the hard working Japanese team for an evening of Eastern delight. Arigato. Click here to view photos.