As we approached the museum exit, this is the sight that greeted us:

It was pelting down with rain! Now was the time to try out our new rain jackets. Happily, by the time we put them on and zipped them up, the rain had eased somewhat.

Bus number 8 took us to near the Church of St Nicholas.

This photo by Tigger of the church is on the diagonal because it was hard to include the whole spire otherwise.

St Nicholas Markets, as the market is called, comprises outdoor stalls and the main covered market.

The stalls are close packed so it is difficult to give an impression of its size and extent.

You will find goods of every kind here from domestic to exotic.

Outside the market we saw these. This is one of four “nails” that are vestiges of Bristol’s commercial history. Merchants used to do business at the nails, passing money across to complete the transaction.

From this, we derive the expression “cash on the nail” to indicate a deal completed and paid for.

During our wanderings we spotted this historic old building.

Dated 1804, it was the newspaper office of The Bristol Times and Mirror. Today it is a backpackers’ hostel.

We also saw this large-scale piece of street art in a supermarket car park:

You can appreciate the scale by comparing it with the car at lower left.

Bus number 8 took us up the hill to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

This is the façade and …

…this is a view of the entrance hall.

This rather fine telamon caught our eye.

The museum has a cafeteria and so we had lunch here.

We performed our usual trick of taking the lift to the top (second) floor and working our way down.

There is an immense variety of exhibits in both the permanent collection and the special displays such as that of Japanese prints.

We watched a film about birds’ nests around the world from the dual perspectives of zoology and art. Do bower birds have a sense of beauty? It seems the only way to explain their remarkable designs.

Next, Tigger fancied a visit to the market, so thither we went…

The first night in a hotell or apartment requires you to adapt to a strange bed which can be a trial. The bed here is not bad but the pillows are so soft that my head sinks into them and I feel as though I’m suffocating, I have to bunch them together to make a firm base.

I needed to visit the bathroom in the night. So as not to disturb Tigger, I didn’t switch on the light. On the return journey I went into the lounge instead of the bedroom and fumbled around in the dark for a while wondering why I couln’t find the bed!

This morning I had to make friends with the shower. I don’t think I have ever met the same design of shower twice. Each time we go away, I find a different type of shower to struggle with. I would classify this one as average on the awkwardness scale.

Today’s weather forecast is rain and high winds, not a happy prospect. The temperature is 18 or so. It’s a good thing I brought a pullover.

First order of business: go to the local branch of Nero for coffee and croissants. In view of the weather, we bought foldable rain jackets.

Properly kitted out, we caught a bus to our next destination: Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

This is a panoramic photo of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, taken after we left the cafe when the weather had cleared.

The building that was to become known as the Clifton Observatory was built in 1766 as a windmill. It was bought in 1828 by an artist called William West who installed telescopes and a camera obscura for the use of fellow artists.

More recently it has been bought by a private owner though public access to the camera obscura has been retained.

This is Bristol’s premium Victorian shopping mall known simply as The Arcade.

And finally…

This is a photo of the Clifton Suspension Bridge at night, taken by Tigger almost exactly one year ago.

If you know your Bristol, you will recognise the above as the Clifton Suspension Bridge built in 1864.

There is a story, no doubt apocryphal, that in Victorian times a lady sightseer fell from the bridge but floated safely down with her voluminous skirts acting like a parachute.

More to the point, what are we doing here on a rainy afternoon when the view is poor?

The answer involves the Bristol International Balloon Festival that takes place this weekend. The hill from which I took the photo and which is home to the Clifton Observatory, is a good place from which to see the balloons. Or would be, if there were any balloons to see. Unfortunately, the sky is empty of anything resembling a balloon. Perhaps the gusty wet weather has brought a halt to ballooning.

Happily, the Observatory has attached to it a cafe and herein we have sought shelter from the rain. Later, when the rain holds off for a while, we will make a dash for the bus stop.

Tigger has just taken this view from outside the cafe. Maybe the weather will clear, at least for our journey back to town.