The atmosphere at the 2017 Gunwharf Quays firework display was electric. A massive crowd of people turned out to watch it, all in aid of charity Barnardos.
A group of us went to Burger King before the fireworks started, and I was very happy to see that, in that specific restaurant, drinks self-served using a row of Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. For now, I have only seen them, or variations of them, in America. If you have never seen one before, these machines basically dispense the original versions of traditional brands of soft drinks including Coke, Fanta and Sprite, but offer other fruity variations on them, including lime and fruit punch. I chose not to order a drink that time, (owing to the fact that I had Pepsi Max in the fridge in halls), before I saw the machines. I did not want to get back into the massive queue, formed due to the sheer number of people there to watch the fireworks, so I went back about a week later, on a quiet Sunday, and I had grapefruit Sprite and orange Powerade. I discovered afterwards that there is an app that can be used to create mixes of all the different drinks, and to get the machine to make them for you by scanning a QR Code on them.
After that, we all went to watch the fireworks, but before they started, we witnessed energetic performances from last year's 'X Factor' winner Matt Terry, and former 'Girls Aloud' band member Nadine Coyle. Joel took a picture of me, and using the event's hashtag on Twitter, was able to get my handsome face up on the big screen for everyone to see. I was slightly embarrassed but loved it at the same time.
The fireworks themselves were spectacular and they were an array of bright colours and different shapes and sizes. They were certainly a treat for the eyes, and a sight to behold,
After the fireworks finished, there was an opportunity to partake in late night shopping in all the stores at Gunwharf Quays, but I chose to avoid the crowds and go back to halls, but I did do some Christmas shopping on the Sunday that I went back. I love Christmas and the massive Christmas tree in the middle of Gunwharf Quays, and the vibrant Christmas Market in Commercial Road, Portsmouth's main High Street, are both a nice reminder that it is almost upon us!
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University of Portsmouth: First Year Diary
Non-FictionThe documentation of my journey through the first year of my English and Media Studies degree at Portsmouth University.
