Saturday 21st
September
We set off for Bath, a
journey of 91 k’s.
Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site and we can really understand why…it is quite unlike any other place we’ve
visited.
Bath is named after it’s celebrated hot springs, which the Romans
developed into a temple and bathing complex. Work on the Roman Baths commenced
around AD60 and contain some of England’s most important Roman architectural
relics.
We spent almost two hours
exploring and learning
about the Sacred Spring, the Great Bath, steam
bath/massage suites, plunge pools and the adjacent Pump Room.
Here I am with Emperor
Hadrian…
he’s the one who built the wall we visited as few weeks ago.
We sampled the spa water...it was
warm
& reputedly has wonderful therapeutic qualities…
but I wouldn’t rave
about the taste!
We ate a delicious brunch in a
restaurant called ‘Bill’s’…we’ve seen a few of them on our travels and decided
to give it a try today & LOVED it. I don’t know how to describe it…I’d use
the words, quirky, groovy & funky…Andrew said he’d use the word cluttered!
He did however agree that food was extraordinary…I think the fact that they had
Cumberland sausages on the menu may have been a factor there…he even asked for
an extra one and they gave it to him!
In the 18th century,
Bath became fashionable as a spa resort and the city’s grand Georgian buildings,
built in distinctive Bath stone, date from that time.
Designed by John Wood the Younger
in 1774, the elegant bow of Royal Crescent and adjacent Circus with it’s circular
park in the centre is an impressive slice of Georgian grandeur.
I couldn’t take a photo of the
Circus so this one is from the web.
Jane Austen was Bath’s
most famous resident and of course there are many references to her throughout
Bath. If you walked the streets in her time you would have come across many
silhouette artists. Most popular in Georgian and Regency times silhouette’s
used to be a cheap from of portraiture, being very quick to do and therefore
affordable for those who couldn’t afford to have a painting done…they went out
of fashion after the invention of the camera in the early 19th
Century, and were practically unheard of by 1860.
It’s me again having my
silhouette made by someone who looks a lot like Jane Austen! Please note that I
am carrying Andrew’s camera case.
The artist just cut the paper freehand
with a small pair of scissors.
The finished product...I can see the likeness.
While the silhouette was
happening Andrew took the opportunity to take some photos of Bath Abbey...
we were
standing just beside it.
The doors are wooden with amazing, carvings.
In stone this time ...a ladder was carved on
each side of the doors from the bottom of the building to the top and little
angels were climbing up and down them…this is just one of them.
We’re staying in a
Boutique Hotel tonight. We thought that seeing it’s our 17th Wedding
anniversary we’d stay somewhere a bit special…our room is lovely but very
small, however we do have a beautiful view of Bath Abbey but we’re on the third
floor & there isn’t a lift so Andrew got to carry our bags up all those
stairs…luckily one of the staff took over and carried one of them up!
After unpacking and
getting organized we decided to stroll back into Bath…a 10 minute walk and look
for a restaurant for dinner. We
have read about the Pultney Street Bridge…it’s at the end of the street our
hotel is in. This is what we found…it has little shops on both sides of the
road all the way across the river…very cute.
We wandered around town
and decided that nothing looked as good
‘Bill’s’ so that’s where we ended up! Andrew asked for a romantic table
for two and that’s exactly what we got…candle and all. Andrew had a small
bottle of ‘Bill’s Beer’ and I tried a glass of ‘Hedgerow Fizz’...sparkling wine
with elderflower cordial and a blackberry floating on top…lovely. Next up
ordering our meal…I was persuaded to share an entrée with Andrew…I know you’ll
find it hard to believe but we had baby Cumberland sausages served in a little
cast iron pot with a honey & seeded mustard sauce! For main course we both had Bill’s fish pie with queen scallops, smoked haddock,
salmon, tiger prawns, peas and baby onions topped with an english mustard and
cheddar mash…sensational.
On our
walk back ‘home’ here’s the view of the bridge all lit up…
and this is the view from the opposite side of
the river.
Who knows we’re we’ll be for our 18th wedding
anniversary…but I think this one will be hard to beat…feeling very lucky and
blissfully happy tonight xx
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