Diary Bath

Diary Bath
Our hotel turned out to be quite a long walk from the railway station even though it is on the road running directly behind. But we found it just as we were doubting anything but businesses were on the street.
Bath stone is limestone. All Georgian buildings are built from it. Ban on all chimney fires to preserve the city. A down is a hill. A combe on a down is a valley in a hill. There are 3 hot springs and many cold springs. A million liters a day. We went on a skyline bus tour up on one of the downs. This is the Cotswolds. The river Avon goes through Bath, one of 7 river Avons in England (Welsh word for river). Richard (Beau) Nash was one of the most influential men in the mid 1700s, the Master of Ceremonies and he was responsible for developing certain rules and manners. He ensured the Sedan chair men all charged a regular rate. The Yow? Boys had a popular but dangerous job, they had long poles to stick into the wheel skokes to slow down wagons carrying 4 tons of limestone down from the downs.
Lots of great pub names like
The Old Green Tree Hut. The Hop Pole. The Horseshoe. The Griffin. The Saracens Head (oldest and joined to church: St Michaels Outside _the walls). The Golden Fleece (cotswold sheep have a golden hue to their wool.) The pig and the Fiddle. The Moon and the Penny.
We found the Bath Bun Shop and Sally Lunn's around the corner. Had sally Lunn Buns and tea. Huge. Bigger thana burger bun but lighter. They were toasted and vame with clotted cream which looks like whipped butter. Mine was toped with cinnamon butter and Paul's was just buttered but came with jam as well as cream. Delicious and light but I felt a little stuffed by the end. Walked around taking photos then stopped at an Irish pub so much like the one in Kilkenny. Then we found a Thank God Its Friday restaurant so we had to go there for dinner despite still being full. The other time we went to a TGIF was in Glasgow with Mike and Kirsten after a snowy hop on bus trip. Terrible going to an American food place with ice hocky on the big screens and no British beers at all. The bar tender spent all his spare time practising fliping bottles and glasses around. People with birthdays received balloon crowns made like balloon animals we watched one being made. The TV screens told us the every TIG franchise has a rowing scull ob the wll and a propellor over the bar. There were Andy Warhol Marilyn Munros in star cutouts on the toilet doors and Castro?s on the wall. Reminded me I want to make similar images of Kirsten and Mike.
My Italian leather bag catch broke again while we were eating. Paul had replaced the spring in the catch in London but it only lasted 2 days.
First full day in Bath we went on both hop on off buses and then lunched at the Bath Bun Shop where Paul had a fantastic Ploughmans lunch with 4 wedges of different cheeses, ham corned beef and 4 pickles with lovely bread. The Bath Bun is not a secret recipe like the Sally Lunn also smaller and heavier and not toasted. OK with currants and sugar on top and a sugar lump in the middle.
After lunch we went to the Roman Baths where they have great audio guides like at Jorvik. Then onto the Assembly hall and fashion museum, then a house in the Royal crescent. After all these treats for me Paul insisted on walkiing all the way in the intensifying rain to a bike shop he had spied on the moring bus. We took shelter in the Saracens Head pub about 5:30 then when the rain eased we set off looking for fish and chips. Found a chip shop almost across the road from our hotel and they lived up to the reputation of delicious.
Our last full day we booked an afternoon bus tour of the Cotswolds including Stonehenge and Lacock village where some of Harry Potter movies were made. Also Cranford and Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. Spent the morning looking through the modern shopping centre then the Jane Austin centre where I learnt a lot more about her and the regency times. This fitted well with the house visit in the Royal Crescent and the 2 tea houses.
The bus trip started at 1 and returnedat 5:30. The driver told us that the yellow flowered crop in many fields is rapeseed or canola for oil that farmers grow for bio fuel. First stop Lacock. Lacock is an old Saxon word meaning little river. Lacock is gorgeous with a variety of old styles of buildings. Got photos of the houses used in Harry Potter and all the others. Had a small glass of Royal Wedding beer and a piece of (quite dry) sponge cake filled with jam and normal whipped cream (as opposed to the clotted cream that I have found everywhere else.)
Beautiful rolling countryside. Some roads have hedges on both sides. A village with less than 10 houses is a hamlet.
Stone Henge and another audio guide. Useful and quite interesting but they are losing their appeal. This is the 4th for us. Paul was disappointed that it wasn't as imposing as he expected. I agree. To me it seemed smaller than I expected. It isn't the biggest just the most complete. On the way back we should see a chalk carving on a hill. Paul saw it I missed it.
On our return to Bath just after 5:30 we headed for the Thermae Spa thinking it closed at 5:30 but it was still open so in we went. We had brought our togs so we were set. Very relaxing 2 hours in warm pools (an inside one and an outside rooftop one) as well as 4 steam rooms, each with different aromas. Eucalyptus, cucumber and mint. There were foot spas and a strong multi rainforest warm shower that was like a massage. The rooftop outdoor pool had a few side jets. It was 4 stories up and had glass wall fences so a sort of infinity pool to compare with the one we want to try in Singapore.
Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant was the next and last treat. We had a 20 minute wait so ordered drinks.
Passionfruit daquiri and Paul had an Italian beer: Messina. The antipasti was delicious and the 2 sizes of olives were less salty than in Italy and even nicer. The capers were good too. I had sea bass for my main because the one I tried in Italy was pretty ho hum and I had heard it is the best white fish. It may be but that shows how much better tasting our fish are. It was baked whole with lemon and was juicy, full of tiny bones and lacking flavour. Nice but I wouldn't choose it again.
Left Bath on a train to Paddington then the Heathrow Express.