England 2015: Day 1--Batheaston to Bathampton Walk

Did I mention that one of my gifts to myself for my BIG 7-0 is flying grandson Nicholas over for the last 2 weeks of July?  He turns 15 on July 12th and will arrive on the 17th, just 5 days later.

So, having just returned from our week in England, I'm on a hot trot to get as many posts done before the Big Boy arrives.

As they say, let's start at the very beginning, Monday, 15 June, when hosts Lisl and Michael picked me up from the airport in Bristol (Astrid arrived 2 days later).

  First of all, this was my Facebook overview of Day 1.

On the ca. 25-mile drive from the Bristol Airport to Batheaston, where they live,

Lisl and Michael stopped at the reservoir along the way for a nice treat.

A 99 Flake is an ice cream cone with a Cadbury flake inserted in it.

Now you know.

Of course, the reservoir, or bird sanctuary as I call it, was very nice, too.

I remembered it from a year ago when we stopped there with Chris.

Once I got settled at the house, Lisl and I started out on a walk,

from Batheaston to Bathampton (where Chris lives).  I call them suburbs of Bath.

You know me.  I want to see every little thing, which Lisl totally understands.

I don't remember the name of this little park but it was worth seeing.
[Addendum:   Lisl says it's Batheaston Garden.]

Near the park was a new bridge we didn't cross, except to the center, to get a view.

Looking back on it as we walked along the River Avon was lovely (good English word).

When we got to the toll bridge, we knew we were passing from Batheaston into Bathampton.

It's a privately-owned bridge, btw, with all the tolls going to the family that owns and maintains it.

It's the Bathampton Toll Bridge, from 1872, with 9 pointed arches.

Can you imagine that as your family business?

 Lisl's goal for our walk was to see the narrowboats on the Bathampton side of the River Avon.

We had already seen them last year on the Batheaston side.

You know that we have scads of canals all over Dutchland, of course,

but the Dutch do not have narrowboats.  They intrigue me to no end,

especially by all the stuff they put on top.  

These are their homes, you know.

Both going to and coming back from the narrowboats,

we walked through the cemetery of Bathampton's Church of St. Nicholas from the 13th century.

Besides Arthur Phillip's grave inside the church (Founder of Australia

and first Governor of New South Wales)....

...the grave of Walter Sickert (1860-1942), a painter and printmaker, is outside (middle left).

Three books in modern times maintain he was Jack the Ripper from the late 1880s.

Lisl believes the theory is very convincing from what she has read.  WOW.

We didn't spend much time inside at all, only for these few images.

But you know me and church cushions!

Lucky for me to find one of St. Nicholas, just days before he comes to visit!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Day 1 down, now, and 6 to go.....(all longer than this one, I might add)....