The England Trip: BATH

Last but not least, this is the end of our September long weekend, the day before we returned back to the Netherlands.

We started and ended the day at the top of the hill overlooking this quaint city known for so much...a World Heritage Site since 1987. What follows is basically in the order in which it happened. Latch your seatbelt and hang onto your hat!

Chris is still our host, remember, from Bath.
He celebrated his 63rd birthday while we were there.
His childhood friend, Chad, celebrates his 63rd 6 months later.
So it was appropriate for the 4 of us to spend our last day on their stomping ground.


Right off the bat, Chris took us to The Richmond pub where he grew up.
His grandfather became landlord there in 1908 until his death in 1952,
after which Chris' dad took over till his retirement in 1970.
I can just imagine what Chris was feeling as he peeked in.


A hop, skip, and a jump away was St. Stephen's Primary School
where Chris and Chad met each other early on and have been friends ever since.


And then, a stone's throw away, the St. Stephen's Church
where Chris was baptized at age 1.
(Pay attention to that steeple, which you'll see later in the day/post!)


It was special to see Chris getting back in touch with his roots...


...while I grabbed my shots.


It's quite the landmark church, isn't it! Built between 1840-45.

Did you notice the iconic red phone booth at the corner of the church?


A little Bristish humor! Chris, Astrid and Chad are all inside,
including the open umbrella.


Then Astrid and I "played around."
Chris said a lady stopped her car to look!
As Astrid would say, she almost drove off the dijk.


Then followed two sets of crescent houses, the second row of which is the famous Royal Crescent of 30 houses, built between 1767 and 1774, and among the best examples of Georgian architecture in the UK.
A moment of serendipity: see the heart and the windmill side by side, in Bath no less?


I was intrigued by the plaques outside some of the homes, giving history to the place:

Thomas Linley lived here and
from this house his daughter
Elizabeth eloped with Richard
Brinsley Sheridan on the
evening of the 18th March 1772


...And the fire insurance "medallions" that hung above several doors.
Chad said the fire engines would go to those houses first!


In between the two crescents, we happened upon this contemporary Bath sculptor, Ben Dearnley, doing his thing for the 2012Summer Olympics. This piece is being carved from Bath stone.
It became another serendipity moment for us all, because he LOVED telling us everything.


Twenty minutes later, we were standing in front of Chad's boyhood home....


...after which we all needed a potty break and decided to also stop for coffee/tea.
Chad gave me a lesson on how to stick out my pinky...not easy to do!


An hour later, as we neared Bath's city center, we ate lunch.
We needed fuel for what was to come...the part of Bath I had seen previously in 2007.
I knew exactly what I wanted Astrid to see and could hardly wait.


First, the Roman Baths...


...just a hint this time, without the tour...


...followed by the Bath Abbey next door.
See Jacob's Ladder on both sides of this west front?


Imagine seeing this in the same courtyard as the Roman Baths!


In 2007 I didn't get to see inside, so this was a treat for me...


...all the more special because of the stained-glass window
donated by one of Chad Doveton's distant relatives!
In Memory of Maria Ann Doveton: Chad's great-great aunt.


Once back outside, we crossed over the River Avon and saw the Abbey from the opposite side...


...while on the way to the Pulteney Bridge, completed in 1773.
See the steeple on the top right? That's St. Stephen's Church through my 300mm lens.


I could hardly wait to cross the bridge with Astrid, alongside all the shops,
and then walk down the embankment to show her the back side.
Talk about the "other side of the tracks!"

It was starting to get late...and we still had to meet another Shutterchancer, Mike/Blackdog, for a drink and supper.

Our eyes were still wide open....


...and just before dark, at this well, I saw the following inscription:

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

I grew up on that John 4:13-14 passage, but without argoyle faces staring back at me!

Then we met Mike, first at The Star pub for a beer and then for supper at a nearby restaurant.
Look at how tall he is!
('A' means Astrid took the picture.)


While at the pub, I learned about a new game: Shove ha'penny.

We said Good-Bye to Mike and began our long walk back to the car on top of the hill...where I started this post (so long ago!). It was all I could do to climb back up...one tired puppy...

...but realizing again how much we had seen
and how "short of eyes" we had been yet another day.

It was the perfect day to end our 2011 trip to England, with photobloggers who have become dear to us, like brothers. Chris, remember, is the one who calls Astrid his little sister. And he's already planning what we'll do when we visit next year!

The next morning, it rained cats and dogs. We stayed put at the farmhouse till leaving for the Bristol airport to fly back home. THAT was the perfect day to end our 2011 trip to England!

Shower or Bath?

You know those questions when you have to be spontaneous with your answer to find out quick info about each other when you first meet? Dennis has a list of these he can shoot off. In fact, when he and Amy first met almost a year ago, that's what they were doing--finding out about each other through these questions of opposites. If you're single , they're a great way to get to know someone. :)

How's that for my introduction to my Bath (England) pics from when we were there that Saturday excursion on February 24th! I've already shown you my Stonehenge pics and could have sworn I did a post on Windsor Castle (I guess that was Shutterchance!). I'll have to do the castle later but here's my Bath photo album (63 pics).

My sister, Ruth, was the first one who told me that Jane Austen (of Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion fame) lived there, from 1801 until 1806. Apparently she didn't like the city but I found it to be absolutely charming, along the River Avon.

At the River Avon just a brief walk from city center is the Pulteney Bridge, "one of only four bridges in the world with shops across the full span on both sides." This is a view of the bridge from the south side but my album has views also from the north. I did NOT have time to walk across the bridge and check out the shops, but that's something I'd want to do if ever we go back.

As is typical of almost all old European cities, the main cathedral, the Bath Abbey, is right in city center, a stone's throw from the river. Since Bath was the last of our 3 stops, we caught it from mid to late afternoon, just as the sun was setting. So beautiful!

The biggest attraction of the city, of course, is the Roman baths that date back 2000 years ago. "The city is founded around the only naturally occurring hot springs in the United Kingdom." And of course, that's where my title comes in. With all that the Romans knew about transporting water and aquaducts, you'd think that they'd have baths and showers both as options (maybe they did?). But I guess you can't beat those hot springs, so that's what they're known for!

Speaking of which. After the tour of the baths, we had a chance to drink some of the hot mineral water, which I did. I think if you were able to do that every day, you'd cure everything that ailed you. HA!

In a couple days I'll do the post on Windsor Castle that I thought I had already done. Till then, enjoy a Bath! :)