if i had to pick my absolute favorite part of the trip, it would be really really difficult. but our day in bath was absolutely 100% start-to-finish fantastic.
we took the train from bristol, because it’s a very easy jaunt, and wandered through the shops at the beginning.
bath abbey. this is actually about the most we saw of it. but is very pretty, yes?
we went to the pump room, where i suffered a bout of glee from doing something so very jane austen-y:
witness the glee! cream tea (scone + devonshire clotted cream + strawberry champagne jam), cheddar + chive scones, and rarebit are all visible, and were all deeeeee-licious.
since it was connected, we popped over to the roman baths afterwards. i kid you not, this might be the best experience i have ever had at a museum. and i love museums. it was so well curated, so interesting & fun, and, as an additional cherry on the proverbial sundae, bill bryson contributed to parts of the audio tour.
so very very very cool. we walked around a bit, enjoyed some of the copious lovely views:
and ended up at mr. b’s emporium of reading delights. i love book stores anywhere, but especially in foreign countries. different titles, different covers, what fun! (plus certain books by british-based authors that are released earlier in the UK than USA…) the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and they do the best gift wrapping!
some more aimed wandering led to the royal crescent:
and i became slightly obsessed with attempting to photograph this beautiful rose, fought with my camera, and in a fit of pique, handed the camera to jake, who obligingly captured its image for me:
and as the sun set, we ended the day of tourism and walking with a sublime visit to the thermae bath spa, where we floated around in the very warm open air rooftop pool, enjoying the nighttime views of the lit abbey and cathedral, and the twinkling residential lights in the surrounding hills. if i could end every day of walking and tourism this way, i would be very happy indeed. they didn’t allow photography in the spa, which is a-okay with me, as i was too busy enjoying myself, but you should definitely clicky-click on the above link to the spa (or this one right here for the photo gallery) so you can get an idea of the place.
if i could impart one key thing to you, gentle readers, it would be this: if you get the chance, go to bath. it’s pretty great.
*le sigh* … I am living vicariously through your lovely trip
Amazing photos, sounds like you had a perfect day at Bath! They really do have amazing shops, that’s where I got my classic penguin mug featuring the book cover of pride and prejudice.