Day 3: A Bath in Bath

Highlights: Another gorgeous weather day, seeing the "real" England, soaking in the mineral baths.

Oh wow- how I love the town of Bath! I cannot begin to describe how incredible it is - it is exactly what I picture when I think of England - the Georgian architecture, the rolling green hillsides, the quaint churches and shops...it's all very breath taking!

Our morning started off with breakfast at our hotel. We immediately asked for corn flakes and didn't even wait to hear the other choices. In addition to the cereal, you can have a "full English breakfast". This is something I never get, but Eric does. It consists of a fried egg, "bacon" - which is more like Canadian bacon, sausage and a boiled tomatoe. And yes, Eric even eats the boiled tomatoe. I just sip on tea and nibble on toast while he "enjoys" his breakfast. :)

We were early to the train station, so we decided to wander around and look at all of the stores. Train stations here remind of Grand Central Station, with lots of shops to mill about. We were at Paddington Station, and I realized that yes, indeed, Paddington Station has something to do with Paddington Bear, that this is the area Paddington Bear "lived" in. Did you know that it is the 50th anniversary of the original book? I'm really into Paddington Bear now. :)

We enjoyed a 90 minute train ride through the English country side. Lots of areas were beautiful, and some were surprising to see - such as the strip mall with a Toys R Us in it.

As we pulled into Bath, I couldn't help repeating "Oh Wow!" The views were so amazing! Green hills in the back, great architecture everywhere you look. From the train, we walked to the center of town where there is a 500 year old abby. It is the oldest abby in England, and it is huge and amazing to look at. Right across the churchyard are the Roman Baths. I wanted to visit this site, but I was not prepared for how much I would love it! We must have spent a couple of hours wandering through the ancient baths. Oh how I wish we could post pictures for you to see. There is still water in the baths, although it is green with algae (so you can't touch it.) But underneath the baths, you can see the spring from which the hot hot water still flows. It was amazing to wander around these ruins. I also like that we were given an audio guide as part of our admission price, and could wander at our own pace, but still learn a lot by listening to the audio guide.

From the baths, we wandered around the shops and found a deli to get a picnic lunch of sandwiches from. We took our lunch across this cool bridge, to a bench next to the Avon River, and ate and people watched. We are so amazed by the great weathering we are experiencing and how fun it is to sit in the sun and people watch. Very delightful.

Before I forget, Dad keeps asking if we've had fish and chips - not yet - we are looking for a place that looks good. Also, Eric liked the fried egg on his hamburger, but he didn't like the beef - he thinks meat here tastes weird. I think I've figured it out - I think it just tastes plain (without all of the hormones and additives). It tastes like what you expect it to taste like, except it seems like someone's soaked it in bleach or something and stripped down most of the flavor. I don't know how else to explain it.

Anyway, after lunch we wandered up a very steep, long hill, to a park, where we wandered for awhile, found a little lake and a botanical garden and wandered around that. We love wandering and exploring and stumbling upon "unexpected treasures". It was a great afternoon!

As the sun was setting, we returned to town to visit the spa, where we bathed in mineral baths (not the kind with algae!) :) Wow - it was so relaxing and felt great on our tired legs and feet. There was a roof top bath, where we enjoyed watching the sun set and seeing the sky line of Bath. It was so amazing to look around at the historic churches and buildings while relaxing in the spa. Aaaaaahhhhh. That about sums it up!

From the spa, we wandered around and found a Thai restaurant. After dinner, sadly, everything was closed, and this internet cafe is the only place open, as we wait for our train back to London. Lesson learned - the town shuts down after 7pm! But what a great day it was. If you can only visit one place in England, I highly recommend a bath in Bath! This has been my most favorite day so far!

Hope everyone is doing great! We're off to Canterbury early tomorrow! More later, and I think Eric is trying to add pictures - so look for those! Cheerio!