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Bath
Picture perfect Bath - the Royal Crescent!
The next morning, Sunday, after a filling breakfast at the hotel, we returned to Paddington Station and made our way to Bath via train (we had pre-ordered the tickets from home). Easy!
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We checked into the hotel - Brooks Guesthouse. It was our home for 3 nights and it was lovely. Since we were starving, the friendly staff directed us to a nearby pub, the Marlborough Tavern. We were completely surprised to find ourselves walking by what could only be the Royal Crescent. I would have been willing to swear it was the other direction! Magical! Fish and chips - yummy.
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After a "rest and refresh" in our room, we made our way to the hotel breakfast room to meet our guides and the rest of our group. We each gave a brief introduction of ourselves, and then Liz walked us through what we could expect throughout the tour. We had fun picking our "buddies" - a Rick Steves invention to help ensure that no one would be left behind. We could do a "buddy check" so that the guide wouldn't need to be continually counting heads. Great idea!
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Then we were off to our first group dinner, a traditional British "Sunday roast," at the Hop Pole, a block or two from the hotel. After dinner, Liz was gracious enough to offer us an evening walk around Bath, showing off her home town. It was absolutely lovely. Back at the hotel, Flat Winston again claimed the pillows, and we collapsed. What a wonderful day!
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After a plentiful breakfast in the hotel, we did a quick buddy check and headed out with our guides on a walking tour to explore more of Bath. We started by going to the Royal Crescent (pictured at the top of the page), and then made our way to every single thing on our list (Royal Crescent, the Circus, the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, the Pump Room), plus a whole lot more, listening to Liz give us wonderful historical explanations! You could tell she was so proud of her home town. We then were on our own to go wherever we might choose. We managed to time it perfectly so that we could take in an organ concert at Bath Abbey (wonderful), and then toured through #1 Royal Crescent, a home restored to show what it might have been like to live there in the 18th century. That evening, Liz offered to take us to a pub for a tasting of local beers. I've never developed a taste for beer, but we had great fun. Winston seemed to love it! Not as good as clotted cream, but ...
The next day, we had our first bus ride and got to meet Paul, our master bus driver, who kept us entertained with stories of growing up in England and his life in the military service.
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We drove to Glastonbury for a tour of the abbey ruins, and had time to wander around the town. Glastonbury is a "new age" type town, and their public market provided a large selection of magical wands, crystals, etc. Fun to wander through. Then on to Wells, with it's breathtaking cathedral. We toured the Vicar's Close and had lunch before our tour of the cathedral.
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A very quick ride back to Bath in our bus, and we were in our hotel, getting ready for a second group dinner, this time at Graze, right by the River Avon, followed by a leisurely wander back to the hotel.
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Bath is a beautiful town. We were told that they are regularly banned from entering England's "Best Kept Village" contest just to allow someone else to win once in a while.
Glastonbury
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The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. This was one of the wealthiest and most powerful abbeys in England. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by Henry VIII, but the ruins are beautiful and evocative.
Wells
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Magical Moments :
- The weather, again - 3 days of brilliant sunshine!
- Walking to lunch, looking up to see the Royal Crescent
- Discovering mushy peas and how good they are
- Our evening walk with Liz through Bath
- Our first ever cream tea. Wonderful!
- Catching an organ concert at Bath Abbey
- Seeing the burial spot of King Arthur and Guinevere
- All of the "magical" things for sale in Glastonbury
"Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures!"
- Lovelle Drachman
We were curious about:
- Who is Beau Nash and why are there statues of him in town? Beau Nash was the self-proclaimed "King of Bath." He was the 18th century Master of Ceremonies of Bath and spent his time arranging the high society doings. He's even buried inside Bath Abbey.
- Why is there a Jacob's ladder on Bath Abbey, with falling angels? Around 1500, the Bishop of Bath had a dream about angels ascending/descending from heaven. Hence, the Jacob's ladder.
- Why does a fairly small town like Wells have such a HUGE cathedral? We were told that it is the seat of the Bishop of Wells and Bath. He even has a palace there!
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