No, I wasn't any better....but I was going to go to Bath and beggar the consequences.
Ma was staying back at the hotel, so I only had myself to take care of....what a selfish baggage I am.
Ma had done the Bath tour before, and so she felt like she didn't really want to go....she also said it would be less of a hassle for me...uneven pavements, cobbles etc.
I had booked on a coach trip around the city with a guide to point out all the things that you could miss if you went exploring on foot.
I have to say it was £5 very well spent.
Bath is like Rome(and less romantically, Sheffield) built on 7 hills.
The coach took us above the city so that we could see it laid out before us......it was a spectacular sight....the only thing that could have improved it would have been if it had been a bit more sunny and less misty.
We went up to the Royal Crescent and to the circus....where nicolas Cage owns one of the beautiful houses(no 7)........we viewed Pultney bridge, said to be designed after the bridge of sighs......we passed the Abbey....and we were informed that the wonderful East Window had been blown out by the bombs in 1942....and that the bits had been lovingly and painstakingly collected and all put back together again.
We were told that Bath had the Abbey rather than a cathedral, this being due to the fact that the Bishop of the diocese lives at Wells and so the Cathedral has to be where the Bishop lives.
Sally Lunns....now I always thought that these were a Lancashire delicacy.....apparently not.
It seems like this was a concoction brought over by a noble french mistress who set up a shop in the centre of Bath.
Sally Lunn doesn't seem like a french name...and of course it isn't.
These buns were golden like the sun on one side, and white like the moon on the other side(icing sugar making it white)....the lady would call out her wares 'Sol et Lune' (sun and moon) and this soon became corrupted to Sally Lunns......isn't that interesting?
No....well ok, then but I found it fascinating.
A lot of the big houses also had little out-houses where the sedan chair drivers(? do you drive a sedan chair) lived with their chairs. When the nobility wanted a sedan chair they would send a servant to shout down the street 'Chair hey ho' and the sedan drivers would hie themselves off in the direction of the call....and again this became corrupted and it is said that this is where the greeting 'cheerio' comes from.
I had an image of what I thought Bath would be like....the place far surpassed my imaginings. I loved the atmosphere of the place. I would like to go back at some point and spend more time there.......I didn't make it to the Roman bath.......I did visit the Abbey and spent a few reflective moments in there........I watched the street entertainers on their tall unicycles, the fire eaters, the dancers.
Apparently Jane Austen used to visit Bath for the season, but hated it.......how could she.
I didn't frequent the shops at all.......I spent my time taking in the beautiful ambience of the place.
I sat in KingsMead Square and watched the world go by.......i should have been exploring, but I am sad to say I had quite run out of energy.
I could smell chips, and the vinegar smell was tormenting me....so i bought myself a small portion(that would quite easily have fed a couple of hungry folk) alas, the notion of them was better than the reality and most of them found their way into the pigeons.
I'm sure they tasted lovely, but my taste buds were on strike.
I met a couple of oldies who were on our coach and looked like they were lost....so i introduced myself and offered to show them the way back to the coach....they were very grateful.
3pm saw us heading back to Weston. I was 'bushed'.
Ma was staying back at the hotel, so I only had myself to take care of....what a selfish baggage I am.
Ma had done the Bath tour before, and so she felt like she didn't really want to go....she also said it would be less of a hassle for me...uneven pavements, cobbles etc.
I had booked on a coach trip around the city with a guide to point out all the things that you could miss if you went exploring on foot.
I have to say it was £5 very well spent.
Bath is like Rome(and less romantically, Sheffield) built on 7 hills.
The coach took us above the city so that we could see it laid out before us......it was a spectacular sight....the only thing that could have improved it would have been if it had been a bit more sunny and less misty.
We went up to the Royal Crescent and to the circus....where nicolas Cage owns one of the beautiful houses(no 7)........we viewed Pultney bridge, said to be designed after the bridge of sighs......we passed the Abbey....and we were informed that the wonderful East Window had been blown out by the bombs in 1942....and that the bits had been lovingly and painstakingly collected and all put back together again.
We were told that Bath had the Abbey rather than a cathedral, this being due to the fact that the Bishop of the diocese lives at Wells and so the Cathedral has to be where the Bishop lives.
Sally Lunns....now I always thought that these were a Lancashire delicacy.....apparently not.
It seems like this was a concoction brought over by a noble french mistress who set up a shop in the centre of Bath.
Sally Lunn doesn't seem like a french name...and of course it isn't.
These buns were golden like the sun on one side, and white like the moon on the other side(icing sugar making it white)....the lady would call out her wares 'Sol et Lune' (sun and moon) and this soon became corrupted to Sally Lunns......isn't that interesting?
No....well ok, then but I found it fascinating.
A lot of the big houses also had little out-houses where the sedan chair drivers(? do you drive a sedan chair) lived with their chairs. When the nobility wanted a sedan chair they would send a servant to shout down the street 'Chair hey ho' and the sedan drivers would hie themselves off in the direction of the call....and again this became corrupted and it is said that this is where the greeting 'cheerio' comes from.
I had an image of what I thought Bath would be like....the place far surpassed my imaginings. I loved the atmosphere of the place. I would like to go back at some point and spend more time there.......I didn't make it to the Roman bath.......I did visit the Abbey and spent a few reflective moments in there........I watched the street entertainers on their tall unicycles, the fire eaters, the dancers.
Apparently Jane Austen used to visit Bath for the season, but hated it.......how could she.
I didn't frequent the shops at all.......I spent my time taking in the beautiful ambience of the place.
I sat in KingsMead Square and watched the world go by.......i should have been exploring, but I am sad to say I had quite run out of energy.
I could smell chips, and the vinegar smell was tormenting me....so i bought myself a small portion(that would quite easily have fed a couple of hungry folk) alas, the notion of them was better than the reality and most of them found their way into the pigeons.
I'm sure they tasted lovely, but my taste buds were on strike.
I met a couple of oldies who were on our coach and looked like they were lost....so i introduced myself and offered to show them the way back to the coach....they were very grateful.
3pm saw us heading back to Weston. I was 'bushed'.
