Two Dorks in Bath
Hello there!😊
Just stopping by to tell you all about our weekend in Bath!
A trip much different than we had initially planned (for reasons we will get into in another post). Sharing our lovely experience in this picturesque city. Pictures do not do it justice.
We took the train from London Paddington station to Bath SpA station. It was a comfortable 1 hr 18 mins trip all aboard the First Class cabin because my ADHD brain struggles with loud spaces and anyone who has ever been on a UK train knows just how merry people get! This was a fantastic decision, except that we missed the fine print where a variety of snacks and drinks are offered complimentary. It wasn't until the nice train attendant prompted us multiple times that we shyly took two bottles of water and crisps. I even managed to focus enough to get our first blog post out. 😝
First impressions arriving at Bath - lovely town, bright, open and a complete 180° from London! Very few cars or people about, very much a quaint, village-like city - Pleasant surprise as we both expected it to be bustling.
(Nerd architectural description time!)
So, the most predominant style of architecture in the center is Georgian, a honey shaded stone-based (Bath stone) construction that was popularised in the early 18th century. This style, sprinkled with some beautiful Palladian buildings, throughout gives the city a very peaceful and light feel.
Bath city was classified a World Heritage Site in 1987, because of its rich architectural history and the way the planning grid was designed to integrate densely populated areas with picturesque, open urban spaces. All of this contributes to a village-like look and feel throughout the city, which made this entire weekend just delightful!
Ok, getting back on point.
For our first few hours/evening in Bath we had very little planned as we expected to be tired and somewhat cranky from the train ride. Travelling is awesome, but I don't think people talk enough about travelling fatigue (especially as you age). Yes, going on a holiday is great fun and exciting and it gives you something to hope for during the long dreary weeks following up to the actual trip. However, the act of going from one place to another (be it by plane, train, boat, car or bus) is very taxing and tiring. I don't know about you all, but it definitely takes a lot out of both of us and therefore we like to leave some time for just relaxing, resting and enjoying the hotel stay 😊 And so, we dropped our bags off at the Doubletree by Hilton ( check-in was 4pm and we were early) and went out for our little exploratory excursion.
First up, Pulteney Bridge. It was magnificent!
The bridge was designed by Neoclassical Architect Robert Adam in the 18th century and is very reminiscent of Ponte Vechio in Florence, which we will hopefully get to visit sometime next year *nudges K 😉*.
We took a stroll over the bridge and down a discreet staircase that led us to the river bank where we took in the weir (a low dam) that was built in the early 1600s to regulate the water flow from the river Avon and prevent severe flooding of the city. We also stumbled upon The Great Maze.
After the mandatory photographs, we attempted to have early dinner. Anyone who knows us, knows we like to have our dinner (very) early. We had initially made a reservation for Yak Yeti Yak (Nepalese food) at 5:30pm but decided to try our luck at 4.45pm as we were both getting nippy. Unsurprisingly, the restaurant only opened at 5pm and we decided and seat at the Square, next to the Roman baths. It was very pleasant, peaceful and tranquil 😊
Dinner at Yak Yeti Yak was delightful. We highly recommend it! It was our first time trying Nepalese food and we were both super impressed. We had another round of yummy treat in the form of gelato waffle cone at The Real Italian Ice Cream Co. The honeycomb flavor was superb with actual honeycomb! Trusty chocolate hazelnut didn't disappoint either.
Saturday:
Saturday was an exciting day as we were off to Salisbury/Amesbury to see the Stonehenge!
Now for normal (non-nerdy) people, this would be a very uneventful and perhaps unexciting prospect. But for me, it's been something I have always wanted to do since the very first time I heard about it in school.
Most people look at the Stonehenge and go "hum *shrugs* it's slabs of rocks!". Uh uh. Not me. For me, it is an impressive feat of engineering! Just imagine the amount of people and ingenuity that was required to collect, transport and assemble it! With no cranes, no 'proper ropes', just sheer strength, understanding of physics and willpower - and most certainly slave labor *whispers and hides*.
Anyway, I was very excited! In spite of the arduous journey by train (60 mins - Bath Spa to Salisbury station), 40 mins bus ride (exclusive Stonehenge bus from the bus stop right outside Salisbury station) and 50 mins walk (2 miles/3.2 km).
Tip: advance purchase of any ticket is great. But if you forget, don't panic! You can simply purchase them on the bus. However, contactless payment transaction has a limit of £30. The bus schedule is approximately every hour from 10:04am and includes complimentary recorded tour about the wonderful history of Salisbury, the Abbey, the Sarum and the Stonehenge!
It is important to know which type of ticket to purchase. We were cheap and bought the cheapest one that didn't include anything (i.e onward bus transfer to the Stonehenge) and made an impulse decision of walking (because nobody told us the distance except for "a short walk/follow the path"😂Alas, we made it! It was quite rewarding even from a distance. The size and the magnificence of the structure.
Fun fact: (don't quote me on this in case I mis-heard) During WWII, German troops were instructed not to bomb the Abbey as they were using its super tall spire as a navigational reference point/marker to let German aviators know where they were, and which direction London is. That fact meant that Salisbury was effectively safe from bombing, despite the fact that it was a major centre of production of the famous spitfires!
Sunday:
Last day in Bath and we decided to sneak a quickie to the Roman Baths. "Early bird gets the worm" does not apply to Bath. The earliest breakfast place opens at 08:30am. This means no coffee to start the day😒 Since we had time, we decided to head to the infamous Royal Crescent to catch a shot. We had to walk past The Circus, which in itself is a beauty on its own, and K got all excited when she looked up and saw "Gay Street"😜
Don't you love the pretty mini cooper and the snoopy cover of the 2nd car. We adore Bath. It is so easy to navigate and most places are within a 20 mins radius. It made us so happy. 3 C-s at the Watchhouse - Coffee, (Egg) Cruffin and (Lemon Drizzle) Cake - were belly nice!! It was worth the wait.
Off we go to the Roman Baths on a happy tummy. Of course, I was riding on food high and had to touch everything I see - "I sees it, I touches it" (inside joke).
"Time flies when you are having fun" - Truer words have never been spoken. Our only regret was not being able to try LJ Hugs food stand. Those wraps looked yummy and smelled heavenly! 'til next time, Bath👋
P.s the nice attendant offered us a snack box on our return trip. Now we know😉
- B.
Comments
Post a Comment