The Easter long weekend arrived and with the flights to Lisbon were overly priced. So our choice was to look at the British map and find a destination. A few options came up, but we had heard so much Bath and how great it is, that we (me, ALF and PN) set up the route to Somerset!
I say, we set up the route, because for the first time, we actually drove in the UK! Even though there were no interesting (possibly lethal) stories, it was really weird to keep seating on the "wrong" side of the car and there are rumors that the driver's door got a bit of attention at the beginning of our ride!
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| Andre on the wrong side of the car :P |
With a few greetings (honks!) from other drivers, tonnes of traffic and a great sunny day, we arrived at our destination. Because we were so late in our booking we had to stay in Bristol (a nice city on its own), a few kilometers away from Bath. But this also meant that we had to wait for a new day before we could finally reach our main destiny.
Next morning, it was Bath time! Parking on the edge of the city, we were able to have a privileged view right from the beginning! Unfortunately, we had spent all our sun credit hours the day before, so the background was more dark and grayish than light and blueish! But the scenery was still beautiful and proof that this was a great choice!
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| The city of Bath as we first saw it |
Our first stop was a recommended place to ease our stomachs which also served perfectly to get away from the rain that was threatening to fall on us. Sally Lunns! A bakery/tea house/restaurant that dates back as far as the XVIIth century! The buns were good, but what really captured our attention (and taste buds!) was the lemon curd and, specially, the cinnamon butter! Hmm, that was something worth coming again for!
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| Sally Lunn's, opened since 1680 |
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| The reception |
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| The buns! |
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| Apparently life was harsh for misbehaved boys back in the day |
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| On the stairs to the museum |
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| On the stairs to the museum - part 2 |
More comforted, we could then walk around and enjoy the city! And we did try! But the rain, wind and cold were a bit too harsh for 3 summer-loving Portuguese and we ended up hoping from store to store, from Eating House to restaurant, from tourist office to bookstore! Curiously enough, was the fact that it looked like we were the only ones to be phased by weather as the streets were full!
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| Near the entrance to the Roman Baths |
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Even the pigeons showed their presence
But we were determined to enjoy the day, and wanted to witness one of the landmarks of the city - the Royal Crescent. So fighting our instincts, we climbed up in search of the curved building, which is indeed, quite impressive! It was mid way through that the rain started to come down more heavily and, at some point, it felt a bit like a shower! We were having a "free" shower in Bath... how ironic! :P And here are the photos of that!
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| "It is about this size!" - what is, I have no idea! |
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| The Royal Crescent (about a third of it!) |
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| Yikes! |
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| Who needs shoes? |
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| Laughing in the rain! |
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| Royal Crescent, part 2 - walking casually |
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| Envious, so envious! |
After the rain stopped, we continued walking around and got to the canal. The city of Bath is indeed quite beautiful and the Roman Baths (that we actually only visited the next day) are totally worth it! And if I say this after a visit on a winter-like day, it is something to be taken quite seriously! ;)
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| River Avon and the traditional boats |
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| :) |
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