A Holiday in England (Part 1: Bath)

Bath, England

Monday, November 1,2010

I took the 23:00 bus from Sevilla and arrived in Madrid at 4:30 where I took a Ryanair flight to London-Gatwick. From London-Gatwick I took a train to London Victoria Railway Station. I was finally relaxed and uplifted by nature's beauty on the bus ride. It is fall, I did not miss it after all! The trees branches are impregnated with vivid yellows, oranges, and reds, the grass is green, the air crisp, and the houses cozy. I had barely sat down in Victoria Coach Sation when I hear my name being called “Caroline Belle!” by my dear friend Elisabeth Wagner. We took a coach to Bath and found the YMCA without too much trouble where we had pastrami sandwiches and clementines thanks to Isabel (my señora).  

 

We woke up at 8:30 and looked out our window to see a beautiful view of the Bath's rooftops. Pointed red topped roofs and the cathedral's spire were the sites my eyes feasted upon. We set forth, I as the map-holder/direction giver and her as the beauty exclaimer. 

 

We wound our way to the Royal Victoria Park with our biggest obstacles being walking on the correct side of the road and looking the correct direction when crossing the street. We happened upon the Royal Crescent and I do mean “happened upon.” I had always assumed it was in the middle of the city, big and bustling (an assumption from the movies) but it isn't— it is facing the park with a large green lawn. It is massive but not busy, other than some parked cars you have almost no reminders that you are in the 21^st and not the 18^th century. We found a bench to sit on that was inscribed “Ruby and George Shearn First Met Here— the dawn of their love and life together.” It was a perfect spot nestled under a yellow tree to sit and observe the mother's walking by with their children and the men playing with their dogs. Finally we forced ourselves up from the spot to go observe more closely the Royal Crescent buildings which were completely beautiful and wonderful.

We continued on in search of the Fashion Museum and Assembly Rooms. On our way we decided to go down a side street to see some of the shops. I was overtaken by the window display of a little book shop and as I was oohing and aahing over the vintage children's books an older British lady said to Lizzy and I “you must go in its a treasure trove” and walked on. So we did. We walked in and were greeted by a middle aged man. He was very kind and offered to help, pull anything out of the cases, etc., etc. I was in heaven old books of every sort, children's, history, poetry, religion. I found a 4^th edition copy of Little Lord Fauntleroy from 1888! I decided to buy it for 12 pounds and give it to Laura since it was the first story we every cried at. I had to pry myself from the store because I could have bought every book in the place. The lady could not have been more accurate when describing the store as a treasure trove. It was a most delightful detour.

The Assembly Rooms and Fashion Museum were very close by. We first walked through the Assembly Rooms which were beautiful, I wanted to dance the 18^th century dances and drink tea while wearing a long gown with gloves. The decoration was beautiful and intricate and the chandeliers gigantic. Next the Fashion Museum. Modern dress was first from 2005-1970's which wasn't that fascinating but soon came the 18^th century dress which was wonderful. Lizzy and I both tried on corsets with hoops skirts. We agreed that they made us feel instantly three inches taller, hough I didn't care for the incredibly accentuated bust and difficulty in breathing. Continuing on to all the dresses we marveled at the hand made dresses with embroidery, ruffles, and lace. There were receipts with prices for undergarments and gloves, shoes, capes, hats, on and on. It was beautiful and exhausting to think of dressing during those times. We were also able to see a collection of Princess Diana's dresses.

After the Fashion Museum it was time to go to back to the hostel to grab a few things for lunch. With the rest of the bread and meat in hand we headed off to the Guildhall Market to buy things for a proper picnic. After taking in all the sights, smells, and signs we decided to buy figs and satsumas. I asked the lady at the produce stand for help with the figs as I had never bought them before. She was so obliging, she showed me the proper color and texture and then had me try to find some myself, as any excellent teacher would do! Then I asked for an explanation of a satsuma, having never heard of one before. She lost herself in describing the minutia of their special fruit not as tart as a tangerine but not as juicy sweet as a clementine. When she was through she said, “listen to me making much of muchness.” Ah! The expression pulled right from Lewis Carrol and said with such ease. In addition the the fruits (packed in brown bags) we bought a small wedge of smoked cheddar cheese and French Brie from “Nibbles Cheeses.”

The perfect picnic spot was found as we stood on Pulteney Bridge and beheld the beauties of the English hills during fall. Along the River Avon there were picnic tables and waking paths where we had our lunch. Our food couldn't have been better. The smoked cheddar was strong but not harsh, the flavor intense but the texture smooth and thick. It coated your through and left its richness lingering on your taste-buds. The fruit seller's description of the satsumas was spot on and they were wonderful. Our desert of figs and Brie- heaven. Why had I always eaten Brie baked? Its texture is so much better fresh. It is light but creamy and fresh. The figs, which I had never tried fresh before won me over in seconds. They taste of warmth, as if you can taste the life it took from the tree, the sap that nourish it and made it plump. Can all this be contained in a mere fruit? Oh it can.

Our bellies full and senses teeming we pulled ourselves from the riverside and continued on to the Roman Baths. Everyone we talked to impressed upon us the necessity of allowing sufficient time for the Baths but I couldn't imagine what could take so long. They were right, we spent every last moment up until closing admiring and learning about the baths. So much history! For once in my life I was thankful for and loving the audio guides.

Dinner was on the docket after the baths since it was 17:30 and we decided upon a Thai restaurant. Lizzy ordered Tom Ka soup- so deliciously warm and complex with coconut milk and a bit of heat. I order Vietnamese rolls with roasted duck, carrot, cucumber, basil, coriander, etc. wrapped in rice sheets with a spicy dipping sauce. Oh how happy was my mouth and stomach after eating such delights! Thankfully Lizzy reminded me of tipping which I had quite forgotten about after being in Spain.

I was sad to only have one day in Bath but we did have tickets to go to Chester the next morning so off we must go.