So, where in the world was Alyssa Markham? In Bath, England!
Congrats to
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twisterfairy,
cereselle,
fisher_queen, and
ailei on their winning guesses! Thanks to everyone else who guessed, too!
Bath is most well known as the site for the ruins of the roman baths that gave the town its name. These ruins are the most intact and largest bathhouse in all of England. However, that is not the only reason the visit Bath. The Bath Abbey is a magnificent church, dating all the way back to 1499. The Halbourne Museum is a breathtaking collection of paintings from the 16th century on, antique furniture, silver, and even Ancient Roman artifacts. The entire city of Bath is enthralling and, within two hours, I found I wanted to move there for good.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
We left Fulton House at 8:00AM as usual and the two and a half hour coach ride was…decent. I tried to fall asleep, but didn’t manage until halfway through. We arrived at Bath around 10:30AM and were told…have a good day? This came as a shock to those of us who had expected some sort of tour. We all wandered around in a daze for a few moments until we found the maps. First on my list was The Roman Baths and I headed there straight away.
Bath was surprisingly easy to navigate. I had expected it to be similar the tangled knot of streets that was Swansea, but Bath actually seemed to have some sort of sense when it came to roads. Plus, it was sort of hard to miss the huge spire that rose above the entire Bath skyline.
( Bath Abbey )There was a little heritage vault connected to the abbey and I checked it out. It was interesting, some good bits of history. Worth checking out if you’re ever in the area. It couldn’t hold my interest for long, though, not with the baths looming so close nearby.
( Roman Baths )After leaving the baths I headed to the pump room to try some of the natural spring water pumped into the baths. It was…not particularly good. People kept telling me it was vile, which isn’t true, it’s just not something I would regularly drink.
I was getting pretty hungry at that point so I walked down to Sally Lunn’s, which is the oldest housing in Bath and home of the famous Sally Lunn Buns.
( Sally Lunn's Kitchen Museum )That was really all there was to see, though. Full and ready for some more walking, I went in search of the Jane Austen Center. Along the way I was waylaid by the Victoria Art Gallery, but I was not allowed to photograph anything. The photography exhibit that is currently up right now is amazing. They have the current years entries and also several entries from previous years, going all the way back to 1853!
I once more made my way to the Jane Austen Center and finally found it! Unfortunately, it was five pounds entry and I was running out of cash. Since I’ve pretty much decided I’m going to live in Bath one day and I plan to return soon, I decided to save that for another trip. Of course, that didn’t stop me from snapping a picture.
( Jane Austen Center )I wandered around for awhile after that, looking for someplace cheap that I could enter. I went through back ways and alleys, found the fashion museum, declined to go in due once more the money, and slowly but surely meandered to the Halbourne Museum. Oh, but on my way there, I saw this:
( HAHAHA )Back to the Halbourne Museum.
( Halbourne Museum )When I left the museum it was around 4:45, so I decided to return to the coach. Even with a map, I got lost three times. I wandered and really got to get an appreciation for how lovely the city is.
( Last few shots of Bath )Finally, miracle of miracles – I managed to find the damned car park. We left at 6:00PM and arrived back in Swansea, safe and sound.
I fully intend to come back to Bath and, hopefully, one day move here. I really just fell in love with the place.
So, that was my trip! I took tons more pictures, so if you want some, shoot me an email or give me a comment and I'll send some your way.
