Today was all about travel and reuniting. I left my hotel in Cardiff after a lovely stay and headed to the train station. I had misread and thought I was aiming to be on a train at 11:00, but it was actually at 11:30. This was no problem, as I knew I would beat Ethan to Bath. But I was excited to hear that he had landed safely and we texted as he made it through immigration, to Paddington Station, and on the train to Bath.
At around 1:30 we were finally back together in Bath, after a long month apart. We headed to our hotel, which is on a quite residential street a few blocks away from the historic center of Bath. We took a short break before venturing back out to find some food.
We headed towards the center, where the cathedral is visible from most every street. The cathedral was closed for the day, as it was being used for some graduation events for the University of Bath. I think this is for the best, allowing us to visit the cathedral when we are both better rested.
Just next door to the cathedral are the Roman baths, which I cannot wait to see. I got a few peaks of the building surrounding the Roman site and it is gorgeous. I'm very excited to see how the baths are preserved in this 19th century center. I think it will be a fascinating mixture of Roman ruins and Victorian re-imagination of the past.
As we had missed lunch, we decided to go for a proper afternoon tea. We shared a pot of Earl Grey tea and many delicious treats. These included scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, a lemon meringue tart, a lemon poppyseed cake, a strawberry and cream tart, a brownie, and an assortment of finger sandwiches.
Even though we were both quite hungry, we couldn't finish the tray of delights. It was a lovely way to spend an hour or so, though. We were right in the middle of Bath and were able to catch up over good food and good tea.
We wandered around the center a bit more, stumbling upon some odd sights. A man, some sort of street performer, was putting pigeons on to people. Both Ethan and I were extremely confused by this. Why would you want pigeons on you? Doesn't that just seem like a recipe to be covered in bird poop? And why would you trust this man to put crazy birds on you? Just so many questions.
We walked by the Victoria Art Gallery, an art museum dedicated to Queen Victoria in honor of her diamond jubilee. The museum is known for its collection of British oil paintings from the 17th century to present. We may stop in and see them for ourselves in the coming days!
We then headed back to our hotel, exploring Henrietta Park on the way back to our hotel. I had noticed the ruins of a chapel from our hotel window so we crossed the street and went to St. Mary's Churchyard. The churchyard dates from the 1800s as a parish church and graveyard. The graveyard quickly filled to capacity and the parish church was torn down and a new church, St. John's, was built. A mortuary chapel, used for funerals and baptisms, was built in the churchyard, but also fell out of activity.
The site was left in neglect for many years, and only really begun to be preserved in the early 2000s. Now it is a quiet place to walk through. They have put out little signs of graves that are of interest, although Ethan and I didn't understand the significance of any of these. The on pictured labeled a slab of stone as "A mystery!" I think they might have been stretching at some points.
We had another little break in the hotel (Ethan took an accidental nap) before heading out to dinner. After investigating some of Bath's culinary scene, we settled on an Italian restaurant just off the Pulteney Bridge. I feel like maybe I shouldn't have taken Ethan to an Italian restaurant on his first night in England, but too late now! Now, we're back in the hotel, getting ready for bed. Have to say I'm awfully impressed Ethan is still up at 11:20 pm! Time for sleep now though!
Fun Fact #21: Bath has been known for it's natural hot springs for over 2,000 years. The hot springs were used both as curative and religious places by native peoples, utilized by the Roman invaders, and by basically all those who have lived in Bath. The spa had a major heyday in the Georgian era, influencing the design and architecture of the city. Today, you can still have a relaxing day in the baths, but sadly not the Roman ones.
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