Finally, finally I’ve got my pictures uploaded and sorted, and I’m ready to share all the details of hubby’s and my epic road trip through southern England this October!  It was a blast, and I took almost 2,000 pictures, so I’m planning to break this up into a series of posts and put up one recap a week from now until eternity.  (Just kidding about the eternity part.  I hope.) 

We started our trip in Bath, which was the perfect way to begin the journey if you ask me!  To begin with, it’s incredibly easy to get there.  Hubby and I landed at Heathrow Airport and took a bus directly from the airport to the center of Bath.  It was about as effortless and foolproof a way to get out of the airport zone and into the heart of England as I can imagine.  Bath was also a great, friendly place to sleep off a bit of jet lag and acclimate to the journey ahead of us.  It was a stunningly beautiful city, but also walkable and welcoming.  The friendly locals and the picturesque architecture charmed the bejeezes out of us.

Here’s the Circus, one of the more beautiful and exclusive sets of “Georgian condos,” as Rick Steves calls them.  We visited it twice – once on our own independent wanderings and once on the excellent free walking tour that Bath residents put on multiple times daily.

This building – now a workaday dentist’s office – was once the residence of one of Bath’s most famous temporary residents: Jane Austen!  I’m a diehard “Janeite” and obviously I had to see where my literary idol lived.  Jane actually had several residences in Bath, because she lived there a few times during her life, but this might be the most famous.  Just down the street is the Jane Austen Centre, which displays artifacts from Jane’s time (although not many of her own possessions) and large placards describing life in Regency Bath.  I dragged hubby there and he was a remarkably good sport.

The lovely Royal Crescent, possibly the most exclusive address in a city full of exclusive addresses!  It was a bit chilly, but I imagined strolling over the vast expanse of green and relaxing near the “ha-ha fence” on a bright summer’s day.

Stunning flowerbeds in the Royal Victoria Park.  Fun fact, courtesy of our tour guide: Queen Victoria detested Bath.  She visited once, when she was young “Princess Victoria,” and never again.  Local legend holds that when the Queen-to-be was descending from her train, someone pointed at her and laughed, “Look at the little girl with the fat funny ankles!” and she was so insulted that she held a grudge against the entire city for the rest of her life.  Whether that’s true or not is up for debate, but Queen Victoria wouldn’t even look at Bath for the rest of her life – when the royal train passed by, she would order all of her courtiers to draw down the shades of their cars!

The beautiful Bath Abbey Church, nicknamed the “Lantern of the West,” was graceful and welcoming.  The stained glass windows inside were incredibly colorful – it certainly is an apt nickname.

Bath was full of Roman history, and it was all centered upon the Roman Baths.  The site was fascinating, with plenty of information and artifacts galore.  We imagined the ancient Romans walking along the time-worn stones and debated whether we would ever be willing to step into the murky green waters of the baths.  (Answer: no.)

Next up: tea at the famous Pump Room!  We enjoyed a pot of the Pump Room Blend tea with afternoon treats – scones, tea sandwiches and pastries.  (I can personally take or leave pastries, but I love the sandwiches and especially the scones.)  After tea, we tried a glass of the famous spa water.  I was expecting it to taste absolutely horrible, since I’d heard that it was “good for you” but tasted like poison.  But I was pleasantly surprised – it tasted fine to me! 

Thanks for a relaxing couple of days, Bath!  It was the perfect way to start our trip.  Come by next Friday for our next stop on the southern England tour!