Bath: 32 Hours

Hello! It has been a very long time since I have been here. I will say this, there has been a huge learning curve for me, teaching in the UK is very different from teaching in Texas. I wrote a blog post about the differences but that was before I knew just how different it really was. I guess I should write another one.

In this post you will see and hear about all the wonderful things we (my husband and I) did while we were in Bath. We spent about 32 hours in Bath, England during the first week of my Easter Half Term. In short it was glorious, relaxing and just what we needed. I'll be honest, we didn't do everything on the list because our Airbnb had a wonderful sofa with a cozy blanket and Netflix. If you just want to get on with your trip download the Google Map I created and start your adventure!

We arrived around 11:30am having left London Paddington at 9:30am. The train ride was quick, easy and comfortable. Our Airbnb wouldn't be available until after 1 and we had tickets for the Roman Baths at 1:30, so we decided to drop our bags at a little cafe near the station. For under £10 our bags were secure and no longer weighing us down.

Since I had a lot of things on my list, we decided not to waste any time and got on with exploring. Our first stop was Pulteney Bridge. There isn't much to do at the bridge, it's a bridge, but there are so many different angles to great shots of the bridge and the weir and the city in the background. We popped into some shops and found a delicious little cafe to have lunch.

We then visited Bath Abbey. Parts of it are currently under construction for remodeling but it didn't take away from any of the great pieces in there. I do love a cathedral.

Then it was time for the Roman Baths. I'll be honest with you, I did not expect what I got a the Roman Baths. You see everyone's pictures and they are only pictures of the baths themselves so I was completely clueless and amazed by the museum part. I do love a good museum and I love to learn about history and I was pleasantly surprised, they had an audio tour that comes with your ticket, which is very informative and gives commentary on the different things you see. You can't get into the baths and I'm not sure I would have even we could, the water is a beautiful bright lime green color which makes it impossible to see the floor below (assuming there is one) and I have a tremendous fear of deep water.

We then picked up our bags and made our way to the Airbnb, where I discovered the sofa. (A little backstory on the sofa thing. As you may already know if you've read this post, our flat in London came furnished, which means it already had a sofa. It is not the best sofa, is it small and cheap and can barely seat both myself and my husband, much less doing it comfortably. Anyway, the sofa at the Airbnb was huge and comfy and had fluffy blankets. It was the best part of the first day.)

As you do when you're on holiday, we checked out everything the flat had to offer. It was absolutely adorable. It had all the amenities you would need for a night away and a glorious two level garden to enjoy the sun. After snooping and unpacking, we stayed on the sofa watching Netflix and cuddling, this was my favorite part of the day.

After a couple hours we ripped ourselves off the sofa and went to a great tapas place for dinner. We gorged ourselves on a little bit of everything and washed it down with a couple pints. Since we were on holiday we decided to indulge and went to get some gelato before heading back for more sofa and Netflix.

Day two was just as relaxing. We took our bags back the shop for the day, as we had to check out by 11 and were leaving that evening. We decided to do a bit more site seeing before making our way to the Thermae Bath Spa. The Captain is really into architecture and old buildings and I wanted some cool shots, so we made our way to The Circus and The Royal Crescent Hotel. Built between 1767 and 1775, the Royal Crescent is 500 feet long and was meant to keep grazing animals out, now it's a hotel. The Circus is a circle of townhouses with three entrances, the project was designed by John Wood the Elder and completed in 1768.

We We stopped off at Thoughtful Bakery where I scarfed down a delicious sausage roll and grabbed some sourdough for the trip home. Then it was off to the spa. (No photos are allowed in the spa for obvious reasons.) The day was glorious. There was sun. Our first stop after changing into our swim costumes was the rooftop open air pool. The sun was shinning and I was definitely in my element. The Captain stayed in the shade while I chased the sun. All that hard work on my part and I didn't get a lick of sun, but my Irish/British husband needed after sun. ::eye roll::

In all it was a lovely trip and I cannot wait to go back. Bath just has this feeling of relaxation and calm. It really is a great place to go to recuperate from the stresses of life.

If you have any suggestions for places to add to the map or want to share your trip, please comment below.

xx

Mariam