I'm not a religious person. I don't say grace before dinner, I don't go to church on Sundays and I don't enjoy it when a complete stranger comes to my door and tells me to put my life in His hands.
I do, however, believe in the Easter Bunny. I believe that once a year He will bring me loads of chocolate in various wonderful shapes and sizes. I also believe that He will bring joy to billions of children across the world with His exciting egg hunts. I have heard that He creates duplicate 'skins' because, like Santa, he can't be everywhere at once, and he needs the help of mummies and daddies all over the world to give the kids a little surprise. When I was younger I took great joy in waking up on Easter Sunday and frolicking around the backyard (or through the village) with my wicker basket collecting eggs. That was, of course, until I turned 15 and realised I was getting too old for such silliness.
The closest I got to seeing the easter bunny...
So days off organised I had two things left to do.. 1)Choose a destination and 2)pack.
Choosing a destination wasn't going to be easy as I haven't done much travelling in England yet which leaves me with lots of options. But after lots of umm-ing an ah-ing I eventually decided on 'Aquae Sulis, a splendid city raised by the Romans, adorned with all the elegancies of architecture, supplied with all the means of luxury' (Reverend Richard Warner). Or as we all know it, Bath.
Packing also proved a little tricky. Because of the ever changing weather its a nightmare choosing what to wear to work let alone a three day trip... This is, after all, England. The country known for having four seasons in one day!! This and the fact that the weather forecast changed everyday didn't help me make the important decisions (dress versus jeans - singlet versus jumper-thongs versus boots). But I figured as long as I had Phil (the ultimate Irish travel companion), camera, Ipod, cash, an umbrella, sunnies and at least one change of underwear, I'd be fine. Armed with all of the above (and heaps more, thanks to my over packing), I was on my way.
The river Avon
It would be fair to say that my excitement levels for travelling again could be matched only by those of a four year old having finally mastered the art of riding a bike. They dropped suddenly when I arrived in Bath and it was raining. 'Don't worry', I reminded myself, 'this is England, it will be sunny in 10 minutes'. And indeed it was!
The Bath Abbey
Let it be said that Bath is an exceptionally beautiful city. The architecture alone is incredible, the sculptures intriguing and the perfect way the city showcases each era to have existed there is amazing. From Medieval alleys, Georgian buildings and Victorian gardens to the Roman Baths, there is truly a taste of each era withing the city walls.
The first thing I did was jump on a free walking tour, provided by the 'Honorary guides on behalf of the Mayor'. Our guide was a wealth of knowledge with a great sense of humour - Brilliant! He took us around the city telling us all about the history, explaining the relevance of the architecture from one part of town to the other, and providing some interesting and quirky facts along the way. Like the fact that Mr Nicolas Cage from films such us Con Air and Nightrider owns house number 10, Royal Circus. A tidy 3 million pound...
I spent the afternoon faffing around the city and came across a cute little theatre, aptly named 'the Little Theatre'. They were advertising a comedy show for that night. 'A local troupe in a show about relatives, the unrelated and a ukulele karaoke competition. Sounded good and I was definitely up for a laugh so I bought a ticket. 8pm came around and I went into the theatre and somehow ended up watching 'The boat that rocked'!. I guess I must have walked into the wrong theatre?!! Luckily enough I loved the film (I highly recommend it to any one who grew up in the 70's or like me, wished they did) and did not regret it for a second.
On another note, the hostel I stayed at was underwhelming to say the least. The beds were as squeaky as the voice of a 14 year old boy and the last people to enter the room didn't lock the door. This resulted in two drunk local idiots coming into our room and pushing all of our beds in an attempt to get a free bed! Eventually they got kicked out, it definitely made for an interesting nights sleep...
The following morning the showers were playing up which resulted in many people reverting to the age old travelling trick "shower in a can". I over heard an Aussie bloke explaining the phrase to a group of unimpressed Asian tourists.
A true example of the quality of my hostel. A dildo vending machine..
Smelliness aside it was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm!! It was so warm I even took the opportunity to wear a dress and thongs out to stonehenge! The bus trip out to the stones was great fun. I have definitely grown to appreciate the British countryside. Who thought that fields of canola flowers could be so enchanting. I just wish I had seen a crop circle... The trip just wouldn't have been the same without the kiwi behind me saying 'sweet as bro' and 'unreal', every time the driver told an anecdote. Or the four Japanese boys that started screaming when they saw a lady beetle on the seat in front of them!!
Stonehenge itself was pretty cool. The Audio guides are really interesting, without being boring and monotonous. Although it would be amazing to know why they are really there.. My theory is that Asterix and Obelix came over on a boat from Calais, sunk some pirates on the way and created the circle as a cage to lock the bard in.. Could be right?
Phil testing out my Asterix and Obelix theory. Obelix eat your heart out!
The weather was still spring perfection when we got back into Bath so I took the opportunity to go for a walk in the sun followed by a lie down in the park. On my stroll I came across one of the funniest street performers I have ever seen. Might be something to do with growing up with Florence and her french cleaning maid act!. I have such love for street performers that I would spend all day watching them if I had the chance!
Street performer putting out the fire with him bum.. Made me giggle :)
Afterwards I went up to the magnificent 'Royal Crescent' for a lie down. One apartment in the row of 30 goes for around 3 million pounds (that is equivalent to a f*&% load in Aus$).
The crescent was buzzing with people of all ages playing Frisbee, sun bathing, running and random couples making out. I conveniently found a place behind a group of particularly cute guys, tops off, playing rugby, and next to a group practising fire twirling and jumping on weird but awesome suspension stilts.
Proof that sun actually reached my skin!!
A lovely pair of traffic cones! Happy place...
A traditional cheese pressNext up was the Roman Baths. I got in early hoping to miss the crowds but was unsuccessful - people everywhere!!! The whole experience at the Baths is great. Again the Audio guides are great, albeit a bit boring, but very informative all the same. There is, however, the option of listening to Bill Brysons view on the Baths which is very interesting , and a bit of fun. I'm reading one of his books at the moment so that made it even more interesting.
Taking a sip of the Bath water.. not delicious!
The basic story of the baths is this : Built in 65-75 AD the hot springs flow 1,70,000 litres per day at temperatures of 46-95 degrees Celsius. Back in the day they believed the water had healing powers and people would come from far and wide to bathe in the thermal water. It also meant the city became a rich city, a place one had to be seen. But as the world turns and we moved through the ages the Baths were re built, built over, destroyed and built again. The museum hosts and displays heaps of interesting artifacts and stories. I particularly liked the concept of an "augurer". A man who sacrifices animals to the goddess Minerva and then splits the organs to predict the future. I think I'll take a horoscope thanks!!
So after the baths it was off to the abbey. I was on a mission to find the long lost relative of a friend of mine, 45 minutes and a crook neck later I found him. Apparently he is one of only 300 people that are buried beneath the abbey...
After the abbey I went to find the world famous Bath cheese shop, 'The Fine Cheese Co.' I was fortunate enough to meet the owner, a vibrant passionate woman with a knowledge and love for cheese that could be rivaled by very few. We had a great chat (we even know some people in common back in Australia!) and I sampled some of the local cheeses Bath has to offer. It was TASTY!
After the leisurely 3hr trip I was already missing the country side and saddened to be back in the hustle and bustle that is the tube. But that is life, and we have to work to earn money to play and have holidays bla bla bla! I have to travelling itch back and the only cure is to plan more trips.. Look out England!!
No comments:
Post a Comment