There are some cities I could visit again and again. York is one and Bath is another. Both have had Random visits this year and I am already planning to return in 2015.
I have enough material for a few posts on Bath so will spread them out a bit. First up, I just want to give you all a round up of what we did . We being my sister Judith and I. I drove up to Leicester to where my sister and husband live and then the next day off we went down the Fosse way to Bath. This is a lovely road away from motorways and roaring traffic and the countryside was beautiful. I do love the English countryside so green and lush and driving along roads where the branches of the trees form an overhead canopy with dappled sunshine filtering through. Magical. Drove through the Cotswolds which always seems to slumber peacefully as you go along passing villages with wonderful names: Wappenbury, Offchurch, Idlicote, Armscote, Pillerton Hersey, Knockdown and Old Sodbury.
One village kept recurring, seemed to have moved around a bit like Brigadoon 'Loose Chippings'. Also another delightful one called 'Hidden Dip'....
OK I am being silly.
So in Bath what did we do? Well, first up we went to the Crescent, No 1 to be precises, which is open as a museum so visitors could see what it was like living in such a beautiful place. Well, it was wonderful but, and it is a big but, after Judith and I had climed down 63 steps to the kitchen and viewed same, and scullery etc and then thought of going back up 63 steps, my thoughts were for those who had to go up and down these flights each day carrying hot water, coals, trays etc. Nightmare. We were not supposed to take photos but, sneakily, I did get a few and here is the kitchen and the cellar entrance.
Then off to the Assembly Rooms for an exhibition of World War One costumes, including several from Downton Abbey, all of which seemed terribly tiny. Some of these women must be size eight. Most lowering.
Downstairs to the Fashion Museum which was fascinating and there was an area in which you could dress up in Victorian clothes. I tried one one and it was so heavy I could barely lift it up and I have to say that though a picture of me was taken I have deleted it as I looked the size of a house in it and did me no favours at all....
We also visited the Abbey and thought we might have a cuppa in the Pump Rooms but this being a Saturday in August it was heaving so we left it. Took a walk across Pulteney Bridge instead and by this time we had been on our feet for over six hours and were beginning to flag so back to our Bed and B which I will tell you about another time as it deserves more than a line.
I also have a Jane Austen themed post to write as well but that is for another day.
Back soon.
