Piggy Shoes

We wish we had more time to explore Bath - its buildings, history, parks and people but we are off on new adventures in the morning. 

 Today we did the HoHo bus tour - Hop On Hop Off Tour.  The first one was the scenic view of the city and the guy announcing was great.  Mr. B needed to check his map to make sure the guy had all of his facts straight.  

 Then we took a break and sat near the abbey to listen to live music.  There was also this amazing street performer who never blinked an eye or moved a muscle.  

 

The Roman Baths were next.  I expected touristy but they were pretty amazing.  

 

Guilt bronze head of the Goddess Sulis Minerva - a combination of a Celtic god & the Roman peasant god and was discovered in the 1700's. 

 

Lots of information about the various buildings, temples, hot baths, cold baths, Sacred Springs as well as the findings of coins, jewels, combs, tools and "curses". The Romans would write on a piece of tin about a theft or problem and toss it into the bath which was supposed to help them solve the problem or at least curse the bad guy!

 

There were several groups of small school children learning about the baths today. You haven't lived until you hear little ones with an English accent!  Remember that YouTube video of "Charlie bit my finger"?

After that we decided to take our other HoHo tour within the city. 

 

The Pulteney Bridge with lots of shops inside. 

 

About 3 pm we were getting a little hungry and although it seemed very Tourisy (once again) we walked over to dine at Sally Lunn's were they serve an amazing bun with toppings and with tea.  Boy was it great!  The house is the oldest in Bath circa 1482 and Sally's has been serving her buns since 1680. Mm....we finished it off with Apple Cake & clotted cream. 

 

Walking back to our hotel we poked into a few shops.  Our dinner reservations were not until 8 pm so we didn't want to spend time in our room where we might be tempted to fall asleep so we headed to our back garden to read. Lovely day and a great dinner at The Circus. 

 

Now you are probably wondering about my title if "piggy shoes".......while we were eating breakfast outside near the abbey, there was a young woman hawking magazines and yelling "piggy shoes" nearby.  I finally asked Mr. B the meaning behind this (because he knows so much about history & such).

 He replied "she is saying Big Issue with an English accent."

Pray for me my friends - we have a month to go!

Word of the day - if American fries are called chips in England the what are American chips called?

"Crisps".....of course!

***Bonus Question - Guess who has a home in Bath?  Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood!

He's Got A Ticket to Ride....to Bath

This morning Mr. B took me out for breakfast.  And it wasn't one of those stuffy pretentious brunch affairs.  Oh no, he went all out and took me to Sheila's Cafe in London! Yes, a few blocks from our hotel was a little greasy spoon and in the pouring rain was the most welcoming little shop owner I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

 

A 5 minute walk to Sheila's for a quick breakfast. Sheila greats everyone who walks into her shop with a big smile & blares "allo darlin" like she has known you forever!! 

I felt like it should of been made into a Beatles song - like the song Penny Lane....

Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know.
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say "Hello".

And there is Shelia happily greeting customers including the sanitation man, the Tropicana salesman, the couple on vacation who dined there every morning and were heartsick that today was their last day, the mother taking her son to preschool - they were all greeted with a smile & a loud "allo darlin - whatillitbe today?" Made me happy to meet someone with that much spirit!

Then it was off to Paddington Station for a train trip to Bath. 

 

The Bath Abbey with Jacobs Ladder on both towers. People climb up the ladder hoping to get into heaven but some fall down to hell. 

 

As well as some very tender gravestones on the floor of the abbey.  Some were very wordy but then there was the one above that was...well....pretty blunt!  

 

And this one, like many were built over and walked upon until they were unreadable. Very sad to see but they do have a restoration project to try to repair them. 

 

Some were quite elaborate....

 

And in one of the alcoves was a flock of paper butterflies. 

 

Beautiful ceiling....

 

Word of the day - engaged = occupied (as in rest room - I found this out the hard way)

It's Just Like Magic

....and we are in London!  Planes are an amazing contraption as they can bring you to an entirely different reality.  Everyone who knows me knows I hate, hate, hate to fly.  But it's so worth the fear & panic when you arrive safely at your destination!  

A whole new world opens up right before your very eyes.  

 

 

Leaving beautiful San Francisco behind on Monday night. 

 P

Circling the Thames & the London Eye!

 

From Heathrow we took the Heathrow Express train into London and arrived at Paddington Station.  From there we bumped around with our suitcases several blocks to our hotel nearby. 

 

After resting my tired toes and Mr. B's power nap, we decided to head over to Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens which really reinvigorated both of us.  Just people watching and being out in the fresh air and enjoying nature.  There were Cotton tail rabbits, Magpies, White Swans, Red Ringed Parrots, Doves, Ducks & loads of squirrels - some formal gardens and acres of open space for joggers, sun bathers & picnicking.  

 

 

The gardens in London are just lovely and are about on the same time schedule as mine at home. 

 

Here is a shot of a large sculpture framing Kensington Palace way, way in the background.  But what I really wanted to see was this lovely little statue of Peter Pan below.

 

The creator of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, commissioned Sir George Frampton to build the Peter Pan statue in 1902. It was erected in Kensington Gardens in 1912.

Tomorrow we take he train to Bath....see you then!

One Hell of a Road Trip

After the ten & a half hour plane ride, then we will be on an amazing road trip through England, Wales & Scotland. And Mr. B gets to learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road and on the opposite side of the car! Should be one hell of a road trip!

Checked the weather yesterday and it looks like England is going to live up to its "damp" reputation!

Thank goodness - we packed for that!