Apr 29
We picked Bath as nice midway point between Cornwall and Puckeridge. Kim hadn't been before and I only had a very vague recollection from my trip there as a teen.
Famous for it's Georgian architecture and the ancient Roman Baths that were uncovered, we figured Bath would be an interesting midweek interlude to our busy family visiting schedule.
Our first evening we walked up Marlborough Street to the Royal Crescent and then further on to the Circus. Neither of these are what they sound like. The Royal Crescent and the Circus are simply a row of attached homes in a semicircle and a full circle.
Gorgeous and built between 1758-1775 they do stand out and give the city a unique feel. I kept wanting them to have more history or significance but they are just lovely and impressive buildings.
We had plenty of french fare on the ship and we'd been fed what I think of as the most traditional English and Cornish things... Traditional steak and potato Pasty, Marmalade toast, eggs with bangers, Roast with Yorkshire, even fish and chips. Thank you Anthea and Nicky... So Yummy!
Because of that comprehensive foodie coverage, we thought we'd go for the National food of England,Indian. (the Brits reading this will understand... For the rest of you... Well, it's just 'a thing'.) Chicken Tikka Masala is not Indian food it's British. Really.. I'm not kidding... THE National dish.
It was delicious and beautifully served, right across from the hotel, as well as being quite reasonably priced compared to some of the menus around town.
Apr 30
After a leisurely morning we walked to the city center. One of the large attractions is the Thermae Spa. It has a rooftop pool, huge indoor pool, 4 huge steam rooms and massage services. We lucked out and booked the last two appointments they had for the day! They were later in the afternoon, which left us just enough time to go nextdoor to the museum housing the discovered remains of a huge ancient spa/temple.
The Roman Baths complex dates back to 49AD. Huge hot pools are fed by a natural geothermal spring, the only one in the whole of England. The Ancient Roman complex was a temple to the Goddess Minerva and included a huge warm pool, hot pools, cold plunge, exercise yard, under floor heated massage rooms and a fairly involved water system to supply the pools and regulate the temperature in them.
It was a very well laid out museum and the audio tour was decent as well.
At one point we were sitting by the large open air pool when a young female 'Roman' in full garb came by. She chatted with us for a while asking if we would be 'Taking the waters' we spoke for a bit and found out some interesting facts about the Romans of the time. Women had some independence (if they weren't slaves and had money) and it was quite popular to have all body hair waxed, other than the occasional manly man with a beard. I guess fashions do all come around again and again. By the time we were done we only had about 15 minutes to grab a Pasty and head to the modern spa.
Revitalize back, hand and foot sessions for two, hooray! Along with the session we had 3 hours to use the two pools, rainstorm shower, scented steam rooms and relaxation areas. My session was at the beginning and then I found Kim and we lounged about the steams and pools until it was time for his massage. My favorite steam was the Lemongrass Ginger as I found the sandalwood one smelled like dirt, Lotus flower was too floral and the eucalyptus/menthol too medicinal. I was a pruney-wrinkle fingered and relaxed girl by the time we left 4 hours later.
Neither of us was particularly hungry so we wandered about reading menus for a while, then decided to try a place up near the Royal Crescent. It looked great but we found out we would have to have booked 2 months prior! The nice gal recommended a place back towards the center with apologies and the comment... 'Good luck. Thursday is the new Friday now!' We meandered down there only to find the menu unappealing and overly expensive. By this time, although still relaxed, we were done scrapping about and starting to get peckish. I pulled out my phone to look up restaurants and then put it away. I said... If that sort of Italian looking restaurant across the street has pizza and isn't too ridiculously expensive, let's just go there!
We both had fantastic meals, Cannelloni and lamb chops... no pizza, even though that's what drew us in. When I went online later to find the name, I found out we'd stumbled into Martini Ristorante, Bath's #1 highest rated authentic Italian restaurant, run by Italians. Lucky us! Yes, Kim was loving the perfect after dinner espresso, as only he, the French and Italians can make one that smooth.
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