Day 12- Sunday linger in Bath and back to London

Sunday was a little foggy in Bath to start. This photo was taken of the Parade Gardens by the river Avon as the church bells from both Bath Abbey and St John the Evangelist Catholic Church were ringing. Lovely!

This photo is for our Canadian readers (or anyone who has been to Niagara Falls). It is "The Maid of the Mist" Bath style, just a bit less risky looking going into those rapids under Pulteney Bridge!

We next did a bit of shopping in the shops which line Pulteney Bridge. It just looks like another street here but those shops are on the bridge of the photo above. We headed straight for The Antique Map Shop. Fascinating!

The sun then came out in time for us to see the Holburne Museum, which is situated dramatically at the end of Great Pulteney Street and in front of Sydney Gardens. The museum had some wonderful Georgian and Regency art as well as displays of silver and china, miniatures, and even furniture and jewelry. A small museum just perfect for a quick visit. 

Sydney Gardens behind the Holburne Museum is gorgeous and there is a new modern cafe in the back of the Holburne but we couldn't linger as we were off to London again.

We had dinner in an Italian Restaurant near our London hotel and then watched the latest Downton Abbey episode in our jammies. 

Fewer steps again today...only 11,136

Cheers!

Day 11- Saturday Rambles in Bath

The day started with a bake sale in Bath Abbey. We were so lucky to be able to wander around this gorgeous cathedral with cake and coffee in a very informal way. We not only bought cakes from this stall, we got some jams to take home with us.

This was the view from where I was sitting in the choir stalls munching and sipping away and marveling at the architecture around me. Somehow the bake sale made the Abbey seem more alive and fun. 

There were children learning how to make bread, which you don't normally see in a cathedral!

Apparently the fan vaulting on the ceiling is quintessentially British according to Gillian who is now an expert after having devoured a book called How to Read Churches.

We also climbed the multiple spiral staircases to the Bath Abbey tower and this was the view of the inside of the clock. 

This is one of the 10 bells in the tower. This one is inscribed "All you of Bathe that heare me sound, Thank Lady Hopton's hundred pound." Apparently although she pledged £100, she only paid £5 and her descendants paid the rest. She still gets credit on the bell however!

We got some wonderful photos from up in the tower including this one of the Roman Baths from above.

I like this shot as it shows the lookout at the top of Beechen Cliff as well as the church beside our hotel Paradise House, which is the tiny tower at the bottom of the trees.

After the Abbey, we went to see the Fashion Museum which is in the basement of the Assembly Rooms. We had lots of fun drooling over the dresses. I won't bore you with too many photos but this close up is fun...

and this one of some shoes which Gillian said her daughter might like to wear today...

And below is one of "yours truly" looking like one of the Cranford ladies out for a stroll. Looks like I need a corset. My dresser Gillian forgot to cinch me in!

Speaking of Cranford, below is a crinoline, one of which is referred to in Cranford as a cage I believe, and was used comically to contain a parrot!

Actually, here are a few more photos. Sorry about the reflections off the glass but I just wanted to add a few more snaps of these gorgeous dresses!

Late Regency/Early Victorian dress from 1838

Late Victorian dress from 1898

Gorgeous mid Victorian with stomacher from 1842

We ended up by seeing the Royal Crescent (below) and back to the Abbey for an organ concert. We then called it an early night by picking up provisions at a M&S food store and enjoying the garden view from the B&B. Finishing off the Colin Firth version of P&P seemed appropriate to Bath.

Fewer steps today at 12,406 (but do we get credit for all the steps up the Abbey tower?)

Cheers!

Day 10- Friday travel to Bath

Our day started out by being dropped off by our now quite familiar cab driver Andy in quaint little Tisbury. After sauntering back to Beatons Tearoom for elevenses (awesome term for a drink and snack around 11am), we left our bags there and went shopping. The ladies in the store pictured above (called amorio) not only sold me a beautiful nightie, they got chatting to us about how the river scenes in the film Chocolat were filmed in nearby Fonthill Gifford, which you can see signed above. Apparently they had to burn about 4 boats to get that river scene right! They also said Juliette Binoche threw a hissy fit (well, they used a more colourful British expression we can't remember) and told us that the lake at Fonthill was too pretty to miss.

We didn't have time to see the lake at Fonthill so after taking in a few more shops including an antique/decor shop IN THE TRAIN STATION called The Decoration Station, we finally made it to Bath. This is the view from our B&B room's floor to ceiling windows. Ahhhhh! We can highly recommend Paradise House in Bath. It is Paradise!

After yet more tea, we decided that as we were already halfway up the hill as you can see, and the weather was still clement, we would climb to Beechen Cliff which is just behind our B&B.

The park, now called Alexandra Park, is one of the best spots to overlook Bath and it was so pretty in the late day sun.

This is the view away from the city.

"They determined on walking round Beechen Cliff, that noble hill whose beautiful verdure and hanging coppice render it so striking an object from almost every opening in Bath." Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

And this is the view looking towards Bath, with Bath Abbey visible in the centre of the photo. The new buildings in the foreground are a new shopping area by the train station all made of yellow Bath stone to blend with the old buildings.

We then went down into town and enjoyed the late day sun on the Abbey.

The angels climbing Jacob's ladder were amazing! Here is a close up of one:

The angels climbing to heaven (and a few of them fallen angels) are quite striking, especially late on a sunny day!

Also some of the kitschy shops selling things like teapots in novelty shapes like typewriters, telephones  and Bobby helmets.

Ending up at Pulteney Bridge as it was getting dark, we ended up eating at a Turkish restaurant with a view of the bridge.

The food was pretty good and the Turkish coffee was amazing. More Bath tomorrow!

Only 13,351 steps today.

Cheers!