Merrie Olde England TR - Read but Don't Reply!
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**cindybelle** · 05-26-2011, 01:08 PM

Before leaving the baths, I looked up and am glad I did:

Then we looked around the area between the baths and the abbey. Found this
gentleman to be quite entertaining (and Rick pointed out he looks quite a bit like the actor who plays Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter movies):

And although I never did get ice cream at this place, I sure enjoyed looking at this little fellow:

Then we turned our attention to the exterior of the famous Bath Abbey.

Since lunch had been hours ago and we were really feeling the l-o-n-g day thanks to our overnight flight, we stopped early for dinner at another of Peter's suggested places: Thai Balcony. I thought I'd taken pics of the food etc. but maybe it was Rick. (He hasn't given me his photos yet -- you've been looking at mine so far. I'll add some of his in a day or two.) The food was really good and I had a nice white wine that capped me off nicely.

Then it was back to the B&B for a bit of British telly -- however, the pickings were slim and we found ourselves watching USA reruns of CSI that night and most other nights throughout the trip --

We both

that night. Up next: our Mad Max tour of Stonehenge & Lacock.

**cindybelle** · 05-26-2011, 01:26 PM

Now we're up to our first full day in Great Britain: Monday, May 16th. After a delicious breakfast made-to-order at our B&B and some nice conversation with our hostess (Sarah) and some of the other guests, Rick and I had time to see a bit more of Bath before taking our afternoon bus tour.

I do like a nice red door, don't you? This is the door to Marlborough House.

We walked down to the River Avon where I did a bit of shopping on the Pulteney Bridge -- there's a miniatures shop and so I had to purchase a tiny book of "Beauty and the Beast" for my Disney room back home. Hmm, that reminds me -- that tiny book is probably still inside my suitcase. Better remember to open that back up!

Rick and I enjoyed looking at the spillway on the River Avon. Even on a grey day, it's lovely there.

And the water fowl certainly enjoy it!

We sat on a park bench on the other side of the River Avon and enjoyed seeing the Abbey reflected in the water.

That Abbey looks great from every angle.

OhToodles! · 05-26-2011, 01:26 PM

Welcome Home Cindy!
I love all the pictures. It looks beautiful! And your room looks quite nice as well.

OhToodles! · 05-26-2011, 01:36 PM

I do love a red door.

**cindybelle** · 05-26-2011, 01:39 PM

Now we broke from Peter's recommendations -- he warned us that Sally Lunn's is just a tourist trap with mediocre food, but Rick said he thought it sounded good and it's certainly historic, and we're so glad we lunched there. We found the food to be superior to Garrick's Head of the day before. We weren't terribly hungry but knew we'd be starving by dinnertime, so we stopped here and shared a Sally Lunn bun with some kind of creamed chicken dish. It was WONDERFUL. I don't seem to have pics of the food, but maybe Rick does.

Hey, if it was good enough for Charles Dickens, it's definitely good enough for us!

The restaurant is a series of small, cramped rooms, just as you'd expect from a period that predates central heating.

For more info: Bath's oldest house house and home of the Sally Lunn bun | Sally Lunn's | Bath, UK

Rick and I both highly recommend this place for good "comfort food." Hot, tasty, and satisfying -- who could ask for more?

Then we had just a few minutes to wait for our afternoon tour with Mad Max Tours: http://www.madmaxtours.co.uk/

cubfancolleen · 05-26-2011, 02:43 PM

Great start!

**Colexis Mom** · 05-26-2011, 06:08 PM

More great updates and pictures Cindy!

mojjo · 05-26-2011, 07:46 PM

Oh goodie.

I'm glad you made it home safely.

I'm loving the start and it's only the second day!!!

**DrDolphin** · 05-26-2011, 08:09 PM

Glad to see you made it home from a wonderful trip and have started your TR.

pamcarey · 05-26-2011, 11:04 PM

Great start! The B&B looks very nice, and the pictures of the Romans Baths were wonderful!

**chezp** · 05-27-2011, 12:55 AM

Great start to your report Cindy!

Bath is one of my favourite cities. I actually have a friend at work who goes through maybe three or four times a year, she loves it so much!

scrappyjae · 05-27-2011, 08:45 AM

Glad you guys made it home safely. Thanks for "jumping" right in on the TR! Such great pictures so far. I've read about Bath, but being able to finally see some pictures of the place is awesome.

**jennie622** · 05-27-2011, 08:55 AM

Beautiful pictures. You had me yelling at the monitor, "One more picture, please!!!"

mpwife153 · 05-27-2011, 09:45 AM

Great start to your trip Cindy! I love the pics of the Roman baths

**cindybelle** · 05-27-2011, 12:32 PM

It was time for our afternoon Mad Max tour. Gary was our guide and driver, and we had perhaps 25 people on board our van -- only one other U.S. couple, and everybody else was from all over the globe.

First stop: Lacock, a village in the Cotswolds which dates from the 13th century and has many limewashed half-timbered and stone houses. If some of these views look familiar, it's probably because you saw them in Pride and Prejudice (the cool BBC version that has played on PBS in the States -- with Colin Firth looking decidedly hot even while grumpy). And one of the professors from the Harry Potter films has a "house" in this village.

I do like a green door, don't you?

Yep, it's us! And we're in the Cotswolds!