bath

Still pictures are good but sometimes its hard to convey the actual feeling of a place. During our trip to Bath I made a few really quick (20 second) movies of a few places that are really useful in conveying a sense of what it was like. The three movies are of passing a nuclear power plant in the train, Bath's Abby and a very cold afternoon at Stonehenge. Click on the images below to play the movie.

The weather in Bath seems to have calmed down a little. It is still extremely cold but it has almost stopped snowing/raining which makes walking outside a little more bearable. Nevertheless we decided the walking tour would be a bit tortuous and so we went to check out the warm Abbey instead. The Abbey is very nice but it could do with a little more information brochures on its obviously long and varied history. Inside was extremely impressive but perhaps the most intriguing aspect was the numerous commemorative plaques on the walls and floor marking the passing of people dating back 300 years.

Today was another really cold day in Bath. There was no snow but lots of icy rain. We were a little slow out of the blocks but eventually got to the Jane Austen Centre before lunch. I have only read one of her books and partially watched a few of her movies but still found the exhibition very interesting. Most importantly for once the service was very friendly. Afterwards we went looking for lunch which is an expensive exercise in the UK. Most places sell sandwiches/bagels for around 6 (NZ$16) and we even found one place selling a flashy scrambled egg dish for 15 (NZ$40) making it the most expensive half dozen eggs on the planet. In a strange irony we ended up at Starbucks as it sells some of the cheapest food food in the country. For 12 we had 2 coffees, two paninis and a chocolate filled pastry. 

Yesterday was our first real day in Bath. First thing on the agenda was laundry. We had not done any since leaving Wellington so we were both down to our last items of clothes. We trekked around Bath during snow flurries with our laundry in tow and eventually found a laundromat only minutes before frostbite would have set in. The strangest thing however was the number of locals walking around in very little clothing, there was a girl out running in shorts and a t-shirt and a very staunch guy strutting around in a tank top. I am not sure what they put in the water round here but it must be something close to anti-freeze.

With a few days before our flat would be available and Emma had no work on the cards we decided to head across to Bath to see the Roman Baths and Stonehenge. We booked a nice bed and breakfast that worked out to be cheaper than the budget hotel in London. We took a very nice train from Paddington to Bath. The weather was not too great with snow showers but it was nice to get out of the city and into some country side. The B&B is a three story house near the railway station. It is run by a Polish lady and her husband and we seem to be the only non-Polish guests here. It means there is very little conversation but there is so much to do in Bath we do not plan on being around the house too long.