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Bath and Beyond!
Posted on 2009.02.16 at 14:16Current Location: London
Current Mood:
sick
Current Music: "Whats a boy to do" - Matt Kearny
Life is a bath.This past weekend I found myself venturing to Bath for a break from the busy city of London, to soak up the culture of the English country side and try to bubble some of the stress away.
Arriving at noon on Friday was exhilarating, finally to be away from the city and finally to get a chance to just enjoy myself without worrying about passport applications, school work or the plague of joblessness. The moment I stepped off the bus, the fresh air of Bath blew across my chest, and the car sickness caused by the rash driving of the polish national express coachman seemed to lessen as we walked to our bed and breakfast. Once checking in, we went to our room, unpacked and searched through the numerous pamphlets and guide books to fufil our Friday afternoon. After a rough plan was drawn up, we headed to the centre of the city to explore. The sun was shining and the birds were singing, obviously no one had told Bath that London was recovering from a snow storm and the winter sniffles. It was warm and wreaked of spring as we had lunch in the park.
Friday night was going to be the real treat. We were off to the Thermal baths, because you cannot go to bath and not take one! Blasphemy! This bath-ing experience would be my second, my first being in Budapest in the Sechezy Baths, and I was excited to see what the English baths had to offer. The building consisted of 3 levels. Our first destination would be the roof top spa and bath. Situated on the top of the building in the city's centre, it overlooked Bath Abbey and the synchronized housing of the Bath city's residence. The edge of the roof had glass walls, therefore it really felt as though the roof was infinate, and the waters of the bath would spill over the edges of the building if they had a chance. Our second stop was the bottom floor to see the second large bath. This bath was a little difference in size and stamina. It had a whurl pool in the corner and a separate jacuzzi area. We quickly felt at home in the 80 Fahrenheit water as it bubbled around us and pushed us through the whirlpool at the north west corner of the bath. Our final destination of the baths was the second floor. This floor was the steam room and the foot spa. We started at the foot spa, by soaking our feet in the incredibly hot water, which seemed almost too much for myself to handle. Then moving on into each of the steam rooms, each followed by a unique aroma. The hottest room smelled of patchouli and lillacs, and seemed to sing you to sleep as it slowly cooked your insides.
Over all the bathing experience was relaxing and seemingly numbed some of the worry and stress my shoulders and lower back had been carrying for the past few weeks, which made the rich price of our two hour baths well worth the debt in my savings account.
Friday night was spent at Gascoyne Place, a modern British bistro with a romantic atmosphere and a promising outlook on the availability of tables for Valentines Day weekend.
Starting with: Pan-Seared Scallops on Medallions of Crispy Spiced Pork Belly w/Pea Puree and Truffil Oil
Main Course: Mint & Herb Crusted Rump of Wiltshire Lamb w/Braised Chicory, Roast Beetroot, Pomegranate Molasses & a Tangerine Syrup.
Side Orders: Cauliflower Cheese and Green Beans with Feta Cheese, Toasted Almonds & Garlic Oil
Of course this was accompanied by a tantalizing bottle of the house red, perhaps it was a Syrah, however my memory of the wine is not on par. The food was fabulous, the service excellent and the atmosphere quiet, clean and romantic. A perfect way to end the busy day and begin the even busier weekend.
Saturday came too quickly we realized as we ate our complimentary English breakfasts at our bed and breakfast. The flu had also seemingly came too quickly as I downed another helping of Lem-sip the British equivalant to Thera-Flu. However it was a new day and Bath awaited, sparkling in it's new spring air and reflecting itself through the couples both young and old swarming the streets on the most romantic day of the year.
Happy Valentines Day
The rest of our Saturday was spent exploring the city and hitting all the sites such as; the Circus, the Royal Crescent, and of course the Roman Baths. Sometimes it feels nice to play the tourist even if my days are spent avoiding and ignoring them on the streets of London, Bath seems to offer a quieter peaceful tourism that I enjoyed thoroughly.
The Roman Baths, although incredibly expensive to see were well worth it. Whenever I see ruins, historical sites or even famous artwork of our world, I think.. Alright I may have sacrificed a meal for today but perhaps when I am 75 and telling my grandchildren about everything I saw as a young adult, perhaps some of those things they can only hear about. Our world and it's history both physical and factual is fragile. These are the memories that I will keep closest to my heart to keep the memories of what amazing things humans have done on this planet for a millenium previous to my own existence. Plus if I'm going to be a crazy cat lady when Im 90 I might as well have some good stories for the neighborhood children who loose a baseball over my fence.
