2geonomads

Bath UK

Monday 21st September 2015

Breakfast a delight as usual and then it’s off into Bath again with the first port of call the very fine Holburne Museum. After a stay of close to two hours we drive to the now infamous Podium car park and leaving there we check out another of Charles’s recommendations , a coffee called Colonna and Small’s where the barista has won the award as the Eighth Best in the world and the Best in the UK.

This young fellow goes to great lengths to explain that the coffee should not be bastardised by adding water to single or double espressos and instead he uses the finest coffee to produce superb quality filtered coffee. As for my cappuccino sugar is out of the question and after a lifetime of pouring spoonfuls of the sweet stuff into my cup I have to confess that the sugarless cuppa is superb. However, I am not promising that this will be continued when I am on the other side of the world to this highly-decorated little barista!

Next stop is the impressive Bath Abbey with its magnificent vaulted ceiling and we stop to pay homage to Australia’s first Governor General Arthur Phillip who is commemorated by a plaque on the abbey wall.

It’s now on to Bath’s main attraction, the Roman Baths, and we spend a good two hours taking in the splendour of this amazing site. I had seen it before together with Craig but this is the first time for Gail.

This historic gem never disappoints.

Bricks which were heated to warm the baths

underground spring

relics found

Gail wants to take some more photographs  to complement those taken on city  side of the River Avon so we cross over the North Parade Road, stop to have a look at the rugby ground of one of the UK’s finest rugby clubs, Bath and finish by doing more photo shoots near to the Pulteney Bridge.

As we travel around the UK we see ample evidence of the popularity of rugby union with the smallest of towns having a a local club so it’s little wonder that tickets to the World Cup are in such great demand( and short supply)

As Charles has again booked a table for us at the Wheelwright Arms we again avoid bankruptcy by checking out of the Podium car park and driving back to the B&B to relax before dinner.

When we arrive ( not on foot this time) the inn is absolutely packed out, apparently for a funeral party. It would have to be one of the most jovial funeral gatherings we have ever seen and judging by all this jocularity the deceased must have been either much- loved or totally unlamented!

In spite of the crowds the girls serving at the tables perform miracles and our meals and drinks arrive with the minimum of fuss and in very good time. Once again the quality of the food is of the highest order and it’s no surprise that this pub is held in such high regard.

By the time we leave this blogger/ driver is probably somewhat over the limit but we manage to make it home without any mishaps.

However, in our our slightly sozzled state we have forgotten whether the metal ducks should be left lying on their side or standing up when we go off to bed. Moreover, we are not sure if Danny and Harriet, the other guests in the house are back even though their car is parked outside. We decide that they must be home so we put a chain across the main door and trudge up to our bedroom. We then have second thoughts and decide that we need to remove the chain so that the other guests will not be found in the morning covered in a state of frosty rigor mortis. We are just about set off down the stairs when Charles  emerges from another room and is highly amused at our semi- inebriated condition and our fits of the giggles. He agrees that the chain needs taking off as the youngsters are still not back and that our duck should be lying down!

Both Charles and the two of us are still having giggling fits as we say good night and retire for what we hope will be a much -wanted long sleep.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret