A Brief Visit to Bath

Our alarm was set for 7:00 a.m. today (Thursday, May 26, 2016) because we were on the move once again. We needed to get from Cardiff to Bath. We left the hotel with our bags on our back in search of breakfast. But first, some quick photos of Cardiff Castle, which we didn't get to visit.

Our first choice for breakfast (because avocado toast was on the menu), turned out not to be open. Of course, we weren't told that until we walked through the open doors and milled about for a bit. We ended up at Coffee Heaven, where we had a full Welsh breakfast with coffee for less than £15.

We were well fueled for our trip to Bath, which was just a 1-hour train ride from Cardiff Central Station.

One Day in Bath

Arriving in Bath, we stopped at a small play area to put on my ankle brace (I'd learned the hard way that it was too early to go without it). I looked up from tying the brace to see a toddler purposely walk to the edge of the fake grass that framed the play area, drop his pants, and start to relieve himself on the pavement. Just then, his mother looked up and an expression of horror spread across her face. She tried to drag him away but he struggled to stop mid-stream. I was amused.

We hauled our bags three blocks to the Bath Backpackers and stored them for £3 each. Then, we wandered aimlessly, taking in the atmosphere (heavily geared toward tourists) and ended up in a park along the river. I got a Facebook message from my early-rising mother (it was a bit after 5am at home), so we Facetimed her for a bit (the TEP wifi was working great now).

Shortly after hanging up with her, two young mothers entered the park with their kids to play on the minimalist playground equipment. They were followed by not one, but two official municipal vans that arrived to inspect and maintain the play equipment. They take their children's safety seriously!

As it neared noon, we walked over to the Bath Brewhouse and James Street Brewery, where I had booked a tour.

Here it is. The brewery.

Seriously. That's it. It's like a 20' x 10' room. We looked at it and talked about it for awhile. Aaron learned some interesting things about how they brew beer here. Then we sat down to taste everything they had, including a delicious plate of food.

After lunch we took one of the free walking tours provided by the city. It was really interesting, but I failed to journal about it, so many of the details have escaped me. I'm recreating what I can from Aaron's Facebook photo captions.

This is the Bath Abbey, with Jacob's ladder on either side.

That throng of tourists is lined up for the Roman baths. Supposedly the water here would heal you. We didn't bother standing in line to try it.

This bridge connects the two parts of Bath that are separated by the river. It was built during an economic boom, and right after it was completed, the economy collapsed. So for years and years, nothing was built on the other end of the bridge. That part of the city is much newer. That's the side of Bath where our apartment was.

This line marks the border between the Saint Michael's Parish and the St. Peter Paul's Parish. At one time, the king decreed that the poor were the responsibility of the churches in each parish. So the poor would flock to the parishes with the richest churches. Sounds like this wasn't the best way to deliver social services.

We ditched the tour a little early to grab our luggage and walk to our Airbnb. I was sitting on a lot of referral credits (use my link for first-time bookings!), so we were able to book a $147 apartment for a total cost of $4. If you're looking for a quiet place in Bath to spend a few days, I highly recommend Robin's apartment. He and his wife live in the lower level, and they've furnished the upper apartment well. The location is up on a hill, quiet, away from the hustle and bustle. We had great views of the sunset, and took a walk along the canal to pick up some groceries for dinner.

There's something about Bath that we loved. We wish we could have stayed here for 3-4 days. Hopefully we'll be back (and we'd gladly stay in the same apartment). There was a sense of history, the area outside the tourist center was quiet and peaceful, and the scenery was beautiful. And we got to stay in an apartment that had a tiny shower in the bedroom!

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