We’ve arrived! Our flight across the pond was completely without incident – we actually arrived :30 minutes early! Yikes! It threw things off with our ride from Celtic Horizons, but Neil (the owner) was quick to meet us after a short wait after clearing border patrol. I have never experienced a quicker or more efficient border patrol… from off the plane until thru customs with baggage in our hand did not exceed a 20 minutes.
The Delta One cabin did not disappoint (again). To allow someone like me to lie on my side allows me to get a little sleep. I am struggling now as I type this late afternoon U.K. time… but getting three-four hours really helps. Jackie was not quite so lucky… she got drawn into the latest James Bond film and claims to not have slept at all. Judging by her jet lag thus far… I’m guessing she did NOT. 🙁
Neil whisked us down the M4 towards our first stop of our adventure – in just about an hour and half we were in Bath, England. We arrived before nine AM!
Our main patron Saint – Rick Steves – suggests in his Great Britain guidebook to start an adventure in England in Bath and END in London. Worked for me in August – let’s try it again this time. Bath has more “government-listed” or protected historic buildings per capita than any other town in England. Built of the creamy warm-tone limstone called “Bath stone”, it beams in its cover-girl complexion. 200 years ago, this city of 90,000 was the “it-place” of Britain. It is a triumph of the Neo-Classical style of the Georgian era – named for the four Georges who sat as England’s kings from 1714 – 1830. To get acclimated and settle in, we’ll start out by introducing Jackie to ground-zero of sightseeing in Bath – the Abbey Churchyard.
This vibrant square is surrounded by the big three of tourism in the old-town area – the Roman Baths, the Pump Room, and Bath Abbey. Just around the corner are the Parade Gardens, Guildhall Market, the Victoria Art Gallery, Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon.
Here in the courtyard, you can see the layers of Bath’s history at a glance. The Roman Baths put the city on Europe’s radar over 2,000 years ago (visiting tomorrow). The abbey made it an important medieval destination (separate post later today). The elegant Pump Room captures the city in its 18th century heyday. Jackie and I had a hoot trying to figure out what we were eating at the pump room – make sure to check out that post later today. 🙂
You also get a hint of the distinctive Georgian architecture. Look at the front of the Pump Room and see the faux-Greek-temple entrance.
This area – and the small streets and alley’s that surround it – are an excellent way to start any exploration of Bath.