Skip to main content

A Day in Bath, where things were wet

 Dear Reader

I have always associated Bath and baths with water. Today’s experience confirmed this association in a number of ways. 

There was the visit by the majority of our group to The Roman Baths. Obvious.

Photo Credit: Sierra Engler

There was the River Avon which is flowing very fast at the moment. Probably because of the third reference to water, being RAIN. Lots of rain. 

As happens on tours, subgroups form which means those with shared interests can enjoy them together. I’ve named our little group The Four Fossils, as we are the senior members of the Choir. We have shared interests in history, especially old pubs and tea rooms, and finding interesting places to visit and to eat. 

This has included such notable places as The Comfy Pew cafe in Gloucester, Anokaa Indian restaurant in Salisbury and today’s adventure to the Sally Lunn Eating House.




This is the oldest house in Bath, dating to the 15th century, with the bakery dating to the 17th Century. We treated ourselves to a Sally Lunn bun, each of us with different toppings, so we could share them. The photo does not do them justice. they are delicious, a bit like a brioche bun, but somehow softer, I think. 


After our brunch we headed back via the main square in front of The Bath Abbey. My favourite thing about the Abbey is the angels climbing the ladders to heaven on the Western wall. 



We stopped briefly to check out the British souvenirs, some of which are more refined than others. I didn’t think the solar powered Dancing King was as nice as the one I own of his late Mum, so left him in the shop.

We visited the Jane Austen Centre, where we learned more about her life and the life of her family, as well as Bath’s Annual Jane Austen Festival which this year runs from 13-22 September 2024.



Letter from Emma Thompson

Letter from Emma Thompson

I was rather pleased to be able to save a pound on entry as I was considered Senior, being over 60. I love a bargain - it sits well with my inner Scot.

We braved the weather to head to the Pulteney Bridge where we got even wetter. 








We are now on the Coach returning to Salisbury in time to sing Evensong again tonight. This will be the last one for the kids for a couple of days, as the Lay Clerks are on duty again tomorrow. 



More later

Cxx




Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 3, 2024 at 2:41 PM

    Loving following the tour via your blog, especially this one in Bath! We loved Bath when we visited and you went it all the same places!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJanuary 3, 2024 at 2:42 PM

      Above comment by me (Larissa)!

      Delete
  2. Helen PhillipsJanuary 3, 2024 at 3:16 PM

    Nothing like a Sally Lunn bun Chris! Thoroughly enjoying all your comments and photos, all bringing back happy memories - Bath is a favourite. Love H and family

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chris GoodesJanuary 3, 2024 at 6:48 PM

    Thanks so much for your wonderful blog and photos, Christine. So good to follow the choir happenings and doings! Happy singing and safe travelling. Love Chris and Bill G

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 4, 2024 at 1:57 PM

    Thank you for this wonderful travelogue Chris, you have “wet” my travel need to return to Bath soon. Stay well and sing gloriously one and all. Kirsty

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Big One, St Paul’s

  Dear Reader Today was the Big Event of tour. St Paul’s Cathedral, London. If you are observant, you will notice my absence from the photo above, along with several of my colleagues. Sadly, this happened.  After nearly four years and six vaccinations I finally succumbed to the dreaded Covid. At the worst possible time. My multiple vax status has meant I only feel a bit rotten, like a cold, but I do feel sad to have missed the day. And to miss Windsor tomorrow. I was grateful for the considered medical advice provided by Dr Ritesh, father of one of the trebles, who also updated my supply of paracetamol and ibuprofen.  So I am relying on others for the report about this special day.  The good bits started with four of the young Lay Clerks heading to St Paul’s for singing lessons with my friend Patrick Craig, who is an Alto Lay Vicar at St Paul. In have yet to hear from Nicholas, Marco, Charlie or James, but Patrick was very complimentary about their singing. This is w...
10 comments
Read more

Castles, Cantuar and Margaritas

Today has included significant amounts of travel as we have made our way to Canterbury and are now on our way back to Winchester, where we still have another two nights. We set off early, around 8am, and headed for the home of Anglicanism, Canterbury. En route we stopped at Leeds Castle, where we spent several fun-filled hours exploring the castle, having lunch and getting lost in the hedge maze. The grounds are just beautiful, even in the starkness of winter. It was cold. VERY cold, as we walked from the bus to the Castle. Clear days will do that. This was the first time that I had used my sunglasses since we left Adelaide. We had a good look around, then after a lovely soup and sanger lunch we went out to the Maze. Getting there and back was again cold, but being in the maze was not as bitter, as we were protected from the wind.  We all had fun getting lost and being found again. The maze succeeded in doing something that nothing else has done, separating Ed J and Alana. At leas...
6 comments
Read more

Hereford, where the sound rings for four seconds

  Dear Reader I remember I loved Hereford Cathedral when we visited on the first tour in 2006. Today I remember why. The Cathedral is beautiful. The welcome is warm, both spiritually and physically - they have amazing heaters.   Singing there is amazing. The acoustic is kind and supportive. Actually, it is exciting. The organ is stunning. Tonight we sang Evensong, with their Precentor canting. The Versicles and Responses were by June Nixon. We sang Roland Martin’s Buffalo Canticles, which we refer to as Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo. The anthem was Bob Chilcott’s Still, Still, Still. But the most significant sing was probably the psalms. Plural.  We sang four of them 147-150.  Ps 147 and Ps 148 were sung to different chants by Charles V Stanford. Ps 149 had an Edward Hopkins chant and Ps 150 was by Philip Marshall. Anthony Hunt is fond of saying the only thing better than a short psalm is a long psalm, and while some of the trebles may disagree, there are many of u...
6 comments
Read more