Europe 2011: Day 16 – Arrival in London & journey to Bath

Our British Airways flight took a mere 2 hours. The flight crew was so nice! However, our landing was a little rough, more like hitting the runway rather than landing on it. I asked Ross what he thought, to which he graciously replied, “He must be a navy pilot” (used to short runways on aircraft carriers).

Here’s some advice when it comes to sleeping in an airport – Don’t Do It! The Gatwick Airport is redoing their beautiful marble floors – at night. Trying to sleep was like trying to cat nap during the invasion at Pearl Harbor. At first it wasn’t too bad, but as everyone started in with their machines, it became much more of a challenge. The good thing was it was free, and when it was all said and done, we did sleep a little. Maybe it was when the workers took their coffee break.

So, with tickets in hand, we found platform, bound for Reading. Our train was due to leave at 7:58 AM, and guess what, it left EXACTLY at 7:58 AM. Unbelievable! Now for the moment I have personally been anticipating for a long time – the English countryside. One of the first things we saw was actually something synonymous with my sweet mom – a herd of Oreo cows (black in the front and hind quarters with white in their middle section – just like a cookie. Now if we could only spot a herd of fainting goats, Ellen would be thrilled!) I was not disappointed with the view. Everything was so green! Some of the fields were completely covered in bright yellow flowers that just glowed in the sunlight. Once we arrived in Reading, we had ten minutes to get on the train bound for Bath. That accomplished, off we whizzed, past cottages, grazing sheep, and rambling brooks. Ahhh! The England I have always dreamed of! Then came the words “Next stop…Bath…Thank you.” What is it about that accent? The British could say something simple like “Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup” and it would sound like music.

We arrived at our Weston Lawn B&B by cab. Holly, bless her heart, had been contacted via e-mail by our first B&B that they had an emergency come up and had to cancel all reservations. She quickly found us another one before we even knew what the situation was, making all the necessary arrangements. When we arrived at Weston Lawn, we were delighted! Look at the pictures and you’ll see why. The original part of the house was built in 1760. Putting our bags by the door so we wouldn’t have to carry them around (part of those arrangements Holly made), off we set for the town. We passed by lovely Georgian homes with names like – Woodcote, Summerhill, Victoria Cottage, and Skunkcabbage (only kidding!). I held onto Ross with an iron grip for fear I’d trip because I was definitely not looking down! Then, we strolled through a botanical garden and Victoria Garden! What a way to get to town! Smaller settlements of cottages are scattered on the distant hillsides. Like Elizabeth Benton said in Pride and Prejudice, while standing on a boulder viewing The Peeks, “Beautiful!” That says it all.

For lunch, we stopped in a pasty shop. A pasty is a traditional food here which is made of a very thick pie crust folded in half and sealed, filled with a large variety of choices. We chose the steak and vegetable one. It’s really like carrying a stew in a sealed pastry pocket. It was delicious!

Our first goal was to find the courtyard between The Pump Room and The Bath Abby because that was the gathering spot for a tour of the town. Local men and women volunteer to guide free tours of Bath because they love it here and also because they take great delight in passing on its long and interesting history. Rick Steves recommended this in his guide book, and boy, was he ever right! Our guide took us to so many places and gave us so much information. The two hour walking tour was just fantastic!

On our way home, we stopped by Cromwell Pastys and this time selected a chicken and vegetable one. In fact, since it was almost closing time, they were running a 2 for 1 sale! They were piping hot so we waited until we were in front of the Royal Crescent before we began eating them. Yum!

When we got to our B&B, we were warmly welcomed by our hosts, William and Fiona Close. Our room is precious. What can I say? A room in Bath, a pot of tea, fresh flower in a vase – does it get any better than this? So, after our tea and showers, we plopped into a fluffy bed – never remembering being so delightfully exhausted in our lives.

Front entrance to B&B