The day started on an optimistic foot when I got dropped off at the airport in Ottawa for my first trip (solo or otherwise) outside of Canada. Security didn’t take long to get through and Air Canada hadn’t cancelled my flight, so I was feeling good. By the end of my flights, layovers, delays, and a surprise trip through security again when I arrived in Frankfurt I was exhausted and more than done with airports. Anyone who says they can sleep on a plane is a big fat liar because I hadn’t slept so badly since I was breastfeeding.
From the airport in Bristol, I caught a bus to take me to Bath and my hotel where I was looking forward to a very hot shower and possibly easing into a coma for an hour or two. The bus ride was actually enjoyable, I loved the views of the English countryside. Upon arriving at said hotel I was told that check-in wasn’t until 3 pm, so I had four hours to drag my tired tushy through the streets of Bath and do some sightseeing.
Now when I say that I know nothing of architecture I mean nothing, the closest thing to knowledge I have is from watching movies where the main character is an architect. That being said, there is something absolutely stunning about the architecture of the buildings surrounding the old Roman Baths – which I will get into later – and Bath Abbey. There are little shops down little back alleys that can only be reached on foot. There are millions of places to sit and eat, including more than a few tea shoppes and tea houses. Of course, I had to sit in one of these lovely little tea shoppes and enjoyed my tea with a scone with churned butter and jam. I normally don’t like eating butter unless it is melted onto my toast but this butter was so delicious and when mixed with the jam…incredible. Though I would like to point out that the pigeons in this area seem to be very used to people and I had a bit of a scare a couple of times when they swooped down; thought I was going to get whacked on that head.
I would like to take a moment to discuss my hotel of choice. I was looking for something cheap and centrally located that was still nice. I have to pat myself on the back and say I accomplished all of that. I am staying at The Z Hotel and I love it. It is a rather ingenious place. They have a variety of rooms to choose from and some of them don’t have windows. The rooms are also small, mine only has a bed, a small desk, and a bathroom which only houses a toilet, a sink, and a shower. It is all practical and since I didn’t plan on spending much time in my room I didn’t need a large room just to house my belongings. I paid a little extra (about 8 pounds per day) for breakfast to be provided, but it was still really inexpensive and I think absolutely perfect.
So what did I do in order to avoid falling asleep at 6 pm? I made plans to take a look at the Roman Baths which have been here since the time that the Romans called this part of England home. The Roman Bath were built here because of the preexisting hot spring that was in use by the pagans before the Romans entered the picture. There is a lot of history surrounding the spring and the exhibit was beautifully done. I sipped some champagne and sat around the main bathing chamber that still exists, though I wouldn’t want to go into it. The architecture that still exists is breathtaking and gives the city of Bath so much history and a sense of longevity. I am looking forward to spending more time in this incredible city. As my first day wraps up I look forward to some much needed sleep.
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