Call It What You Want...

We returned from Bath about 11 p.m. yesterday after a nice weekend trip.

It really was very nice, albeit warm.

It wasn't long after our arrival that we saw the first pig. As the weekend progressed, it (of course) became a contest to see who would see the pig first. The pigs are a part of a public art project decorating the town. Pigs were chosen because King Bladud first discovered Bath (as legend has it) when, afflicted with leprosy and cast out to become a swineherd, he noticed that his pigs (also afflicted with leprosy) were healed after bathing in a certain wallow with warm, smelly water. He, too, bathed in the mud, and found his leprosy cleared. He went home, regained his crown, and went on to father King Lear. And we all know how he turned out.

Pictures will be added when I get home to my easy-adding thingy that Tim put on my blog.

We went to the Roman Baths, enjoying an audio tour. Very cool.

This is me and David beside the old Roman bath.

This is me, imitating a statue. Edgy, huh?

David thought it was hot. (It was; the water is about 113 degrees when it comes out of the ground.)

We got to sample the healing waters of Bath, as well, drinking a nice refreshing -- er, not so -- glass of the mineral-rich water. (Remember? It's 113 degrees. Mmmmmmm...)

Bath Abbey was also very nice. I was quite enthralled with the stained glass, though there were enough clear glass windows to leave the church bright and airy.

The Sally Lunn buns were huge and delicious, and the Sally Lunn kitchen museum was, er, free, since we had buns in the dining room.

The Fashion Museum was not as exciting as I hoped as there were some lightbulbs out and the text on the displays (yes, I slowed down to read the text) sometimes leaned very strongly toward the young reader.

They do have an interactive try-on part of the exhibit with these lovely items... Instead of busk clasps, which can be hard for the uninitiated, they have regular plastic clips like on your backpack. Easy to use! They're sturdy and washable! Hmmm...

No. 1 Royal Crescent was cool.

The Jane Austen Center, very nice, though there was a man dressed in olde-tyme clothes who was in the foyer when we arrived, but by the time we had paid our entrance fee, he was gone, never to be seen again. Amanda saw him, too, so I was not just imagining Mr. Darcy there. (Some Mr. Darcy souvenirs did appear in the shop.) David did not see him, because he skipped this site, and a good choice on his part as he would have NOT been interested.

The Baths are now open at the Thermae Spa, and we really enjoyed taking the waters in the spa, having steam in the four aromatherapy steam rooms -- and the rain shower, and dipping into the rooftop pool. (Now I just sound like the travel brochure, don't I?) I really liked this, as did Amanda.

The Thermae Bath Spa. On the roof, you can see people standing by the railing. That's where the rooftop pool was.

We ate food, played some games, walked around and saw lots of sights. There will be photos to prove it later, but I will say it was a very nice trip. And we got very tired. There are a lot of hills in Bath!

Amanda swoons in want of a drink, while David leans in for a sample. The fountain says, "WATER IS BEST."

It was also quite exciting to work on the ALL-NEW Nancy Drew story that is developing throughout this trip. The woman with a pinched face (always a villain) seemed to follow us everywhere, but fortunately there were good and helpful people willing to give us clues. (Yes, this part is made up...)

Today I am staying in and taking it easy, doing laundry and playing with D&A's Wii. Maybe by the time they get home I will be able to swing the tennis racket?

As they say here, Cheers.