N and N's New Adventure: Day 47 July 10 Tuesday

Day 47, Tuesday, July 10

Bath....the second day

The seagulls again woke us quite early, but we went back to sleep. Jess was feeling ill (probably the same hand, foot, and mouth disease that Joey has), so we went our separate ways for the day. We walked to opposite side of the shopping mall that was near our flat and caught the red bus skyline tour. This bus left from Manvers St. It went past the Abbey, the Baths, and Sally Lunn's again. We then went on across the Pulteney Bridge. The bus took past the Holburne Museum and the Bath Spa Hotel. We went up Quarry Road and on to Bathwick Hill. We saw the new water district building which supplies its own water and controls the windows opening and closing based on the temperature. We followed the very steepest hills around Bath, looking down onto the city. Believe me these are really steep roads. The bus took us back down into Bath to the Abbey.

We walked to the market and looked at the little shops. We then walked through a number of shops and looked at various things. We found a shop with most unusually shaped teapots, and I was yelled at by the clerk for taking a picture. There went her sale. I guess I won't be buying the teapot shaped like duck in a bathtub or the train engine. We then went back to a couple of shops that we had visited yesterday to buy a few souvenirs, including a visit to the very smelly shop called Lush. It could be smelled a half block away, but they had bath bombs. They also have lines of cosmetics and lotions. Everything is made from natural products.

We walked back to the Pulteney Bridge and on over looking for a rose garden. We didn't have any luck, so we decided that it was time for lunch. We stopped a little cafe on the bridge and ordered a jacket potato, some chips, and a Diet Coke to go. Food is many times significantly cheaper if you get it as "Take Away." We took our food and took the staircase on the bridge to the walkway below the bridge and sat on a bench beside the river and ate our lunch.

After lunch we walked along the river until we found a staircase that would take us back to the street level. We decided to go into the Abbey even though many of the churches are beginning to look alike. Bath Abbey is just a beautiful and remarkable as many of the other churches which we have seen. The roof, the walls, the stained glass windows, the grave markers inside the church are all quite amazing. A woman from England had done 30 hand lettered and 30 needle craft designs that told the story of Jesus. The detail and skill of the work was outstanding. They were an outstanding display of the woman's talent.

By now our feet were hurting. It was approaching late afternoon, so we headed back to Cafe Nero for a lemonade / chocolate shake and the free WiFi. We sat there and enjoyed ourselves, playing Suduko on the iPad. Eventually the shrilly voices of the two groups of high school females forced us to leave. We walked back to the flat.

Pete and Jess returned and made dinner for all of us. Joey's bedtime ritual took place while we watched tv. Some woman was trying to save a nudist hotel in Birmingham. It was quite strange. Bedtime for all of us. Tonight is our last night of vacation within our vacation.

Steps: 7694

Bath, UK