The Biggest of Our Lifetime

The Bath Abbey at night

     The moon that is :) March 19th was a wonderful day with a wonderful ending...Supermoon!! The moon was the closest that it will be to Earth in our lifetimes and it was absolutely nuts. Being the weather weenie that I am, I probably should have known this was happening. But it took about 30 minutes of thinking an insanely bright light behind a cloud was a spaceship before I actually realized that it was the moon.  

Bath is an absolutely gorgeous city

     You see, I didn't see this supermoon from just anywhere.  I saw it from the rooftop pool of the new spa in Bath, England.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself. I wish we could have taken a picture of it from up there, but considering we were at a spa, that would have been stage 5 creeper status. Mental picture will have to do.

     Since I kind of already started this way, I think I'll write this post backwards. Break out of the mold a little bit...starting at the end of our day adventure to Bath, England.  We took a super late train back from Bath, the latest I think we have ever stayed somewhere.  And let me tell you, the best of the best come out at night.  Including some really obnoxious drunk kids who probably weren't even old enough to spell alcohol.

Along the River Avon in Bath. Check out the bird!

     While we waited for our train to get there, we had some time to kill and some people watching to do.  We ended up making friends with a homeless lady at the station who talked to us after her dog came to rest his head on my lap and Stacey gave her some money.  Very sad to see people having to live like that, but I hope we made her day just a little bit better.

     We hoped to spread the generosity because the people of Bath were so kind to us.  Even though we came back after hours, the nice lady at the Italian restaurant that we eat at, opened back up the ice cream shop just so that Stacey and I could have a midnight snack after our spa session.  If you are ever in Bath, I highly recommend The Real Italian Pizza Co.  Nicest people I have encountered on one of our adventures.

The most delicious dinner ever.

     The ice cream was just an added bonus to the awesome night that we had already had.  Bath is known for being centered around a natural hot spring, so Stacey and I decided to have a girls night at the spa.  We got to spend two hours in the many different naturally heated pools (including the rooftop pool were we saw supermoon rise), steam rooms, and massaging showers.  After all the hard work we have put into school and trip planning over the last couple weeks, it was some much needed and appreciated relaxation.

     A lot of people at the spa were there as couples which was actually quite funny because it just added to the date like day that Stacey and I had.  We had another dinner for two at a really delicious Italian restaurant. We shared a pizza that was to die for.  Seriously, one of the best meals that I have had here, if not THE best.

Sally Lunn's Buns...Eh

     Since I am going backwards in time, this probably would make more sense since we actually had somewhat of a desert before dinner (with a bit of shopping in between!).  Apparently, the oldest house in bath is now home to the most famous buns on Bath, Sally Lunn's Buns.  Seems like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight they were totally overrated and overpriced but an experience nonetheless.

The Roman Baths

     The city of Bath was actually founded way back in the time that the Romans lived in England around 70 AD.  They created a bath house that became their version of a "weekend getaway spa resort" kind of place.  Now the Roman Baths are one of the biggest tourist attractions in Bath and really are quite remarkable when you think about.  Walking around somewhere that was built nearly 2,000 years ago and learning about their ways was so interesting. There is so much power and mystical essence of the hot water.  We were so very lucky to have one of our other American friends, Moriah, with us up until this part of the adventure.

This water was rainfall that fell 8,000 years ago!

     Before doin' as the Romans do, we had to nourish our bodies and souls with a lunch down by the river.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day so we were soaking up the sun and loving every minute of it.  Every corner that you turn in Bath is another photo opportunity so it was really nice to just sit and enjoy the beauty of it all.  

Picnic by the river on a beautiful day

     We knew exactly where to go for our picnic lunch because we had the best tour for most of the morning when we first got there.  It was probably the greatest tour I have been on here, and it was completely free! Our wonderful guide took us around the whole city and brought us to some of the most famous spots in bath including the  Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, Empire Hotel, Bath Rugby Stadium, Laura Place, Queen Square, Royal Crescent, The Circus, and the Assembly Hall.  There was so much history and so much beauty to take in for such a short trip.

The Royal Crescent...One of the many stops on our tour

     We were lucky that we even made it to the tour considering our train was over 30 minutes late.  That really is unusual since all of our trains had been so on time up to that point.  But it made for an exciting and funny start to our day.  When I asked the platform manager if our train would drive any faster to make up for lost time, his reply was, "No ma'am, they already go 120 miles per hour" And my question of "Well what if they go 130?" went with a simply reply of a shake of the head. Glad I could be amusement to people in a stressful time. 

The sunshine just shines right out of me these days!

     Outside of London, I think that Bath is my favorite English city that we have visited thus far.  The cost of living there is out of this world, but given the chance (and by chance I mean money) it would be such an amazing place to stay. 

Love, love, love Bath

     I know I have a lot to look forward to considering I will be in 7 different countries over the next month. But right now, I am so content here in England and love discovering new reasons why I love this place every day :)