Bath

On Friday morning, we took the 10:30 Great Western Railway train from London Paddington to Bath Spa, arriving at 11:45.

Decorations in town.

Entering the fabled Abbey Green, where a magnificent London Plane tree presides over the historic courtyard. Our apartment is the white door in the distance, along with the two windows to the right. We stayed on Abbey Green with Dan & Elizabeth in June 2015.

The entrance to 2 Abbey House. As in real estate, where you stay on trips is all about location, location, location.

We dropped our bags inside our Airbnb & then took an Uber to Hare & Hounds situated on a scenic hilltop above Bath.

My cask ale brewed just down the road from the pub.

The Coronation chickpea ciabatta with roasted chickpeas, lightly curried mayonnaise, lettuce, & poppadoms was so good we plan to try & recreate it when we return home. Of course, no pub meal would be complete without “chips.”

Turned out there was a bus stop at the pub—who knew! A short bus ride & we were back in Bath where we bought a fresh loaf of sourdough.

Bath Abbey, beautiful as ever.

At Topping & Company bookstore we bought a copy of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley started writing the book at the Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva in Switzerland, but wrote a large portion of it later in rented rooms at 5 Abbey Churchyard. The original house was torn down in the 1890s to make space for an extension to the Roman Baths & Pump Room. The plaque behind Amanda memorializes her stay.

Having watched Wayne’s World too many times, we assumed we had “backstage passes” to see Tom Bailey from Thompson Twins. Despite arriving late for the pre-show meet-and-greet, we were early enough that they still permitted us to attend. 😅 😮‍💨

We had a nice chat with Tom, who is a fellow vegan.

He signed a tour poster & an early-release CD.

We’ve been listening to his music since the early 1980s, so meeting Tom in person was a real treat—made all the more special by meeting him on his home turf here in the UK.

The UK band Blancmange was the opening act (they never broke into the US market in the 1980s). In the middle of the first song the lead singer quietly asked security if fans could approach the stage & they agreed.

After Blancmange & while they set the stage for the Thompson Twins, we took a spot at center stage, where we stayed for the entire concert. All these photos are taken without zoom.

Of course the grand finale was Hold Me Now, which we consider “our song.” At one point, Tom came right up & looked directly into Amanda’s phone—amazing!

Just before going a cappella for the end of the song, Tom threw the pick he was using to play Hold Me Now to Amanda! I don’t think I have to worry…

The band takes a bow. We will never forget this night‼️

The view of Bath Abbey from our bedroom window on Saturday morning.

After toasted Warburton’s crumpets at home, we enjoyed coffee & tea at my favorite: Society Café on the High St.

Then it was off to enjoy the Jane Austen Festival. Here, participants gather on the lawn in front of Bath’s Royal Crescent before the 23rd annual Grand Regency Promenade.

Taking a not-so-Regency cell phone photo.

Even some dogs wore Regency attire.

The promenade begins.

Picnic at the ready.

Looking up Gay St toward the magnificent trees in the center of The Circus. The internet says there are “more than 2,000” participants, but I’d be quite surprised if the number were really that low.

Our UK matcha mission continued at Matcha Thing in Bath.

The city was filled with people in Regency attire.

We spent the afternoon “taking the waters” at Thermae Bath Spa, getting a hot-stone massage, & then eating a delicious dinner at Thaikhun—the same place Amanda took me for my 53rd birthday. Bath never disappoints!