Monday, April 25, 2011 12:25 PM
Dear Family and Friends,
Sunday the 17th found us navigating the public transit system of London to board a train to Bath...
ROBERT WRITES:
We started off the day by: 1) catching the Docklands Light Railway from Limehouse station to Bank station where we could 2) catch the Tube from Bank to Oxford Circus Station where we could 3) change Tube trains and hop on one headed to 4) Paddington train station, where we were to 5) catch an actual train to the town of Bath for the day! *phew*
This is very common for people in both Paris and London -- they think nothing of this and just go about their day. For Susan and me, and for Jean from Alabama, it was quite extraordinary. I asked Jean at one point if she felt like she was lost yet -- and she said, “Nope.” I said, “Really?” and she said, “I’m not lost. I'm right behind Isa.”
She had it right -- if it weren’t for Isa or Sarah guiding us through the subway systems of Paris and London, we might still be there! But both of those systems are world-class and they left an impression on me, for sure. The train from Paddington to Bath was, in a word, awesome. Compared to the trains that I've been on in the U.S., this one felt like a race car. It was smooth and fast and sleek.
SUSAN WRITES:
It's a good thing you all know I'm a complete sap, because I'll probably embarrass myself here. Bath is all wrapped up in Jane Austen for me...and Jane Austen is romance, English gardens, long satin dresses with gloves to match, and misunderstandings that lead to happy endings...*sigh* (You may shake your heads and roll your eyes here)...:-)
Except for being just a tad bit hot for me (but what part of the world south of the North Pole isn't, really?)...Bath was all of the above. Strolling along the Royal Crescent, talking with friends, watching people laze in the early spring sunshine -- it was, as the English like to say, lovely. Or, as Catherine Morland says in Austen's "Northanger Abbey"..."Oh! Who can ever be tired of Bath?" (a perfect place for another eye roll if you wish) :-) And now for some sanity from my level-headed husband!...
ROBERT WRITES:
This place has been popular going all the way back to the Roman era and even before the Romans. The natural hot spring that feeds the bath house was considered a very sacred place and is known for its healing powers. The tour of the bath house is quite remarkable -- the way they have it set up is part museum tour, part archaeological dig, and then the actual rooms and baths themselves.
The pictures, as good as they are, can't do it justice. Beyond the baths, the town is beautiful with a great church, river, cafes, shopping, and walking paths. We only scratched the surface of what to see and do in Bath. It's a great place to walk and just be -- and a place I would love to see again.
We were going to catch a later train back to London but we were all so “done” -- because of all the walking and sightseeing both in Paris, and here in England, that we decided to catch the 6:15 pm train. This is where my phrase of the day comes into play.
ROBERT WRITES:
We started off the day by: 1) catching the Docklands Light Railway from Limehouse station to Bank station where we could 2) catch the Tube from Bank to Oxford Circus Station where we could 3) change Tube trains and hop on one headed to 4) Paddington train station, where we were to 5) catch an actual train to the town of Bath for the day! *phew*
This is very common for people in both Paris and London -- they think nothing of this and just go about their day. For Susan and me, and for Jean from Alabama, it was quite extraordinary. I asked Jean at one point if she felt like she was lost yet -- and she said, “Nope.” I said, “Really?” and she said, “I’m not lost. I'm right behind Isa.”
She had it right -- if it weren’t for Isa or Sarah guiding us through the subway systems of Paris and London, we might still be there! But both of those systems are world-class and they left an impression on me, for sure. The train from Paddington to Bath was, in a word, awesome. Compared to the trains that I've been on in the U.S., this one felt like a race car. It was smooth and fast and sleek.
SUSAN WRITES:
It's a good thing you all know I'm a complete sap, because I'll probably embarrass myself here. Bath is all wrapped up in Jane Austen for me...and Jane Austen is romance, English gardens, long satin dresses with gloves to match, and misunderstandings that lead to happy endings...*sigh* (You may shake your heads and roll your eyes here)...:-)
Except for being just a tad bit hot for me (but what part of the world south of the North Pole isn't, really?)...Bath was all of the above. Strolling along the Royal Crescent, talking with friends, watching people laze in the early spring sunshine -- it was, as the English like to say, lovely. Or, as Catherine Morland says in Austen's "Northanger Abbey"..."Oh! Who can ever be tired of Bath?" (a perfect place for another eye roll if you wish) :-) And now for some sanity from my level-headed husband!...
ROBERT WRITES:
This place has been popular going all the way back to the Roman era and even before the Romans. The natural hot spring that feeds the bath house was considered a very sacred place and is known for its healing powers. The tour of the bath house is quite remarkable -- the way they have it set up is part museum tour, part archaeological dig, and then the actual rooms and baths themselves.
The pictures, as good as they are, can't do it justice. Beyond the baths, the town is beautiful with a great church, river, cafes, shopping, and walking paths. We only scratched the surface of what to see and do in Bath. It's a great place to walk and just be -- and a place I would love to see again.
We were going to catch a later train back to London but we were all so “done” -- because of all the walking and sightseeing both in Paris, and here in England, that we decided to catch the 6:15 pm train. This is where my phrase of the day comes into play.
It's another French phrase (although we're in England): “Six oeufs au plat”...it means six fried eggs, and it described us perfectly. Exhausted!
SUSAN WRITES:
My phrase of the day? Hmmmmmm...I have two -- both from Jane Austen...
"My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company." (And that's exactly what we've had on this trip, plus LOTS of laughter)
And, "To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment." (Not to try to improve upon Jane, I'd add, "...with a cup of good English coffee and a piece of delicious carrot cake from a small shop in Bath")
Much love from the travellers...
SUSAN WRITES:
My phrase of the day? Hmmmmmm...I have two -- both from Jane Austen...
"My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company." (And that's exactly what we've had on this trip, plus LOTS of laughter)
And, "To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment." (Not to try to improve upon Jane, I'd add, "...with a cup of good English coffee and a piece of delicious carrot cake from a small shop in Bath")
Much love from the travellers...
xxxxx
Susan and Robert
Susan and Robert
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