We are still exploring England, and our latest adventure was in Bath. Bath is about a 2 1/2 hour train ride from our apartment, but the journey on the train seems to go much more quickly than the time indicates. The trains are comfortable, quiet and very relaxing as we watch the green countryside glide past the window. Arriving in Bath, it's an easy walk from the train station to the city center through streets full of shops, pubs and historic sites. Most of the buildings in Bath are built of a tan stone from the region called Bath stone, and the style is decidedly Georgian, reflecting its 18th century heyday when royalty and the aristocracy visited the town to drink and bathe in the warm mineral springs.

Our first stop was the Bath Abbey, a magnificent gothic church that was once an abbey . It's famous for the huge stained glass windows, one they say is the size of a tennis court high up on the wall of the church. There is more stained glass in this church than I've seen anywhere. The aisles are lined with huge stained glass windows and the front and back walls contain massive stained glass windows with scenes from the Bible. It really is incredible and the light just takes your breath away. I hope the pictures show a bit of the magnificence we saw in this church.

Next stop was lunch at the smallest tavern in Bath where we dined on fish and chips and a ploughman's lunch, both very good. The best part of lunch was the garrulous older gentleman at the bar who entertained everyone with his friendly patter and welcoming attitude. The pub really needs to hire this guy but I think he was just a local using the pub as his living room and enjoying a pint (or a few).

After lunch we went to see the Roman baths that give Bath its name . These are a very interesting, but crowded, display of the excavation of the ancient baths and a good interpretation of the Romans who lived and made their homes in this area over a thousand years ago. The hot springs that feed the baths are still pumping warm mineral water through the rocks to the baths and we could see the steam rising from the pools and feel the warmth of the water. The actual pools were once covered by arched ceilings and walls, so the Romans basically used these as indoor swimming pools. Today the baths are uncovered and very green, looking like they could use a good dose of algaecide!

We then walked to the Bath Circus a few blocks away. This is a roundabout road encircled by a very elegant group of townhouses all built exactly alike of the tan Bath stone. While this is impressive, the most impressive display of architecture in Bath is the Royal Crescent a block away. The Royal Crescent are a crescent shaped group of 30 stately stone homes that overlook a large, well kept lawn . They were built in the late 1700's and are a magnificent display of Georgian architecture. One of the homes is a very discreet spa hotel and the first home at #1 is open to the public as a living museum. The rest of the 28 homes are privately owned and very expensive! We visited the museum at #1 Royal Crescent and wandered around the area.

After visiting the Royal Crescent, I was channeling Jane Austen and insisted we go to tea at the Pump Room, the most elegant restaurant above the Roman Baths. Cory's comment was that he's had expensive tea before, and he seemed a bit reluctant. Nevermind. We pushed onward and were soon seated at one of the Pump Room's white linen covered tables. Even Cory was delighted with our choice of champagne tasting with strawberries and cream. We were each served three beautiful French champagnes, a bowl of ripe strawberries and cream and sugar. So fun! We sipped and talked and relaxed in the Georgian atmosphere while a three piece group played beautiful music. This was so much nicer than tea and scones! We did drink some of the famous mineral water out of the silver fountain, and it was not too bad! We were told there are 42 minerals in the water and it was very good for the health. We could taste the mineral quality and the temperature was warm, like tepid tea. Bath is a beautiful city and I'd recommend anyone visiting London take a day and see the sites in Bath.

 Today (July 30) is our last full day in England as we fly tomorrow morning to Amsterdam where we will stay for the month of August. Our daughter Megan will meet us in Amsterdam, and we're looking forward to seeing her again and sharing our love of travel with our very loved daughter!