Some experiences are specifically for kids, and some are really for grown ups but with just enough kid-friendliness thrown in to fool the children into thinking they're having fun, too. Our trip to Bath over the weekend was the second kind. What an incredible city!!!
Even though it's a huge tourist trap, we decided to go to Bath because everyone we've talked to told us how cool it was and that it was one of the most beautiful places in the United Kingdom. They were right.
We stayed at a fantastic B & B out in the country with the friendliest couple on the planet, who not only provided both the bed and the breakfast but took our kids next door to feed the chickens left-over toast from breakfast and invited us to their glass shop to attend a glass-making demonstration. And though it rained relentlessly the entire time we were on our sightseeing extravaganza, there was much to see and we ran around the city like little kids (even those of us who no longer fit into that category).
Our main event for our time in Bath was visiting, drum roll please, the Roman Baths--a massive and fascinating multi-level structure from centuries past that has been surprisingly well preserved below street level, sprawling under several buildings.
People used to go to Bath from all over "Brittania" to visit the hot-spring fed baths because they believed that the water had mystical healing properties; it was even rumored that one barren queen conceived an heir to the throne because she bathed in Bath's water. Since the spas which actually use the water don't allow children, we went to the baths to experience the coolness with hundreds of our closest friends and wander cattle-like through the stunning ruins. We even chatted with some Roman citizens and were instructed in the most recent advancements and finer points of makeup preparation and application by a nice slave girl. At the end of our tour we tried a glass of the mystical water. Surprisingly, it tasted just like water! I have to say, though, just for the record, that it was completely cool to see the baths, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.
In addition the baths, we visited Bath Abbey, took the B & B owners up on their offer to watch a glass blowing demonstration (pic above), went to church, and wandered the city looking for pigs. Yep, you read that right, pigs.
Apparently the curative nature of the hot springs was discovered by a local pig who happened into the water; the rest, as they say, is history. So to honor said pig, business owners and individuals from Bath have purchased, decorated, and donated over 100 big metal pigs to be auctioned off to charity at the end of October, but for now they're all over the city and make for one fun treasure hunt that is a hit with kids and adults alike. They're on top of buildings, on city streets, in storefronts, in shopping malls, in art galleries, in the train station, and even up in trees.
The fun part about the pigs is that looking for them engages the kids for hours and allows the grown ups to enjoy the stunning architecture and history during the hunt. Despite the rain, we had a great time, enjoying our time in Bath immensely AND finding almost all 104 of the pigs.
On the way home we stopped at two really interesting spots, Lacock Abbey and Avebury.
Lacock Abbey is a medieval abbey out in the middle of nowhere U.K. where some of the first Harry Potter movie was filmed--the first flying lesson (in the courtyard), some breezeway scenes, and some of the classroom scenes. It's also just a dang cool, breathtakingly beautiful old building! I enjoyed it immensely!
Avebury is a village ringed by huge concentric stone circles, like Stonehenge only WAY bigger; the circles are a mile in circumference and completely open to the public, so (unlike Stonehenge) you get to get up close and personal with Avebury's circles, climbing on the rocks, walking whatever portion of the circle you'd like, enjoying the mysteriousness of it all, and stepping in much sheep poop. You can even watch fellow tourist praying on each of the rocks with their tour guide if you like. (They don't like it if you try to take their picture on the sly, though...um, I mean, I have a feeling that they wouldn't like it if someone tried to take their picture on the sly...)
All things considered, this was one fantastic sightseeing trip! Have I convinced anyone else to come visit us yet?!!? Big grin!
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