When we arrived at Paddington Station, things were kind of chaotic.
Because of the heavy rain and flooding in England, many of the trains had been cancelled. As soon as our track was annouced, people with their suitcases rushed the gate and then, when they opened it, they RAN to the train. Jim and I rolled our eyes and kept walking, which was a mistake because by the time we got onto the train, there were no seats left. Here is a picture of some people standing on the train.
I started out on the floor, but eventually, as more people got on, I stood up to make more room.
Without fail, people (mostly women)complained loudly about the injustice of it all, how they couldn't believe that nature would have the nerve to flood the tracks and inconvenience them on a Sasturday, how clearly all of the rest of us packed in like sardines were just NOT MOVING, etc. Everyone on the train is always the victim. Especially those who can't fit.
Fortunately for us, the train ride to Bath was only about an hour and a half when when we arrived at our hotel, it was worth the cattle-like conditions getting there. We stayed at a place called Combe Manor and this is what it looked like:
It even had bunnies:
Our room had a beautiful view with a window seat. Jim graciously posed for this picture:
Our hotel also had a country club attached to it, so we played tennis and enjoyed the indoor pool, steamroom, and spa beds. The spa beds were violently bubbly and kind of weird. Here, Jim "relaxes" in the spa bed:
On our first night, we decided to stay kind of local to our hotel, which was about three miles outside of the center of Bath. This was not a good idea. The first pub we went to had some biker looking people outside of it. The next pub only served ham sandwiches and beer. So, we gave up and went into town where we had a delicious Mediterranean meal and wandered around. One of the main attractions is Bath Abbey, which is very ornate and gothic looking. Here it is at night:
And, in the daytime:
We did not see the Roman Baths because we didn't want to pay 12 pounds each to get in. But they were nice from the outside.
There were huge groups of tourist of varying ages and cultures, so the baths probably wouldn't have been that fun to look at anyway. Plus, you can't even get in them!
In the square outside of the Abbey, a very talented classical guitarist played. Around the corner, three young violinists performed and later a classical xylephone player was in the square. It was very cool and nice to hear beautiful music while enjoying the brief sunshine.
Down by the river, a band was playing in a gazebo and for a pound we could go into a beautiful park, sit in some lawn chairs and listen. Here I am doing my best Pillsbury Dough Boy impression:
Later, we lounged in our chairs:
and enjoyed watching cute little kids:
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090436700897024818" />Fun times...we are sorry to be going back to work tomorrow. Probably in the rain.
