Day 14 - Ah Bath

Slept in this morning which was great as we were tired from our busy day yesterday.  We went to a quaint restaurant called Sally Lunn's for breakfast which was about five steps from our hotel.  It's known for it's famous Sally Lunn bun - sort of a cross between brioche and a dinner roll, but about the size of a small plate. They serve the buns with a multitude of sweet and savoury toppings. Today we tried our buns topped with lemon curd and clotted cream and another with scrambled eggs. They were simply delicious with a light airy texture and a crisp outside.

We finished up our breakfast and then were invited to view their museum which was in the bottom of their basement.  Like many other establishments in Bath, the Sally Lunn Restaurant is built upon Roman ruins.  Excavations of their basement have resulted in revealing many archeological layers dating back to the Roman times. You cna actually see how the basement has risen over time as they have each historical layer noted from the Romans, Tudors, all the way up to the "modern" level from the 19th century. They also have their fair share of pottery shards, Roman coins, and cooking implements.  We left Sally Lunn's and made our way to the Roman Baths.  This was so cool to see as these Roman Baths, Temple and other buildings date back to the 1st century!  The Romans wanted to impose their style on the conquered lands, but also to incorporate the natural hot springs found at Aquae Sulis, or Bath Spa as it was later called. So incredible to be in a place that's been used for almost 2,000 years.

View of the main Roman Bath from the Terrace built in Georgian times. In Roman times there was actually a roof ten feet above the terrace at over 20 feet high. Parts of the roof arches still survive and can be seen in the back of the picture.

Statue of a prominent Roman woman in Bath from the first century 

Original Roman floor part of the Bath complex

Hot Spring water spilling into the pool and channel system built by the Romans

They've closed the Baths to actual bathing since 1974 when it was discovered that the chemicals used to treat the water was actually eating away the stone. The decision was made to preserve the site as much as possible for future generations.  The tour took us all the way down to the source of the hot spring, and we saw aqua ducts, drains, a cold plunge pool, and steam baths.  They had Roman statues columns and other architectural elements from the site on display.  There was just so much to see and learn about.  

We even tried a glass of the mineral water as it's suppose to have miraculous healing powers.  You could taste the minerals as the concentration of them was quite high (2,232 parts) as opposed to say a glass of Evian water (15 parts).  It contains magnesium, calcium, iron, folate, selica and a host of other minerals that I had never heard of. It;s not the greatest taste in the world, but well worth the experience.

Chris (Mummy) standing on the original floor of the bath. The blocks in front of the pillars are where the original columns supporting the roof where. They added the pillars when the terrace was built in Georgian times.

One of the many statues on the Terrace

Gorgon head which used to adorn the pediment on the front of the main Roman temple

Our tour was over and we had some time to kill before our Champagne Tea at the Pump Room, so we just wandered around the lovely cobble stoned streets of Bath with it's great little shops and plazas full of people listening to the musicians playing.  Bath is certainly a popular destination with the tourists as it's the middle of September and there's still a lot of people on the street. 

We finished looking around and made our way to the famous Pump Room.  This Georgian Ballroom is currently being used as a restaurant - it's a gorgeous room with a huge crystal chandelier, a baby grand at the front, and lots of tables covered in crisp white linens.  Our champagne tea started off with a glass of bubbly and a plate of fancy tea sandwiches.  This was followed by a pot of Pump House Blend Tea and a three tiered cake plate bearing scones with clotted cream and jam, fancy cakes and macarons.  It was such a lovely way to spend our afternoon as lingered to hear the piano being played with songs like Claire de Lune and other classical pieces. 

The Pump Room

The King's Fountain which dispenses spa water for drinking.

We finished up our day by going to the Abbey which sits next to the Roman Baths and the Pump Room.  This Cathedral with it's towering arches and stained glass windows was very impressive. We spent some time reading all the grave markers lining the walls and floor dating back through the ages.  We finished up for the day and headed back to the Hotel, where we had a glass of wine for me and a G&T (gin and tonic) for Chelsea .  Tomorrow we're going to explore the Royal Crescent and the Circus (famous Bath Landmarks) and also the Jane Austen Centre.  

Day 13 - The Real Downton Abbey: Highclere Castle

We got up and had a lovely breakfast at Frensham, and then we were off to see if we could get tickets for Highclere Castle. We phoned ahead and the lady I spoke to said that if we were there before 11:00 AM there was a good chance that we could purchase walk on tickets.  With that we flew in our car down the highway to get there.  It was about ten to eleven when we reached Highclere and me yelling "stop the car!"  I hopped out and literally ran to the ticket booth to purchase two tickets while Chelsea parked the Lingon Berry - and we GOT THEM!!  We were so excited to be there as it was a dream come true for us every since watching Downton Abbey. Especially so for Chelsea as she'd always wanted to visit it as it was the home of Lord Carnarvon who discovered King Tut.

The castle is truly spectacular in a setting of tall, Lebanon Cedars and exquisite gardens.  We joined a gaggle of women (all gushing about being there like us) to view the hall, drawing room, dining room, library, and the bedrooms.  So many scenes from Downton Abbey came to mind - the staircase Mary Crawley walks down in her wedding gown, the drawing room with it's vaulted ceiling where the family would gather at Christmas to decorate the tree, or even the servants staircase where Thomas and Miss O'Brien would be plotting their little schemes. 

The one thing that surprised us was the scale of the place. On TV it looks quite palacial, but in real life it's still large, but cosier than expected. We stopped at the Restaurant for a quick tea/coffee, sandwich, and scones and sat outside so that we could soak up the atmosphere.  Then we headed off to the Gift Shop to find some souvenirs.  I swear that every tourist in England was in there - one sweet old thing was in such a tizzy because she couldn't find a fridge magnet that I thought she'd have a coronary. 

Since all the crowds were either in the house or the Gift shop we decided to pop downstairs to the Egyptian Exhibit.  It was the 5th Earl of Canarvon and Howard Carter that discovered the tomb of King Tut back in 1923.  A lot of incredible artifacts were sent back to England and Highclere.  Most of the large items we saw where reproductions as the real items were donated to museums in Egypt and England. There were gold chairs, faïence bowls, and even a real sarcophagus with a female mummy inside.  The best was a recreation of the moment when Canarvon and Carter broke through the stone wall to reveal the treasures buried with King Tut.  Canarvon asked Carter - "Do you see anything?" and Carter replied with "Yes, wonderous things".  Through peep holes you get a glimpse of the golden treasures that they were about to uncover.  

After the Egyptian Exhibit, we went outside to see the gardens.  The estate is massive - it's actually a working farm, so you can see for miles in any direction.  The gardens have been created over generations, and today they are so beautiful with their varied themes.  We first saw the Monks Garden with it's medicinal herbs and plants.  There were also four arbours created from Cedar trees that were very impressive to walk through. We then carried on to the Secret Garden with it's beautiful roses, delphiniums, and other flowers I had no idea what they were. 

It was time to leave, but I was so happy that we had a chance to see an estate like this.  Again, many thanks for my wonderful daughter and her Indy 500 driving skills in getting us here!  We made our way to Bath via the M4 Highway - a 3 lane highway where there's no apparent speed limit but "go faster".  We got to Bath and made our way to the car rental place. 

What a place Bath is!  It dates back to Roman times with narrow streets and row houses built in the shapes of crescents. We had a Vendor at the Miniature Fair warn us about the driving conditions, but we didn't realize till this moment how right he was.  It's crazy how tight the streets are, and then they go and park, or even double park to create even more mayhem. Really miss my Baker Crescent and Brentwood streets.  

After many wrong turns and trying to double back to get to the correct street, we found the rental car place in an industrial park.  So bizarre!  We got a cab back to the Hotel and ran into rush hour at 3:45 PM in the afternoon.  The cab driver said he didn't know what was causing the jam, but ended taking us on a scenic route in order to bypass it.  There are some amazing houses, but everything here looks to be from the Georgian era or older.  No wonder Bath is a World Heritage site. 

Finally made it to the Best Western Bath Abbey Hotel.  It's wonderfully situated in the heart of the historical district and it's so quaint with an outdoor plaza in front of it with tables and umbrellas.  We checked in and our room is the best yet.  It's on top of the hotel on the 4th floor, and from our window we can see the Abbey, the River Avon, Pulteney Bridge, and Bath's famous hills.  

Tonight we went for a curry at the Rajpoot Indian Restaurant.  We had naan bread, papadoms, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Pasanda, and Lemon Rice.  Wonderful - the restaurant was down below the street level and decorated in rich purples with Indian lanterns spreading their star patterns onto the ceiling.  Warming plates lit with candles kept our food warm while we dined.  

We left the restaurant and returned to the Hotel.  We'll be in Bath for three days and then it's time to return to Gatwick and make the journey home.  It's been an incredible holiday so far and we're so looking to enjoying Bath. 

Day 12 - Walking Through Treetops

Written by Chris

I love having a car!  It's so much easier to have all your stuff in there and to travel around in. 
We headed off west to find Arundel Castle.  Of course our GPS had to take us on the most bizarre route, but we did find it eventually in the midst of a quaint town called Arundel.  If we would of had the time, both Chelsea and I would have loved to explore the antique shops and had a bite to eat in one of the restaurants, but we had a schedule to keep today so we only had few hours there, and then we had to be at Go Ape in Alice Holt Forest for our Zip Line adventure.  

Arundel Castle was visible from quite a distance as it sits up high on a hill in the midst of town.  What am impressive sight!  Chelsea was so happy as she loves castles.  We parked the Volvo and walked around to the front to get our tickets.  We started our tour by walking through the grassy moat to the Castle Keep.  The gardens along the way were beautiful with soft, pink hydrangeas.  

The Castle Keep was great to see.  We started by climbing the stairs (again!) to see rooms like the Lady In Waiting's chambers, Guard Room, Officers Quarters, and Store Room.  We made our way to the top of the Round Tower and again the countryside is so spectacular. Coming down we noticed that the State Rooms were open so we literally flew through them. It's too bad that we didn't have more time in the rooms as they were fantastic and so well preserved. They reminded me of Highclere Castle with lots of red velvet couches, rich brocades, and fabulous furniture.  Since we had to be at Alice Holt for 2:00 PM, we left Arundel and made our way to Frensham. 

The new tower on the opposite side of the old one.

Oldest part of the castle. Halfway up you can see the fireplace from where the second floor used to be in the tower.

View from the top of the tower down to the moat

Again we were going down small country lanes with the tree canopy completely covering the road.  We got lost a bit, but finally found the Go Ape Facility.  It was similar to the course we went on last year in Buxton, but this time it wasn't cold and rainy.  After a brief orientation to familiarize ourselves with the equipment we were off and what fun it was!  I love the Zip lines, but the Tarzan swing was really difficult this time as we had to climb up quite a ways to get to the next platform.  I think the net rope they used was built for someone 6'7" as my step wasn't big enough to reach it.  After quite a struggle I hauled myself up and luckily we only did one of these.  The Zip lines were fun, but I always came in backwards and ended up on my backside.  It didn't hurt and I was laughing the whole way.  Chelsea got a video of me and it's quite hilarious.  

We finished up and made our way around Frensham Pond to our Best Western Hotel.  What a pretty hotel it is with it's white wash exterior sitting next to the pond with ducks and swans. We had a huge room - Chelsea had a double bed to herself, and I got the single.  We freshened up and headed down to the dining room for dinner.  It's a good thing too, as I don't think we could have found another restaurant within quite a distance.  I love country dining inns and their dining rooms - we had a three course meal for only 21 pounds.  Our starter was leek and potato soup with home made bread.  My main was a chicken breast with Parma Ham and a creamy mushroom sauce.  Chelsea had the pheasant and it was delicious! Tomorrow we're hoping to see Highclere Castle - the setting for the TV Show Downton Abbey, and then off to Bath. 

Mummy's Chicken

Day 11 - My Kingdom For A Car

Woke up in Brighton to grey, cloudy skies that were threatening to rain.  We had a quick cuppa tea and some bikkies at the Hotel, then walked up the street to the Alamo Car Rental as we wanted the car to drive to Beachy Head Park.  Our car is a very sporty Volvo - a peppy little car that we have nicknamed our "Lingonberry".

 

Room in Brighton

With Chelsea at the wheel (I'm too chicken to drive) we were off heading eastward towards Eastborne.  Beachy Head is a National Trust park that is dedicated to preserving the chalk cliffs on the coast.  Created by marine animals remains being deposited for millions of years, the cliffs were created when tectonic plates were lifted from the sea floor exposing the chalk.  The English channel came about as the second ice age melted and the valley between England and France was flooded.

After about half an hour drive (Chelsea is amazing!) we came to Beachy Head Visitor Centre and Pub. By now the rain was coming down in a steady mist, so we decided to head in for some breakfast//lunch.  We were fortunate to grab a table by the window so we had a great view of the Belle Tout Lighthouse on the cliff below us with the chalk cliffs in the background.  Our lunch consisted of two gigantic pies - mine was Beef and Merlot, while Chelsea had Chicken and Leek all covered in golden puff pastry.  After two delicious cups of coffee (it's not the Urban Bean, but this place was fairly decent for a filtered white coffee) we went back to the Visitor Centre to see where we could walk or drive to see the cliffs.  Note from Chelsea: My Mum's a wuss and can't seem to do without her fancy flavoured coffee haha. 

Hmm delicious pie

Beachy Head Pub

We were told to drive down the lane a bit till we came to the parking lot where we could park for a small fee and then walk to either the Light House, or along the cliffs to view the Beachy Head Lighthouse right in the English Channel.  After seeing this view on my screen saver for almost eight months, this was the spot that I wanted to head to. 

Beachy Head Lighthouse

Beachy Head Lighthouse

We drove up and got out and started walking along the cliffs.  There's no railing or safeguards to keep you away so you could literally walk right up to the edge.  At over 750 meters high, the view was spectacular!  The rain stopped - thank goodness or it would have been fairly slippery- and with the sun shining on the chalk cliffs I was a very happy woman!  I told Chelsea that for me this was my favourite moment so far, and the cliffs are so unique and wonderful to view. 

We walked up a steep cliff to view the sea below and heard it crashing onto the stone beach.  It literally boomed as the waves crashed and the air was tangy with the sea salt.  We viewed Beachy Head Light House below and marvelled at how it was built right in the English Channel. It seemed that the Belle Tour Light House didn't fill the needs of the seafaring community as it wasn't always visible in the fog and mist, so a light house had to be constructed lower down.  As a result, steel pilings were driven into the Channel floor and supplies to build the lighthouse had to be lowered using steel cables.  What an amazing feat of engineering!

We got back into the Lingon berry and proceeded down the bend to Burling Gap where we were now able to walk down to the rocky beach and the actual English Channel.  What a rush to see the waves crashing in and hearing it being sucked back out by the tide.  The water is quite milky here as it picks up the chalk from the cliffs.  The beach consists of tons of rocks - conglomerate, flint, and limestone.  You could see the Seven Sisters cliffs in the distance and the sun came out to shine.  Fantastic day - big thanks for my wonderful daughter for making this dream a reality for me. 

Chelsea and the Lingonberry

Day 10 - A Day With George

Written by Chris

Off to Brighton!  We got up early and  lugged our suitcases downstairs- what evil women bought all this stuff? Got to Victoria Station and had coffee and a breakfast sandwich before boarding the train.  There was practically nobody on the train, but as we headed down the line we picked up more and more passengers.  The whole journey lasted only an hour and as we headed out of London there was some very pastoral countryside we passed by.  Everything is still so green here – even as summer is waning and fall is approaching. 

Victoria Station

We pulled into Brighton and caught a cab to our hotel which is right across the street from the ocean. Brighton is a very popular tourist destination because of its’ location, but it’s tired looking.  The buildings are not kept up like the neighbourhoods we visited in London.  The pier has a carnival atmosphere like Coney Island with a boardwalk, amusement arcades, and lots of fish and chip shops selling jellied eels, crab on a stick, or the usual  haddock or cod with chips.   The ocean was lovely to see with it’s green waves crashing on the pebble shore and the air was tangy with that salt breeze. 

Brighton Pier

Brighton Pier

Brighton Beach

We strolled up Old Stein road to the Royal Pavilions.  This is the only Royal Palace not currently owned by the Royal family – it was extensively renovated by King George IV with a taste influences by the East.  It was expressly for his pleasure as this was a man who loved extravagant living and it was far enough away from London that he could indulge in all his passions, be it food, drink, or women.  The outside is distinctly Indian, while the inside is elegantly done in a Chinese style. When Queen Victoria came to the throne, it wasn't the place to bring her large family, nor did it afford them a lot of privacy, so in 1850 the Palace was sold to the Brighton City council for 53,000 pounds.  Since then it’s been used as a hospital, banquet facility, and finally a tourist attraction.  They’re still working on the restoration, but what we saw was incredible. 

Brighton Pavilion

Brighton Pavilion

The style is Chinoiserie (French meaning Chinese-esq) opulent Eastern influences with a dining rooms decorated with dragons, lotus flowers, snakes, and lots and lots of gold.  There were Ming vases, and hand painted wallpaper, and fabulous pieces of furniture. The Banqueting Room is the most amazing room in the whole pavilion. The middle chandelier weighs one ton and is held up by a silver dragon at the very top. Simply spectacular.

Banqueting Room

Dragon holding up the chandelier

Full Chandelier shot

Brighton Pavilion Music Room 

After touring the Pavilion we walked back and checked into the Best Western Brighton Hotel.  As mentioned, it’s right across the street from the board walk and the ocean and we have a side view from our room.  It’s much bigger than the room in London with a small hallway, main room and even a table to sit and view the ocean. We cleaned up and then took ourselves to a trendy area called the Lanes for dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant.  What a great meal – and fairly inexpensive.   Chelsea started off with an Earl Grey Martini, while I had a Refresher of lemonade, elderflower cordial and raspberry juice.  We shared a wonderful salad of arugula, radicchio, and pear, and prosciutto with a balsamic, honey dressing.  We both had small order of pasta – Chelsea had tagliolini and rabbit, while I had Mortadello and Ricotta ravioli. So good!  For dessert, I had chocolate brownie with caramel popcorn on top, and Chels had raspberry frangipane, a type of almond tart very reminiscent of a Bakewell tart.   Tomorrow we’re picking up our rental car and driving to Beachy Head to explore the Chalk cliffs of Eastborne.  Wish us luck on our driving experience!

 

Delicious fried cheese balls

Pear and prosciutto salad

Wild Rabbit Tagliolini