Bath

Not your typical tub ...

A free afternoon on the bank holiday had me heading to Bath from Bristol, a short 30 minute drive along the motorway. Initiate road trip karaoke once more! The weather, being England took a negative turn and was threatening rain but luckily it never arrived, rather just an overcast sky. Bath is a very busy tourist hub in South West England, famously known for the Roman Baths, the natural hot springs which were believed to have curative properties. Charlotte, Dan and I arrived in the mid-afternoon to a very busy town and headed for the centre. We walked through the old streets surrounded by beautiful Georgian architecture towards the Roman Baths and the Bath Abbey.

The entrance to the baths was very busy and we wanted to maximise our time in the city so rather than wait in line, we decided to explore what else Bath had to offer. We headed east to walk along the River Avon and followed it north, taking us to the Pulteney Weir and bridge, another stunning example of Georgian architecture.

But Bath is more than just the Roman Baths. Another big attraction of the city is the Royal Crescent, among the United Kingdom's greatest examples of Georgian style architecture. So if you love yourself some Georgian architecture, then Bath is the place for you. Heading north-west from the Pulteney bridge, around a 10-15 minute walk uphill we came across the Royal Crescent. It is a sweeping crescent shaped building, featuring 30 terraced houses overlooking the Victoria park. Also designed by the same architect, John Wood the Younger, is the equally as impressive The Circus located less than a 5 minute walk away. Following a similar concept of curved town houses, however rather than one single sweeping crescent, there are three equal length segments, situated in a circular shape. Just another example of; you guessed it ... Georgian architecture.

The day disappeared so quickly so we headed for some pre-dinner cocktails at Burger & Lobster and then went for dinner at Aio Sardinia, thanks to a recommendation from local friends. The cosy restaurant did not look like much from the outside, and to be honest with you I wouldn't have even noticed it much if it hadn't been recommended to us, but it sure did exceed my expectations. For starters we shared some bruschette with aubergines and cured ham, roast peppers and anchovies and tomato and basil as well as some zucchini fries (or as the English call them, Corgette). It was all so delicious that it disappeared right off the plate before you knew it. Onto mains and the goods just kept on coming. I mean first of all it was ridiculuously difficult to even decide what to order, it all sounded so incredible. But nonetheless, I decided on the 'Malloreddus Alla Campidanese' a pasta dish with tomato, saffron and a ragu of sardinian sausage meat. It was the right decision! So delicious, safe to say that for this part of the meal, there was silence between the three of us as we all experienced a love affair with our food. I called it a night after mains but did sneak a taste of the Tiramisu and it was also pretty darn fine. Appetites satisfied, we were ready to head on back to Bristol for some good ol' Scategories and movie night.