If we couldn't spend Christmas at home, then I guess a World Heritage Site steeped in Roman and Georgian history would have to do. So we trained ourselves over to Bath for a few nights of relaxation and cheer.
On Christmas Eve we heard carols in the magnificent Abbey. We were told that at a later service, Nicholas Cage - who owns a little holiday shack in the
Royal Crescent - and his entourage (including some brassy LA-blondes and Jack Osbourne) were in attendance. Amongst the beige slacks and parka/pearls local set I'm sure they would have been really inconspicuous.
Christmas Day held present opening, a five-course lunch and strolling through the quiet streets as the sun set before going back to our B&B for a DVD, Monopoly and to sleep it all off.
Over the next few days we combined sightseeing with a bit of shopping (although I enjoyed the shop windows more than anything they were selling in the sales) and capped it all off with a visit to the Thermae Bath Spa - a health complex with baths fed by the naturally warm (about 35 degrees), mineral rich waters from the springs which have made the city famous. It was pretty amazing to be swimming outside in naturally warmed water in a rooftop pool on a freezing cold day.
The image above is taken from their website as alas we saw no blue skys. In fact, when reflecting on the trip, B described the weather as having been 'perfect'... 'perfect' in this instance meaning that it only rained when we happened to be asleep or indoors somewhere, luckily never when we were out and about... what other proof do you need that we have really been over here for a while now?
