London: Day 3

Today's Andi's 30th birthday and we decided to take the train to Bath to celebrate somewhere new. We boarded the train at the famous Paddington Station, paid about $50 each and rode 1 1/2 hours to Bath.

Paddington Station

We're staying the night at the Dorian House Bed and Breakfast and it's absolute heaven. Our room's about 3 times the size of the one in London and includes breakfast, free Wi-Fi and character. We're in love. Booking travel as we go definitely has its advantages. We've found killer hotel deals, like the Dorian, for half price ($130/night vs. the regular $250/night).

Our room at Dorian House

The town of Bath Spa is exactly as you imagine England to be. The buildings are historic, the streets are made of cobblestone and the history exudes out of the buildings. Today we walked into the main city center which was bustling with townspeople and tourists, then stopped at the famous Roman Baths. This place was build by the Celts in 60AD. Although a bit touristy, it was pretty incredible to walk on the same steps as the Romans so many years ago. The steam naturally occurring from the baths were incredible and as dorky as we may be, we each listened to an audio guide so we could understand what truly made this place so special.

Roman Baths

Next, we visited the Royal Abbey. There was a school choir performing Christmas carols inside so we stopped to listen for a bit.

Royal Abbey of Bath

Andi was set on having afternoon tea while in London. We stopped at the Sally Lunn House - the oldest house in Bath for a cup of tea and a bite to eat. The house was tiny and historic and the service was perfect. We ordered the famous Lunn biscuits and butter, vegetable soup and sandwiches. It hit the spot on a cold, winter day.

The famous Sally Lunn's

We figured we couldn't visit a town called Bath Spa without a trip to the real thing, so we made appointments at Thermae Bath Spa, a natural thermal spa. We end up at the spa on every vacation we take and it's interesting to compare them all. We paid $150 each for 4 hours in use of the facilities and a 1 hour massage. The employee asked us if we brought our "swim costumes" which we did not, so she advised us to purchase some at the sporting goods store down the road. We headed for the clearance section as to not spend $100+ on swimming suits we'd never wear again and we each found something suitable. Mine an European version of a Speedo one-piece and Andi's an old-man boxer short variety. (He was looking for a Speedo bikini so thank goodness they didn't one!). We arrived back to the spa and were shown to the changing rooms. Everything's co-ed which was interesting, but a nice change of pace. There's nothing worse than being separated from Andi when I'm not sure what I'm suppose to be doing anyway. We changed, then headed up the "lift" (elevator) to the Rooftop Pool on the 3rd floor. When we walked off the elevator, I swear we were walking into an orgy - it was that strange - but of course, we weren't. It was just a rooftop pool, filled with tons of couples overlooking historic English buildings. No big thang.

The Rooftop Pool

The spa's steam room was also very Euro with steam vestibules and co-ed showers in the center of the room. It felt very scandalous and cool with clean lines and modern design.

Steam Room

The massage itself was very similar to the U.S. Well, except for when the masseuse rang a bell to signify the end - that was a little strange.

We cabbed back to the hotel, mostly because we felt like jelly after spending 5 hours at the spa. We freshened up a bit, then walked up the street to find a place for dinner. We stopped at Richley's Wine Bar, a small restaurant with an awesome local menu and only 5 tables inside. Quaint. Local. Perfect. We sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of wine as we waited for a table and started to chat with an older couple who live down the street. They were so cute and we had a great time sharing travel stories with one another. I hope that's what Andi and I are like one day: lots of memories and still so in love.

We have the best dinner at Richley's. Andi ordered Salmon and I had a Spinach Mushroom Pasta. The best meal we've had here so far. Now we're going to celebrate the last few hours of Andi's birthday. So happy we decided to visit Bath. It gave us a great perspective of England outside of the big city. The people are friendly. The history is breathtaking.

Tomorrow we'll take the train back to London's Paddington Station, then connect the EuroStar and make our way to France. Another venture awaits ...