my jaunts: bath, england

Posted on July 18, 2018 by jaunt blog

a row of homes during our walking tour of bath from the mayor’s honorary guides.

last year, my husband and i were in devizes, england for a wedding, and found ourselves just 45 minutes away from the world heritage site town of bath. i’d heard of the eponymous roman baths located in town, but honestly i thought the town sounded slightly boring and perhaps stuck in the past, most likely because the only thing i knew of the town was its ancient namesake. however, we were so close and it seemed ridiculous to not go, so we decided to spend a day in bath before a weekend in london. the day turned out to be one of my favorites of our entire trip, and i was so pleasantly surprised that i can’t wait to return! bath was somehow both quaint and urban, charming and modern. independently owned boutiques, restaurants, and pubs are scattered throughout the city center, which created a unique and vibrant mix of the past and present.

a view of the pultaney bridge over the avon river.

we drove from devizes and parked outside the old city of bath and caught a shuttle inside using the park and ride system, which provided shuttles every 15 minutes and dropped us off just a short walk from the roman baths. (click here for information on visiting via other modes of transportation.) we only spent 12 hours in bath, but we made the most of our time. the itinerary for our day in bath is below.

the famous roman baths! yes, the water looks that green.

9:00am (during some parts of the year they do not open until 9:30am) – visit the roman baths (yes, you must see these)! the romans built a temple over the naturally-occurring hot springs in 60-70AD following their invasion of england, and it has been modified and updated ever since. the self-guided tour is extremely well done, and allows you to stroll through the temple and baths at your own pace, which could take anywhere from 1-2 hours. while you can’t relax in the warm waters here, you are able to at multiple nearby spas. if you’re interested in testing out the waters, check out some of the spas here.

an adorable theater (theatre) on our walking tour of bath with the mayor’s honorary guides.

10:30am – take the FREE two-hour walking tour offered by the mayor’s honorary guides. it provides an excellent stroll through the town that captures the main sites and gives you a feel for what you’d like to see more of in the afternoon. also, it’s free. the tour covers all parts of town, including the avon river, pultaney bridge, the circus, the royal crescent, queen’s square, and more. tours begin and end around the corner from the roman baths, in front of the pump house and bath abbey.

lunch at same same but different was delightful.

12:30pm – lunch at same same but different. located in the more urban downtown area of bath, this delightfully laid back café has delicious sandwiches, salads, and tapas with a mediterranean bent. the food was flavorful and fresh, and the service was extremely friendly. due to its highly trafficked location, there is great people watching as locals and tourists stroll by.

the lush patio at colonna and smalls coffee house.

2pm – shop and stroll through the middle of town. i had found several shops that i wanted to check out, and shopping and walking in the compact city center made for a delightful afternoon. mr. b’s emporium was the most perfect independent bookstore with three floors of charming rooms packed full of books of all genres. i browsed for upwards of an hour before settling on ali smith’s how to be both (which i highly recommend). the grace & ted designer resale clothing store was another surprising gem, and is where i purchased a chloe sweater and my husband purchased a classic barbour jacket, still his favorite today. the store has two floors of designer clothes at reasonable prices. we stopped for a mid-afternoon coffee at the hipster colonna & small’s, which probably takes itself a little too seriously, but the coffee was admittedly delicious and the back patio provided a lush reprieve from the minimalist interior.

a room inside the wonderful mr. b’s emporium!

4:30pm – work up an appetite by walking cross-town through shops and over the avon river to sydney gardens. the park is beautiful and we rested a bit while we watched locals head home from work. we then stopped for an early evening beer at the salamander pub. the pub stop (most any pub will do) is a must.

a walk through sydney gardens (and my husband is wearing his new barbour coat from grace and ted!).

7pm – dinner at yak yeti yak, a basement nepalese restaurant. yes, it seems odd to eat nepalese food in bath, but it had some of the highest yelp reviews in town and was reasonably priced, so we thought “why not?” the food was delicious and memorable.

dinner at the nepalese restaurant, yak yeti yak.

who should go: history buffs, lovers of jane austen (she lived here for a bit and northanger abbey takes place in bath)

what to read: northanger abbey

what to pack: comfortable walking shoes and a light umbrella in case of rain (tours are rain or shine)

jane austen’s northanger abbey is set in bath. grab a coffee and immerse yourself in stories of love in bath!

london on a layover

Posted on January 19, 2015 by jaunt blog

elizabeth tower (aka big ben) at the houses of parliament. hello, london!

last summer, en route to south africa from dallas, i stopped in london for a 12 hour layover. twelve hours! i had never been to london before, so i was thrilled to speed into the city and look around for a few hours. should you ever find yourself in the same situation, i’ve created a guide to the perfect speed-tour of london (the map below may only show up on non-mobile devices. if that’s the case, click here).

first tip: be rested from your flight over from the states. pack some ear plugs, tylenol pm, an eye mask, and an aspirin (no blood clots for you!) to make sure you are well-rested and ready to explore once you touch down in the UK. i flew into heathrow airport, which has a place, excess baggage company, to drop off bags for a fee. (pre-reserved storage plans are coming soon, which could save you time and money). from heathrow, take the piccadilly line on the underground to hammersmith; exit the train, walk across the platform, and board the district line to westminster. the trip into the city can take 45 minutes to an hour. if you are willing to spend about $50 per person each way, you can take the heathrow express to paddington station, but you will then need to also take a cab once at paddington station. i prefer the longer route in, and then the quicker route back. second tip: mind the gap is for real. there is a huge gap between the metro and the platform – be careful!

a quick walk across the westminster bridge gives you views of the london eye, the river thames, and the london aquarium.

once at westminster, ascend the stairs from the metro, and hark! the first stop on our speed-tour of london: big ben. it is quite large and stately – very impressive after the ride in from the bland airport. snap some photos and then walk east across the westminster bridge over the river thames (stop 2!) for a view of the london eye. check out the people, snap a selfie, and head back towards big ben on the west side of the river for stop number three: houses of parliament.

the scene in westminster: tourists, cabbies, big ben, and the london eye keeping watch in the background

ok, so this is kind of cheating because big ben is one of the three towers of the houses of parliament, but work with me here. you will also need to take a deep breath at this point because you are in the midst of tourist mania. school tours, asian tours, and a sea of selfie sticks will surround you as you try to catch a glimpse of the impressive buildings. walk in front of the houses of parliament on margaret street, then head west on sanctuary street to check out westminster abbey (stop 4!), where will and kate exchanged their vows (i know you watched it). there are a lot of tourist kiosks here, so buy yourself a couple of postcards; they’ll come in handy in a bit.

beware of the kicking/biting horses on horseguards avenue!

if you’re like me, you’re starving at this point, so to the pub we go! walk north on parliament street, stopping briefly at the barricades on downing street to try to catch a glimpse of the prime minister (i had grand visions of hugh grant waving from the door of 10 downing street in “love, actually,” but alas i just saw a lot of police officers). one block north, on horseguards avenue, i watched a horseguard (exactly as it sounds) change shifts…i am sure there was more to it, but i was pretty sleepy and completely overwhelmed by the british accents around me, so we moved on.

drinking outside at the harp. also, parker trying to look cool and british.

this is where things get a little tricky, so look alive here. you’re going to pass a busy intersection (london cabbies! big red buses!) and then duck right behind an impressive building (no idea what it is!) to find yourself at the harp pub on chandos place. this place is extremely legit, so if you get lost, you must ask directions to get there (or check out the map here to put yourself back on track). you may be the only tourist here (which is not the case at all pubs). locals crowd around the bar and small tables. order yourself a sausage sandwich, smother it with hp sauce, and enjoy an ale. delightful.

the harp pub in london. one of my favorites of the day.

lunch at the harp pub in london. extremely legit.

once you’ve satisfied yourself on english fare, head north from chandos to new row street, boasting the most delightful row of shoppes (see what i did there?) and restaurants and coffee houses you ever did see. pop into new row coffee and order yourself a flat white. take some time to write a postcard or two and enjoy the people watching out front.

the adorable new row street in london

after your nice drink, head west to piccadilly circus, which appears to be the times square of london and only received one word in my travel diary: “disaster.” i’m sure it has many wonderful qualities, but i missed them on that day. there is a cheesy store dedicated to british wares; do not make the same mistake as i did and go inside. avoid at all costs.

stop for a flat white at new row coffee in london – delightful!

from piccadilly, head south (yes, you’re backtracking a bit; it’s worth it) to the mall. this street, which is closed to traffic on sundays and is bordered by st. james’s park on the south, leads directly to buckingham palace. buckingham palace! so, what are you waiting for? walk forth! take a detour into st. james’s park if you’d like, enjoy the larger-than-life flora, sit in a green and white striped lounger, and take in the (hopefully, but probably not) beautiful day. walk around buckingham palace, snap a selfie with a guard, and then head west on constitution hill, bordered by green park to the north and buckingham palace gardens on the east.

the famous green and white striped loungers in st. james’s park

the larger-than-life flora in st. james’s park in london

buckingham palace and gardens

ok, i’m not going to lie: at this point, i became extremely exhausted and maybe a little crabby. this is a long walk. we’d covered a lot of ground. i hadn’t slept soundly in a while. i’d been wearing the same clothes for many hours. this is where you need to give yoruself a pep talk and fight through it. because just a few blocks away, further to the west, lies harrods.

welcome to harrods. pass the people and head inside for the unbelievable food markets!

what is harrods, you ask? oh, harrods. the ultimate department store with seven floors, food markets with oysters, caviar, macarons, tea, etc. a l’aduree downstairs and a cute restaurant lining the meat market where we enjoyed a glass of wine. just go.

a quick class of wine at galvin demoiselle in harrods (next to the meat market)

find the floor that interests you, and for sure stop for a completely and almost sickingly expensive glass of wine/beer. if shopping isn’t your thing, instead head into hyde park (the central park of london) and enjoy an hour or so of rest and relaxation among the bustling city.

the sea market at harrods – fish, caviar, and an oyster bar in the back.

at this point, you should probably be concerned about your flight, so hop in a classic london black cab and treat yourself to a ride to paddington station, where you can catch the express train (approximately $50 per person at the station, or $40 if purchased in advance) back to the airport. this trip is a mere 15 minutes. on our cab ride, we listened to the usa/germany world cup match (yes!) and the cabbie cheered with us as the US scored.

scenes of london while speeding by in a taxi

our london taxi that drove us to paddington station while listening to the usa/germany world cup match. USA!

catching the heathrow express back to the airport from paddington station – cheerio, london!

jaunt chats: wherever you go, there you are

Posted on February 18, 2014 by jaunt blog

Just a day in England

how delighted i was when an old friend from oklahoma wrote to tell me how much she enjoyed jaunt. it has been so much fun for me to write, and sometimes i just assume i’m the only one reading. kelly embodies the true spirit of jaunt, finding adventure wherever life takes her. she offered to write about living in a foreign land, as this is something about which she knows quite a bit. i was completely unprepared, though, for the beautiful post she returned to me last week. so perfectly worded and honest, please join me in convincing her to start her own blog. i want to read more.

India- riding an elephant on my birthday!

“Having now lived, worked and volunteered in the US, Czech Republic, UK, India and Canada and travelled to 35 countries here is what I know. Not much. The more you learn the more you know how very little you can really know. I may have a Master’s but I’ve learned much more from experience and people I’ve really connected with the world round. I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and sometimes I think back to the girl I was (our entire body – cells and skin – is replaced every 7 years so am I even really the same person? Just a thought… I would have been thrilled and delighted to hear that I would travel to and volunteer in India on my own, study at the University of London, marry my own Mr. Darcey and travel to 35 countries. How did I do that, it’s magic really. How did I get myself here? I often think… what else might be possible?

My husband, Mark and I at Kent Castle

When you live in a different culture you are changed. You can never un-know the precise detail with which the English use our shared language. I never used the word pedantic before moving there. You start to see your own culture as outsiders do. This can be enlightening and uncomfortable. You could always pick out the Americans on the tube as they speak in a tone 8 octaves above every other sane person on the train. Was I ever that loud? Did I sound that brash? Yes. After 7 years in the UK trying to assimilate, taking tea, donning my vintage frocks and developing the usual pint after every imaginable activity (Film and a pint, jog and a pint, cycle ride and a pint , shopping and a pint… etc.) the foreign became the norm as did the aspects I adored about British culture. The humour interjected at every single possible opportunity, the non- PC flirting that on a good day boosts your self-esteem (it’s not doing any harm is it eh?) on a bad day it re-invigorated my feminism! When you fall into a pattern of life, the seasonal norms that are comforting, eating cream teas in pub gardens in summer, heavy pies and roast dinners in Autumn and Winter, picking up local venison from the country estate nearby, the noise of pheasant hunting in the distance on country walks and knowing that Christmas starts Dec 1st with heaps of minced pies, chocolates and brandy butter. It is expected and very well accepted to gain 5 pounds in December. Normal. You’ll need the fat to keep warm in poorly insulated old housing! I LOVE this mind set, much healthier than our skinny = successful, good, worthy, pretty, intelligent culture in the US. There were aspects of British life I could never quite adjust to and ultimately I knew I wasn’t happy to stay there forever even though I did get my British citizenship.

Citizenship Ceremony – Bristol England 2011

The daily bureaucracy is very trying. You think getting a correct electric meter reading is something fairly simple. Think again. Setting up bank accounts, converting your driver’s license, parking could all be quite stressful. Hence the frequent pub visits and tea times, but therein lays my revelation. In order to enjoy the lovely, (magical even) parts of living in England you just had to put up with and to really hit the nail on the head, joke about the utter pain of existing and operating in the UK. Sweet and sour if you will. The British have made an art of making fun of their own national short comings ( and everyone else’s) Something the US could really learn from. They could learn from our DVLA offices though, it’s really not that hard to process a driving license.

on holiday in Scotland March 2011 (very ill with morning sickness!)

I now feel not quite American, not quite British, although there was quite a lot of proving, taking the citizenship exam. So I figured why not try being Canadian next? I am only 11 months in to living and working in Canada and I am reserving final judgements and anthropological assessments…

West Coast of Canada since 2013

My shorter time in the Czech Republic was also trying (sobbing trying to speak broken Czech) and enriching (preforming with a folk dancing troupe in a 90 year old dress in the National Ball) in hind sight.

I lived in Prague 7 in an old villa, previously occupied by communist party officials. The family was welcoming in a Czech sort of way, which looks very different than an American welcome. I knew I was welcome because the house parents were often in their underwear on Saturday mornings! I knew I was welcome because I was invited to go drag car racing on an ex-communist air base along with the whole family. Cultural acceptance and immersion means getting out of your comfort zone and into a racing car with a full face helmet on. The area had become a nature reserve with high radiation levels in all the wildlife due to the poor management of military land. What a poignant way to learn this with deer racing across the drag strip.

Bavaria for a friend’s wedding

I found myself on trams out to the suburbs getting lost, trying to find niche folk dancing clubs and getting the oddest reception upon my arrival. Why do you want to do this? There was always genuine surprise at anyone’s interest in 1.the Czech Republic 2. Traditional dance. Cultural Anthropology was my (very useful) undergraduate major. I developed a close knit group of Czech friends through this dance and learned people’s personal stories and histories of the Velvet Revolution. There is so much more to Prague and the Czech nation than the normal 3 day tour can show you.

Wine Country – Kelowna British Columbia with my daughter Sasha

I suppose the only real lessons from these diverse, amazing, uncomfortable, confusing, heart wrenching and soul connecting, dancing in circles with strangers until they are your genuine friends moments and collections of moments that make up our utterly messy and beautiful lives is that everywhere you go there is something exotic. Everyone you meet may be on your wave length, even the hardened nuns I worked with in India- I softened them up in the end! Every place can be sacred, every field golden, every mountain a triumph. If you want to go, go. If you want to be a new person, you might already be. You can be a tourist in your own town; you can discover a new dish or shop or park in Rome or in the next county and it’s all part of being truly alive.”

Kelly Schaecher – Vancouver, Canada

Morocco

jaunt: one girl's search for adventure

Tag Archives: england

my jaunts: bath, england

london on a layover

jaunt chats: wherever you go, there you are