We arrived in Bath in the evening time, grabbed some coffee, took a walk through the christmas festival and climbed into bed.
Zzzzz.
First things first, we head downstairs to eat breakfast and find we're eating among transitional living tenants. We ate fast.
Now off to the baths!
We had free admission to the costume museum along with our Baths ticket, so of course we went there too. We tried on dresses and corsets and hats, viewed some of Lady Di's most memorable gowns, and perused some of the biggest fashion houses most recognizable styles. Beautiful.
Onward to London.
Our hostel had a bar that offered 1 euro off draft beers and cider. Yup. Exactly what we needed. We sat at our bar table with our trusty travel books and hostel "what to do in London" pamphlet and got down to business. WHAT were we going to do with our next two days.
Day 1: We took a walking tour all around London. We saw the changing of the guard, parliament, Queen Victoria gardens, Big Ben, Westminster, and had a fantastic guide that kept us thouroughly entertained. In fact, I was so enthralled, I almost forgot how frozen my feet were. Just kidding. I was acutely aware.
We went back to the hostel to warm up and change because we had a NIGHT planned ahead of us.
I had read that you could get into Westminster Abbey for free if you went for a service. I then learned that at 5pm, every night, the mens choir performs an Evensong. We took the tube down to the Abbey and wandered around to a non-descript entrance. The usher waved us in when we said we were there for Evensong. We walked up the intimidating hall, alone...quietly. There were about 50 seats set out in the main chapel area of the church. We took our seats. The choir swished in with their beautiful robes. We sat in awe for 45 minutes as we were transported to another time, another life. The mens voices were so clear and angelic, wafting through the centuries old abbey. Every monarch of Englad has been crowned here. We were silenced by the thrill.
We walked out and both were so emotionally moved. No time to dwell. On to find some great Indian Food. Marked by the tell-tale signs of an excellent Indian restaurant...christmas lights. We found some, it was delicous. And we had a lovely dinner of wine and curry while we watch London move along outside the window.
Apres dinner, we were going to tag along on a pub crawl the hostel was hosting. We walked in, and were immediately turned off by the clientele. No thanks. We don't need half naked drunk girls screaming in our ears all night. So, we made our own pub crawl. We walked all the way back across the city sampling local beers and ciders along the way. Winding up at a cozy little bar with a live band. We danced the night away and learned authentic cockney accents whilst being serenaded by handsome Brits. It was fantastic.
The next day was our LAST. DAY. I think the day was overshadowed by our sadness of leaving. Well, that and we visited probably the most depressing monument in the UK. We walked from the hostel, across Tower Bridge, and on to the Tower of London. Beheadings, treason, murder, and the fight for monarchy. Light. I think we both enjoyed it immensely....big nerds.
We spent the evening drinking cider in the bar before taking the last train to Heathrow. We stocked up on snacks and spent the night in the airport watching Gossip Girl. Our flight left first thing in the morning...and home we came.
And all I want is to go back.
