London: day 6

It was super early only because we went to bed way too late!  We had tickets for the 8:30 train to Bath which meant we needed to leave the flat at 7:30 to get to Paddington Station early to wait for the train.  In true fashion the time was posted 10 minutes before departure and a TON of people started speed walking to the train.  Thankfully we had reserved seats but we had little time to board before the train departed.  We claimed our seats and settled in for the 90 minute ride.  The southwest region of England had been experiencing heavy rains and flooding so we were a little concerned.  The weather forecast had this as the only day without showers so you know what that meant!  We arrived in Bath to cold wind and of course, rain too!  Our poor umbrellas were pointless and always blowing inside out.  We had picked this day for Bath because it was the first day of their Christmas Market and since we all loved Germany markets we thought it would bring back fond memories.  We approached the city center or shall I say we blew into the center of the city and made a quick stop at the Information Center to get the low down on what to see for our day trip.  The rain had stopped so decided to do some walking around town while it was bearable.  Our first stop was the Royal Crescent . . .

. . . it was SO massive there was no way to fit the entire building in the photo.  I tried!  No. 1 Royal Crescent was closed for renovations so just did the walk by . . . I thought I was leading us back into town but we ended up pretty far from the center!  Thanks to the fool who decided to change the direction arrow sign pointing the opposite/wrong direction!  At least with this minor detour we were able to see some of the Royal Victoria Park which was a delight.  Thankfully a nice girl turned us around towards the actual center.  Colin has become super picky with his eating so finding a place that worked for all three of us was challenging.  We finally settled on a place called Roman Baths Kitchen.  What sealed the deal for Colin was the steak while we had lighter lunch foods.  We sat at an upstairs table that overlooked the main attractions in the city center.  It was nice to sit down, warm up, and let our feet dry out a bit too!  It was time to explore some more so we headed to the Roman Bath Museum.  We entered, paid, and as I was paying noticed someone had left a nice umbrella; I turned it in to the lady and she said it happens all the time . . . this will become important later in the day!  I was expecting a small museum but was pleasantly surprised at how large and well preserved the baths are still today!

Of course I really wanted to just strip down and jump in the warm water!  I really liked this statue of Minerva inside the museum and it was on Colin's treasure hunt that he did while at the museum . . .

. . . Colin really seemed to enjoy the audio guide and was taking his time along the way.  Another view of the bath levels with the Abbey in the background.

Before we exited we could even taste the healing water . . .

. . . he wasn't that impressed  LOL  I had tasted water before in the Czech Republic and knew I wasn't missing anything!  Before we left the museum we made a bathroom stop, Colin insisted on using the men's; while I was not happy with him giving me a hard time about not coming with me.  He finally went in on his own while I went to the women's.  This will also become a key event later in the day!  We made a quick stop at the gift shop and headed outside to a very windy day but at least it wasn't raining.  We stopped in the Bath Abbey for a look . . .

. . . no pictures inside but the ceiling was amazing!  Notice Colin is checking out the poppy display from the Remembrance Day a few weeks before . . . speaking of poppies . . . these wreaths were all over the place and I just loved them!  I never saw any for sale and wanted to buy two to put out here in the US on Veteran's and/or Memorial Day.

I just loved them . . . the poppies were so bright.  After we exited the Abbey we explored the Christmas Market.  All the booths were very high quality items with no junk booths!  We didn't buy anything but enjoyed walking around.  I am now wondering why we didn't have any hot wine?  It was super windy and cold so we headed to Marks and Spencer to look for some chocolate coin candy!  Jackpot . . . buy 3 for the price of 2!  Our return train wasn't until 5:30pm but we decided to take our chance on an earlier train since it was cold and rainy. 

Boy, was it packed!  We did not have seat reservations and were at the mercy of finding seats . . . it was difficult but we did find three!  Colin and I were getting settled into our seats when I noticed his camera was not around his neck.  He started to panic, and I could feel steam building in my head.  I took everything out of the backpack, searched all our pockets, again rechecked the backpack.  I was livid!  Of course the train had already left the station and there was no way we were going back.  Did I mention I was livid?  I lectured at least 10 minutes about his lack of being responsible and how I was disappointed that he refused to go with me to the restroom . . . if he would have only listened we might not be having this talk.  I tried to let it go but just could not.  He wanted to play his Game Boy but told him that he could spend the next 90 minutes reflecting on the lost camera.  He finally remembered that he took it off when he went to the restroom and hung it on the hook behind the door.  Seriously, why did he even need to take it off.  I continued to remind him that it isn't so much the lost camera but the photos he spent so much time taking this week and that we would never ever be able to see or share with our family/friends.  I could see the despair in his eyes.  He was very upset with himself, and we spoke very little the next hour and a half.  I was fine with the lost camera and thought it was a great teaching moment.  Tomorrow we will attempt to call the museum and see if someone turned it in.  I am not letting it ruin my trip.  We arrived back home and John and Logan had prepared a traditional Thanksgiving meal for us . . . no turkey but a nice roasted chicken with sweet potatoes and dressing.  It was yummy!

Colin was proud of the 'turkey'.  Tomorrow is our last full day in London . . . I am so sad!