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| The Royal Crescent |
If there is one word to describe Bath, it would be idyllic. I fell in love with Bath when I first saw her in 2009. I joined a day tour of Stonehenge, Windsor, Cotswolds and Bath. I only had 3 hours to roam around and I was so dissatisfied. I vowed that the next time I go back to England, I will stay in Bath over night (at least).
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| Bath Abbey |
Flash forward to December 2010, I found myself on the train en route to Bath from London and anticipating a 3-day Bath time đ It was a short 1.5 hrs, 97 miles trip. Bath is a city in the county of Somerset, southwest of London. Bath has been voted the most picturesque city and has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987. As it should be, because Bath is just too beautiful for words. It may be teeming with tourists all year round, but she doesn’t lose her charm.
I arrived at the Bath train station on December 14, 2010. It was freezing and much colder than London! My B&B owner, Jane Carnegie from Aquae Sulis was kind enough to pick me up from the station. The B&B was about 10 minutes from the city center by car and 15 minutes by bus.
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| Wood the Younger |
Aquae Sulis is a charming building situated on Newbridge Road flanked by two identical, honey-colored houses. This B&B was clean, well-kept, and cozy. The decor might be a bit dated but the owners made up for it by giving exceptional service. I actually felt that it was part of the charm. Most of the rooms have private baths (12 rooms are en-suites)and were all well-equipped with toiletries and towels. The rooms had names like Jane Austen, Wessex and Sally Lunn. They gave me “Wood the Younger”. Loved my room, the hospitality tray (hot chocolate mix, coffee, cookies and candies), the space, and everything else about Wood the Younger đ
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| Sally Lunn’s |
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| Yours truly in front of Sally Lunn’s |
After settling into to my room, I hopped on the bus towards the city center. Short quick ride and I found myself in front Waitrose (UK’s premier grocery shop and a Queen favorite). I went in and bought a 2 bottles of water and a small box of banoffee tartlets (the name is a portmanteau of banana and toffee in a pie shell with whipped cream – so good!). I was already famished around this time so I made my way to Sally Lunn’s for some lunch. Sally Lunn’s is the oldest house in Bath. It also serves the famous Sally Lunn bun (not to be confused with the Bath Bun). Sally Lunn bun is a type of yeast bread that originated in Bath. It is often lightly scented with lemon and served sliced horizontally with butter or clotted cream. The Bath bun, on the other hand, is a rich, sweet yeast bread with sugar sprinkled in the bottom and on top after baking. Candied fruits are sometimes added to Bath buns.
Enough history, let’s move on to food! I ordered a veggie soup, rarebit sandwich, and a bath bun from my lovely server who kept calling me “my love”. Whilst waiting for my food, I was enjoying the kitschy splendor of the interior of Sally Lunn. The ceiling with exposed beams was low and the uneven floor add to the charm. It was stifling hot inside because not only was the room so small and packed with diners but also the roaring fire from the fireplace was just unrelenting. They had to keep the doors and windows open to let some cold air in.
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| Veggie soup with curry and Sally Lunn bun |
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| Rarebit Sandwich with mixed greens |
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| Sally Lunn Bun with super thick butter and jam |
My veggie soup came first. It’s essentially butternut squash with curry soup. My first bite of the Sally Lunn bun was just heaven! Fluffy and warm. The thick butter made it more decadent. After soup came in my rarebit sandwich. Rarebit is akin to American grilled cheese sandwich but of Welsh origin and had more ingredients. These ingredients are but not limited to melted cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ale and paprika. Sometimes the cheese and mustard can be mixed with Bechamel or Mornay sauce.
My sandwich was tangy and delish! I must note (if you haven’t noticed yet) that almost all dishes served by this restaurant is always accompanied by the bun. Can’t complain there because it was just too good! I came back later in the afternoon for some tea and had a bun with heaps of Devonshire cream (or clotted cream), jam and lemon curd. For anyone who has never heard of or tasted clotted cream, no fear. you can buy them at specialty food shops near you (Whole Foods, Mollie Stone’s, The British Grocery (SF) and You Say Tomato (SF)). It’s a perfect accompaniment to scones, brioche and even pan de sal. However, I tried it on vanilla scones and they did not taste good together. They were Starbucks scones, too. That’s probably why. Haha!
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| Devon Clotted Cream |
You cannot go to Bath without visiting the Jane Austen Centre on 40 Gay Street (if you’re an admirer, that is). The Janeites of Bath did a wonderful job with this small museum. It showcases costumes from the Regency England (and some used in Jane Austen movies e.g. Pride & Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion). I noticed a slight discrepancy on Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy photo’s caption. It said “Pride & Prejudice 1995”. Colin Firth was Mr. Darcy 1995 and Matthew was 2005. I mentioned it to one of the ladies so hopefully, they already made the necessary correction.
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| The ever fabulous Emma Thompson’s letter |
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| Emma’s Golden Globe acceptance speech |
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| My fave – Persuasion |
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| Error spotted! |
I had an early start the next day and with my Jane Austen map on hand, I made my way to the Royal Circus.
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| The small park in the middle of the roundabout – The Circus |
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| Georgian architecture designed by John Wood the Elder |
From the Circus, I started to head toward the Royal Crescent. I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the architecture, grandeur, and quaintness of the city while walking up along Brock St. The warm, honey-colored limestones used in the buildings make Bath so unique. It was also contemplative to enjoy walking around in Bath away from the throngs of tourists gathering in and around Bath Abbey and the Pump Room.
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| Beautiful lamppost |
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| Beautiful houses lined along Brock St. |
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| More Bath buildings |
Once I reached the corner of Upper Church St. and Brock St., I could see the Royal Crescent rising on my right. It was just spectacular! No words or pictures can describe what I was seeing. I did not capture the Royal Crescent’s entirety in one photo but I didn’t care. I just couldn’t believe I was standing in front of it, soaking in the presence of the building. As a Jane Austen fan, to see this in person was too overwhelming (I felt more than emotional when I went to visit her house in Chawton – that’ll be my next post).
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| Corner of Brock St. and Royal Centre |
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| The Royal Crescent |
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| Cobblestones and limestones |
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| Jane Austen lived here, too |