Day 3 - Bath

Thankfully, Bath is dry today. It was drizzling when I arrived yesterday afternoon and didn't stop all night. Still, I took a bit of time to explore the streets to start getting a feel for the place. There is definitely a residual sense of a city that was once walled; take one of the winding streets in any direction and you will almost always find your way back to somewhere you recognise. I had a quick local ale in The Old Green Tree (apparently one of Bath's oldest pubs, but no one seemed to know anything beyond that), one in the Garrick's Head and then some tapas in a semi-hipster place called Market. Luckily, one of the waitresses chose to have her break on the table right behind me and started a nauseatingly loud phone conversation with someone clearly hard of hearing. I assumed that because she kept repeating everything; "are you going? Are you going though? Are you going to it though? Are you going?" - Classic stuff.

I was concerned I was going to have to share my 4 bed hostel room with some other people, and low and behold, two French girls turned up. As you can imagine, I was horrified. They were so excited to see me, on the other hand, that they had to pack up and leave first thing in the morning before their natural urges took over. Understandable.

Today I breakfasted (which is what posh people say) at the Pump Room, then took the tour of the Roman Baths. Audio guides bang on a bit I've concluded on this trip, but I did hear a hell of a lot of interesting things. It's hard to select what to write about from the sheer onslaught of information they provide on the tour, so I'm not going to bother. Also, I'm pretty sure I've forgotten everything I heard.

A bath and an Abbey

Ducks. Cool.

The 'Sacred Spring'. With shit in it.

I explored a lot more today, making my way a bit further out of the centre. The view at the weir by Pulteney Bridge is beautiful, as are most of the buildings here, built during the expansion of the city during the Georgian era from Bath stone. The Royal Crescent is a remarkable place, and I expect the views from inside the houses overlooking the city are amazing, but I'd much rather live in The Circus. Designed by the fantastic nutcase John Wood, the ring of townhouses that make up The Circus was inspired by the Colosseum. It just seems a much more fun place to live.

The Circus

The Royal Crescent

The Weir

The sandwich I had in the Roman Baths Kitchen was possibly the gayest I've ever eaten - goats cheese, cabernet-braised beetroot and creamed horseradish. It was pretty amazing though. I've just been to a little arthouse cinema called The Little Theatre Cinema (clever) to see Mud, a film in which Matthew McConaughey continues his career McConnaisance. I was distracted for the whole film as I was pretty sure Karl Urban was sat in front of me. As soon as the credits rolled he pegged it out (classic Hollywood sign) and I bombed after him, desperate to catch a glimpse like some deranged stalker. It wasnt him.

Currently I'm sitting in the Crystal Palace, a pub where Admiral Nelson convalesced after being wounded at the Battle of the Nile, and which now plays Gil Scott-Heron on the stereo. I've had Stonehenge by Spinal Tap stuck in my head all day.