A few weekends ago, after Saturday in Bristol, Sunday was spent in beautiful Bath, in lots of ways the opposite of Bristol but equally as beautiful. It is a stunning city. Designated a World Heritage site it is famous for its imposing architecture and its Roman remains, which are built around its natural hot spring which still rises today at 46 °C. It also has one of the UK’s top ranked universities – The University of Bath. In days gone by people travelled from far and wide to experience the natural spa at Bath.
The Georgian architecture there is so beautiful, you feel like you have stepped back in time into a Jane Austin novel. The Royal Crescent, built by John Wood the Younger is a designated World Heritage Building and The Circus, built by his father is equally as stunning. Then there is the imposing Bath Abbey, situated next to the river and the Pulteney Bridge, modelled on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. It also has an unrivalled selection of shops and the UK’s best Christmas market so always gets a weekend visit from me in December for me to do my Christmas shopping.
The real reason for the whole Bristol / Bath weekend this time was a belated 22nd birthday celebration for my eldest. I still can’t get used to them not being at home on their birthday, I really don’t like it. So I always organise to see them for the weekend around their birthdays.
The plan for the day was a good wander around the streets, sites and parks of Bath followed by a birthday meal and drinks.
It’s quite rare these days that all I get both of my boys together as they live in different cities and both have busy lives so I love it when I get to spend time with them both together. What makes it even better is the fact that they actually more than just tolerate each other now, they actually seem to get on.
When they were younger they absolutely hated each other….. and I mean hate! There are only two and a half years between them. When they were small I read every book on sibling rivalry that I could find, convinced I was doing something wrong. It all started on the day the eldest came to collect the new baby and myself from the hospital, the day after his birth. He was two years old and I had read somewhere that it was a good idea for the new baby to come with a gift for the older sibling to help with the bonding process, call it a bribe if you like. So there I was, waiting for collection, baby in car seat, and a perfectly wrapped Scoop the Digger (from Bob the Builder) addressed to the ‘Best Big Brother in the World’. It all seemed to be going well and Scoop was very well received. Big brother had a quick nonchalant look in the car seat and carried on playing with Scoop. It all went downhill when the time came to leave the hospital …….he was absolutely adamant that Scoop was coming with us but we were leaving the baby at the hospital, he did not want it!
This continued until the baby was around 15 years old. He took every toy off the baby, wound the small toddler up at every available opportunity, fought through pre-adolescence and getting the teenage little brother into trouble with Mum was his number one pastime. Home was like a boxing ring, there were different zones and my priority was to keep them entertained and separate, it was just easier! We went out lots, the park, playgrounds, feeding the ducks etc. They were just easier to manage out of the house but they drove me absolutely insane.
Everyone told me it would pass. I never believed them but it has. There was a sudden realisation from both parties when the eldest left for University three years ago that they actually missed each other.
However, that aside, getting a picture of us together is a completely different matter. It was years since I had one of the three of us together, skiing in Austria around five years ago I think. They know I always want one so they wind me up by making sure I don’t get my shot. I had attempted to get a selfie the previous evening but it just ended with me falling out with them as they each took it in turns to pull a face and ruin the photo. I was determined that day in Bath was going to be my day!
So off we set, first stop Victoria Park and the Royal Crescent. Victoria Park is beautiful, especially on a sunny autumnal morning like it was that Sunday. It was opened by 11 year old Princess Victoria in 1830, seven years before she ascended to the throne and has an obelisk dedicated to her. The nice thing about visiting the park in the autumn is that it used to be an arboretum. It has so many trees of all different varieties and from all around the world and the autumn colours just take your breath away. The park is 57 acres in total so it was lovely to have a good walk around it and a catch up with them both together.
Next stop the Royal Crescent, probably Bath’s most iconic landmark. This is a Grade I listed crescent building of 30 Georgian terraced houses and in my opinion is one of the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the UK. Most of the crescent is still inhabited as housing today, with just a couple of units in use as a museum. The outlook over Victoria Park makes this one of the most desirable locations in Bath. It also marked the perfect spot for the Mum and sons photograph. I have now discovered that the key is to ask someone else to take the photograph rather than take a selfie. They suddenly become all sensible and do as they are told……..result!
Then onto The Circus. Similar to the Royal Crescent, but a little older, this is another Grade I example of Georgian architecture. It forms a complete circle of terraced houses, with three entrances to the circle. Time for some more photographs.
By this time we were ready for the real reason for the visit………Birthday celebrations! I can’t quite believe he is now 22 years old…….it has gone so fast. We all absolutely love food. Ever since they have been small I have always fed them all sorts of different food. I have travelled a lot with them too so they have been exposed to various different cultures and cuisines so their palette is quite varied. They have both loved things like olives and spicy food since being really small. So when we go out for something to eat we like to try something new and different and in Bath you are spoilt for choice.
We decided to go somewhere we’d not been before and opted for ‘The Coconut Tree’, a laid back casual place in the centre of Bath focusing on Sri Lankan street food. It was a little bit like tapas or mezze where you order a number of dishes and share. It also had the advantage of having an extensive cocktail menu, never a bad thing when you are there to celebrate, but not good for the wallet when you are there with two students and you are paying! The food was absolutely delicious. Favourites were the goat and coconut curry and the cuttlefish. As per usual they ordered enough to sink a battleship but managed to clear it all, washed down with a few ‘Hit Me Up Mezcals’ and ‘Raspbangin Martinis’. All in all an excellent Birthday celebration and I’d definitely recommend the cuisine of Sri Lanka.
Final stop, coffee overlooking the beautiful Bath Abbey and Pulteney Bridge as it started to rain and the light started to fade. There’s something magical about the Abbey though as the light starts to fade and the street lights illuminate the buildings of Bath. It’s quite Dickensian and I can see now why the town has been the choice of many directors filming classics such as Oliver Twist, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. It’s like a ready made film set with hardly any adaptation required. The end to a lovely weekend.
