BATH, ENGLAND Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A Day at the . . . Baths!

Stratford was lovely, and we loved how quickly we became familiar with the logical plan of the streets (thanks to the Romans!) and how cozy it all seemed, after two very full days, we were ready to move on. We both thought about one more day for a boat ride on the Avon River would have been nice.

Okay time for a cultural literacy lesson! We learned something fun from one of our many tour guides about using the term “Avon River.” When one says “Avon River,” it is actually quite redundant because it literally means “River River” since “Avon” was actually the Roman word for “River.” So, Stratford-upon-Avon actually means that the town of Stratford is on the Avon (or River).

Back to the narrative now . . . we both thought it would have been nice to have another day to walk up and down Henley Streets to look in the shops, and perhaps seeing the two other Shakespeare properties might have been fun and even seeing the RSC cast in the other play in reperatory right now—Love’s Labor Lost, but for the most part, we concurred that we were fine with moving on to Bath.

After another delicious traditional English breakfast, we bid farewell to our guestmates, who came from the U.S., South Africa, Australia, and England, many of whom, when we left, were still deep into discussing the pros and cons of the cuts made in Hamlet last night to get it down to 3 ½ hours rather than the 4 hours needed to do the whole play. Everyone agreed it was brilliant, and some had seen it at least twice. One person told us of a young man who had seen it once and loved it so much that he slept outside all night to be first in the queue the next morning to buy return tickets in case any came back. He did get in! After waiting for nearly an hour last night at the Stage Door in hopes David Tennant or Patrick Stewart would come out and sign autographs, we heard that they had slipped out another exit tonight despite their having come out the last 4 nights in a row to meet fans. Fie on it, oh fie! (quoted from Hamlet, of course)


We made our way to the train station in anticipation of a long, uneventful train ride to Bath where we could catch up on sleep. As so many people told us, day 3 is usually when jet lag is most troublesome, and I certainly agree. Both of us were up very late last night researching places to stay in Bath once we got word that the Mad Max Cotswolds Tour we had hope to go on on Thursday had been confirmed. However, once we got to the rail station (thank goodness we were early), we found we had two train changes—Birmingham and Bristol—including a 10 minute walk in the rain from one station in Birmingham to another . . . very frustrating.

Paula thought ahead enough—wise! Very wise!—to run in quickly to a stand selling Cornwall pastries so we had something to eat on one of the train segments. This time it was beef and onions—to die for!



We finally arrived in Bath in rain and amid so much confusion because of the construction projects which seemed to be happening everywhere. We had several maps of Bath we had taken with us, but each one of them had the bus station drawn at the wrong place. When we finally arrived there, one of the workers said that they had torn town the old station several months ago and moved temporarily to the current location.


























Everywhere one can see the influence of the Romans.

Here is where the Roman Baths are.
Things didn’t get any better once we got on bus 18 bound for the University of Bath with a supposed stop at the station of the Italian mansion-youth hostel

we had booked for the night. Two bus drivers had no idea where the hostel was on their route, and we ended up getting help from a university student. Even with her help, the bus drivers steered us wrong by letting us off a step too early causing a long trek with suitcases up a rather steep hill to the hostel.

Once at the hostel, we were disappointed to find out the quad we had booked, which would have two other women sharing with us, wasn’t actually in the mansion but in a rather ordinary dorm type of annex. However, this was the absolute best we could do economically at such a late date. We had to “hire” towels, but linens were provided. We changed quickly and started off down the hill again to take #18 to the centre of Bath, where Paula was excited to shop!



We started out looking for fashionable accessories for Carina, Kelli, and Lauren, and, girls, if you are reading this . . . maybe we found you something and maybe we didn’t! You’ll have to see on Sunday! We really liked (and started really noticing as we walked about) what was “in”—skinny jeans with leggings tucked in flat mid-calf boots (or “trainers”—British for athletic shoes).



And there are scarves everywhere—for men, too! (What do you think about that, Chris, Robby, and Tom?) No, we didn’t pick up any scarves for the guys. Don’t worry!




It seemed to take forever to find the antique stores Paula really wanted to visit.















We did stumble into some fun places to explore, however.


We had such conflicting advice from several locals, but somehow we ended up by our own surprising wrong terms at an antique market up several flights of stairs where

Paula found plenty of hat pins—things she likes to collect and which were a standard part of a lady’s hat before about 1940. Linda really liked the soldier’s name pins—pins given to their sweethearts left at home and which bore the women’s names.

It was so interesting to see the names such as Bessie, Mildred, Adelaide, Bertha—names not at all used much today in comparison with the past. I really wish I could have found one with my mom’s name, Ruth, but no luck. It was cool to see “Bessie,” however. They were also very pricey at about 38 pounds each or about $68.00. Well, it was fun to learn about them and the hatpins and their place in history. We also found an awesome furniture store with some incredible pieces but very, very expensive. The owner who has been in the antique business for decades said that it has been increasingly difficult to find quality things to see anymore. Collectors are just, like everyone else, trying to made ends meet, so to buy antiques of the likes we saw in his shop is considered extraordinary.


We headed back in the Centre to check out more fashionable clothing stories and sightsee (as we did in Stratford) on the Hop on/hop off bus.

We got to see the famous Putney Bridge which has shops on either side. When you drive on the bridge, you can see right through the shops to the river on each side.











Everything was going really great until we realized, as this was the last tour of the day that we were driving during rush hour traffic—super congested—and the weather was turning uglier and uglier by the minute.

Paula really wanted to see the famous architectural masterpiece, The Crescent, but when we finally got there close enough to take pictures, it was pouring and impossible to be outside at all. We were forced to buy postcard pictures to replace our own, but it was still fun to be on the bus and hear the history of this ancient city with Roman Baths,

the Abbey (at left), street musicians, stunning building designs, etc. We needed at least one more full day, which we don’t have because of the all day Cotswolds Tour on Thursday.












Oh, where shall we dine? We heard about the Loch Fyne Fishmongers, but remembered another suggestion--the oldest house in Bath--Sally Lunn's.














Sally Lunn’s was also known for its special dinner menu that cost only an unbelievable 10 pounds (18 dollars) (this is considered a great price right now) per person. Yikes!

Well, Sally Lunn’s menu (event he value-priced choices) seemed like it was going to be a first rate meal, but after the awesome signature Sally Lunn Bunns, the entrees came, and Paula’s lamb was tough and terribly disappointing. She had it taken back, and out of the kitchen came a terrific chicken entrée, which she loved.

At 8:00, we were off to the Hunstman Inn for the much anticipated BIZARRE BATH tour/experience/comedy routine. Tripadvisor.com, which Paula and I used extensively to plan this trip, rates Bizzare Bath right now as the number one tourist attraction—even higher than the Roman Baths! (a bit hard to believe).

On their own website, Bizzare Bath is described as a “unique evening entertainment that appeals to everyone. You'll laugh yourself silly when you join the celebrated stroll which takes an irreverent look at the city of Bath.

You'll experience unforgettable mysteries, thrills, and surprises that stretch the traditional image of the city. So if you're looking for something hysterical rather than historical, why not join us?” We were ready to laugh, and laugh we did . . . repeatedly!


Well, we were ready to find the number 18 bus to head up the hill for the youth hostel when suddenly crowds and crowded of 18 year old students swarmed the area where the next #18 was due to arrive. We had no idea what was up—midweek all this frivolity? Don’t these students have class tomorrow? Then there was the manner of their dress. Many were dressed up as police, convicts, wild animals, all colored in green, and after that I lost count. Was it midterm (or half term) break? Did the bars just close at 10:00? Was there a celebration? An early Halloween party for hundred? Or were these traveling players in for a “one night gig in Elsinore”—oops! I mean Bath.

Once the busses arrived (this must have been anticipated by the bus company), it was mayhem and chaos and a bit frightening. The students, quite “happy,” were pushing and shoving to get onto the busses. Paula and I were baffled . . . was this even safe? Would we be stomped on? Should we just find a taxi or wait for the next bus? We decided to “press” on, and with the assistance of a very nice man dressed as a law officer yelling “let them [the “older” women] in first!” Well, we made it on the bus, and it was packed! I asked two young women dressed as convicts

what was up with all this, and they told me that this was initiation night for the new freshies or 18 year-old “newly chosen on the team” athletes. The swimmers were wearing clothes to comply with their required “cops & robbers” theme. The track and field athletes were assigned “dress like wild animals.” Their participation in this event was considered required but certainly not endorsed by the University administration, but oh those young people . . . there was “method in the madness.” We actually had a great chat and compared notes on the University systems in the U.S. compared to England. Apparently, the University is for everyone, and it costs an average of 3000 pounds a year or about $2700. However, the unemployment is very, very high, and many students have no clue what to do career-wise after they graduate. Sounds familiar . . .
Once off the bus and into the mansion (the hostel), we went into the lounge to watch the news to see what’s been happening in the U.S., check tomorrow’s weather, and had a nice chat with the young man behind the desk who is planning a cross-country adventure in the U.S. next month. We tried to give him lots of tips. We came back to our room for the first time since we arrived in Bath mid-afternoon. Our roommate was sleeping, so we know nothing about her at all except that she sleeps soundly! A few minutes ago we got our last roommate, and she was quite the character—didn’t seem at all understanding about the special environment of a hostel—like the making of beds, honoring roommates wishes to quiet when one arrives, etc.

We had a very comfortable sleep! Unfortunately, no WI-FI service prevented work on the blog tonight.

Where There's a Will, There's a Play! Oct. 14, 2008

Linda at Shakespeare's grave at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Paula checks out a typical English garden at Anne Hathaway's cottage.

Today was Shakespeare, Shakespeare, and more Shakespeare!

We had a lovely typical English breakfast at the Salamander this morning--fresh squeezed orange juice, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and wonderful coffee. Our host, Pascal, a Frenchman married to an Englishwoman is delightfully funny and an awesome cook. We sat with Brent and heard quite the preview of the much anticipated Hamlet we planned to see later tonight.

The day was sunny with a bit of chill in the air, but what a perfect day for a ride on the open-air "hop-on hop-off" bus we elected to travel by. Sometimes for part of the ride there is a 'live' tour guide, and at other times, we had headphones that gave us all the stories as we road out to the countryside for a look at two of the Shakespeare houses--

Anne Hathaway's cottage (she is the woman who married Shakespeare) and Mary Arden's house (she was Shakespeare's mother. The cottage gardens were lovely, and we met a great tour guide,






Madeleine,


who answered our every question and gave us lots of anecdotes to remember about the house and grounds.













About an hour later, we headed to see the Palmer Farm and Mary Arden's house. Linda remembers being in the Palmer Farm


and being told during her summer in England in 1988 that it was actually the farm of Shakespeare's mother. It turns out that it wasn't at all. In the year 2000, all the studies and verification were completed that that house had to be built in the late 1700s--long after Mary and Shakepeare, too, died. In fact, the house owned by another famiy on the property was actually dated to that late 1500's, and the fact that that property was actually Mary's family's was authenticated!

It was so awesome to be there when we were because groups of school children were on a field trip there that day.

Our tour guide explained to us where the expression "to put her up on the pedestal" came from--these shoes called Patinn's who had a heel called a pedestal. The shoes were so wobbly that to go out, the lady had to be put up on her pedestal!














The tour guides and the chilren, too, were all wearing the actual peasant-style clothing of the Elizabethan Age, and in each room at Palmer's Farm, there were smaller groups of kids learning how to bake bread,




dip candles, make a bed with the fabric of the times, and feeding the sheep.

















It was amazing how short the doorways were.












The tour guides catered the lessons and the information to the children, and it was fun hearing
their questions and answers, too.


We finished up our day at Mary Arden's house out in a meadow where a woman demonstrated falcolnry.











As she explained (again complete with charming anecdotes), children and adults who wanted to (Linda!) came up from the group and put on a falconer's left glove, and a beautiful, trained Bengal Owl flew from one to another as the trainer placed food on the glove.







What a majestic bird! Before we left, we had a lovely lunch of plum tomato basic soup--apparently a favorite here in Stratford at this time of year.

On the way back from the village, it began to rain and the microphone didn't work, so we sat under a canopy covering on the top of the bus and listened to more stories and were treated to a first class view of the sights.

















We got off the bus at Hall's Croft, which was the residence of Shakespeare's oldest daughter Susanna and her husband, the weathy physician John Hall. We learned a lot about the differences between a house of this stature


and those dwellings we saw out in the country. There was a lot of artwork and even a facsimile of the first folio!

There was also an exhibit about the plague and what doctors had to do in order to contain it. This was fascinating.














Then we took a stroll down toward the Avon River where the famous

Holy Trinity Church,

where Shakespeare and his family, including Susanna and John, were buried. Susanna never had children who survived and neither did her sister Judith or brother Hamnet who died in infancy. That means the blood line of Shakespeare disappeared after his children died.

The church was lovely, and we were treated to a string ensemble's practice for an upcoming concert. It was heavenly to listen to their music while looking at the gravesight where Shakespeare was buried. Needless to say, we took tons of pictures of all different combinations.

We met Nigel there, a proprieter in the gift shop in the church, who gave us many ideas about our visit to Bath and the Cotswolds. He should have been a stand-up comedian. He had us laughing and marveling at his myriad of puns sprinkled through his stories. We cannot get over how very friendly and warm each and every person is whom we have stopped to talk to.


We came back to the Salamander to rest up for Hamlet, check e-mails, and see whether our Cotswold Tour for Thursday was on! We were so happy to find out that it was and had to do some scrambling to find accommodations in Bath for Wednesday night instead of going to London. It looks like we'll be staying at a youth hostel in Bath that night since most everything else is either booked or too expensive.

Paula was up for traditional English fish and chips before Hamlet, so we went up Sheep Street and found Barnaby's--highly recommended for value and taste. It was just the ticket. Next we were off for Hamlet, and it was awesome! We sat up in the 2nd row of the gallery, but we could see and hear just fine and were so impressed with

Patrick Stewart as Claudius,








David Tennant as Hamlet,


















and especially the two actors from whom we got autographs after the play--Penny Downie as Gertrude, and a Royal Shakespeare Company member for 26 productions, Oliver Ford Davies!

Linda had them sign her old Hamlet book, and Paula had them sign by their pictures in the program. She even met Peter De Jersey who played Horatio. We even ran into our new friend June, whom we had met on the train from London, and went down to the stalls (3 rows from the stage) to see what the view was life that close! Had we had more time, Linda would have LOVED to see it again.

We walked back to the Salamander down the walking street Henley and really liked seeing all the stores and bed & breakfasts and restaurants named after things connected to Shakespeare from names of his plays Twelfth Night B&B, to parts of famous quotes (a chocolate shop called "If Music Be the Food of Love," to characters in Shakespeare's plays (a museum of local history called Falstaff's Experience).

Tomorrow, we're on to BATH! This will be our last night at the Salamander!