Bath

The last time I was in Bath was 2003 with the Pattons. Originally Bath was a thermal springs used by the Romans when they invaded Bittania. They named the site aquae sulis after the Celtic goddess of water Sulis and built a bathing house around the spring. The naturally warm/hot water is the only hot mineral spring in the UK, and what's more it's naturally carbonated! The warm bubbly water lets off steam and looks like its boiling, but in fact it's not hot enough to boil. The original building had a roof and the baths were clear. The roof has since crumbled and the sunlight feeds the bacteria in the water and the green is the resulting algae.




Bath Abbey




There was a lovely series of illuminated manuscripts on display in the abbey, this is just one beautiful example:


Fish 'n' Chips for lunch!

Salisbury

Salisbury is a charming town in Wiltshire. It's a lot like Bruges, actually. The Avon is the main waterway through the center of town, though technically there are 5 rivers total flowing through Salisbury. We had a nice walk around, visiting the cathedral, shops and "old historic stuff."

Old Sarum

Old Sarum is the ancient/original site of Salisbury. The Celts settled here and built a castle and community on this butte. Unfortunately it was a doomed site- while up on a hill and surrounded by a moat, attackers found an isolated site with no way to retreat. You can walk around the ramparts and see where the castle, cathedral and homes/shops used to be. The kids loved it! The view of the surrounding valley and Salisbury was beautiful.

Crossing the Channel

I was excited to accompany the 6th grade trip to England. Total of 90 students, 9 chaperones, 2 coaches and drivers and lots of luggage. This is in Calais getting loaded on to the shuttle in the tunnel in/under the English Channel (or la Manche).

Just Smurfing Around

Guess which smurf is me and which smurf is Libby...

The Smurfs (or, les schtroumpfs en français) are originally a Belgian creation, these little darlings three apples high. Just like in the English version of the cartoon, in familiar French, one can even use the verb schtroumpfer in place of just about anything "Hey! What are you schtroumpfing over there?" "I really schtroumpfed that exam." "Jean schtroumpfed on the ground and now he's got a hole in his jeans."

Obsessed with food?

I've had a look through my blog posts over the years and months, and a good number of them revolve around food (26/147 blog posts). One might think I had a one-track mind... But seriously, what's traveling without tasting the flavor of the place you're in?

Bon appétit!

Pont Aven

After visiting many charming towns in Normandy, Gildas thought it was only fair to go on a tour of equally adorable villages bretons. I agreed. Welcome to Pont Aven and its river, mill and lovely stone architecture.