Friday;; Day 18! Did I mention in my last blog how beautiful the house is that I'm staying in? Well, I wake up this morning to remind myself just how stunning it is and how blessed I am; I definitely feel like I'm on the set of an old movie. The house was built in 1797 apparently and Martyn and David restored it all when they bought it and now it's like a palace. Yes I may potentially be a little in love with it...

This morning Doreen and I head out, as planned, to visit a few famous buildings, monuments and of course, the Roman Baths. Before we left for Bath yesterday, the forecast informed us that there would be torrential rain for the next 4 days but so far it's warm and sunny! Silly weatherman! Doreen and I take a lovely stroll from the house down into the village-centre passing by the famous Royal Crescent and The Circus on the way. We had been told that at this time of year the lines would be huge to get into the Roman Baths but as we approached, there was nothing but a few families at the front waiting to pay and before we knew it we were straight in with our audio sets and pamphlets...(lucky us as later on was packed)

You take yourself on the tour but each time you reach a monument or display, there is a number and you key it in to hear about it. There is a beautiful exhibition wrapped around the centre of the baths within the old structures that have now been restored. You start off on the balcony level outside looking down on the bath (see blog photo) with people all sitting around the edge of the bath down below, I imagine day-dreaming and imagining they lived in the day of the Romans. The structures and the architecture is absolutely mind-blowing and you just have to run your hands over its walls as you walk by. Over the other side of the balcony below, there is a busker singing one of my favourite songs, and the wind blows softly around our faces as we take it all in. It really is breathtaking. You work your way through the exhibition and down each level (3 in total), learning about the history, how it once was, the goddess and her people, and the significance of each stone, pillar and person. I think Doreen liked it just as much as I did as we spent over 2 hours Roming (...did you see what I did there lol!!) through. We finally come to the bottom level of the springs and we walk up to the edge of the main bath to peak in. You can no longer touch the water but apparently in the 90s you used to be able to swim in it (I wish!). I sat on the steps leading into the water, like many others around me and just sat there. Calm. Completely calm...

I've been wanting to come to Bath desperately for so long and never thought I would get the chance, and now I'm here and staying with my God-fathers family all thanks to my beautiful God-mother and Doreen. I'm surrounded by people who love me in a city that takes you right back to the Georgian times and fills your soul with such warmth and admiration. I am so lucky. This city is stunning, I never want to leave. The energy is flowing, but still at the same time, stuck in it's ages with the outside world non-existent. The buskers fill each street with their flawless tones and the smell of love sweeps under your nose. I lean in and touch the water with my hand..naughty I know but I just had to! The perfect temperature for a bath, if only! You don't expect it to be so warm even though you've been told but the waters sit at a constant temperature of 46 degrees celcius! The water even bubbles at times, it's fascinating. It travels up from the Earth and apparently rises at the rate of 1,170,000 litres a day and carries with it many minerals and elements from the Earth!

Doreen and I take a few photos and take-in the atmosphere as well as it's beauty. I could have stayed there forever. We walk up some steps and through to a dark area with a big hole in the wall where you can stand up on a ledge and see the other bath; a circular much smaller one. The waters are like a light green opaque colour but none-the-less magical and tempting to just lie in.

Further on, there is an ever-flowing fountain of water that's apparently the water from these springs and you get the chance to taste it with paper cups provided. It warns you that the taste is a little odd and people make funny faces as they take their first sip! Up on the wall, there is a quote that says something along the lines of 'if bathing in and drinking these waters does not cure your illness, then nothing will'. Doreen and I take a cup and taste the water; warm and weird but somewhat holy. It feels precious and sacred! We look at each other and laugh as we re-read the quote! Despite the mild taste, if this stuff cures, I'm having seconds! We both take a second cup and gulp it down! I then realise I've got my stainless steel water bottle in my bag so I empty my boring old tap water out and replace it with these sacred springs! My whole bottle turns warm and I feel like I'm taking away an ancient healing potion! For the rest of the day I drink this water; weird maybe but I guess I figured it would be good for me :)

For the rest of the afternoon, Doreen and I roamed the beautiful streets that went up and down and around with little lanes and alleys off at every direction filled with shops and cute little cafés. We couldn't believe how warm it was after rain was predicted so we made the most of it, soaking in the sunrays, sitting and enjoying people-watching and listening to the various buskers....Despite Doreen being older, it feels as if there is no age difference at all as we get along so well, share the same humour and get touched by the same things. We giggle and talk and cry together and feel a strange connection. I just want to hug her and link arms with her all the time. She's so lovely. I've never had a Grandma and even though Doreen feels more like an Aunty, I tell her I'm adopting her as my own, the Grandma I've never had. I don't think she minds :p

On the way home, she points out her favourite shop, 'Wallis' and I say well why don't we go in then! Bad idea! Doreen walks out with a new dress and cardigan, beautiful though of course, and I walk out with a maxi skirt that I fell in love with the minute I saw it. I didn't want to buy it as I haven't bought anything for myself yet and wanted to keep it that way, but Doreen convinced me that I would regret it if I didn't so I thought I'd best not argue! I did get 15% off it though which makes me feel better!

Back at home, we tell everyone about our adventures and the things we saw; the photos, the videos, the whole lot! We later enjoy a takeaway order of true English fish and chips with mushy pees before relaxing together in the lounge.

My plan tomorrow is to go on this bus tour that takes you to Stonehenge, Avebury and two villages in the Cotswold, but as I phone to find out I've got the very last seat, she calls me back 2 minutes later to inform me that the computer glitched and someone booked the last seat at the same time as me but got in 1 second faster :( Devastated, I call all the other tour companies but everything is booked until late July! (crazy) so instead the lady suggested I go down in the morning when the bus picks everyone up at 8.20am and just see if someone doesn't rock up! So I head to bed and hope for the best that someone from the bus will be having a big night and won't rock up in the morning haha!! We shall see...