England

We spent an amazing week in Bath, England with Charles and Beth.  It was one of the best vacations we have ever had.  They have a flat and a car there, they know the area, and they were the best tour guides!  By Day 2, Evan and I decided we could easily live there!  I apologize in advance for the length of this post.  The countryside was amazing and I took a lot of photos while we were there!

Beth and Evan arriving in Bath:

Taking a walk around town:

In a gorgeous garden area:

Overlooking the Pulteney Bridge:

Outside the Bath Abbey:

Having drinks at Garrick's Head on our first night in Bath:

Our view from the Royal Crescent, their flat is on the third floor (but on second story - there is a basement) of #2:

Sitting in the windowsill in the flat:

Their flat is the fourth, fifth, and sixth windows (shades open):

Evan and I in the window:

View from the car on our second day in Bath, as we drove to Bath Easton:

This was a one lane bridge, taken out of the car window:

Stopping at the George Inn for lunch:

We ate outside with a view of the canal:

Looking down at our table from along the canal:

Everywhere we went, the flowers were absolutely gorgeous:

View from the Quarryman's Arms in Box.  Evan wanted to work there!  It was a beautiful old pub overlooking gorgeous countryside:

Evan next to his Evan Evan's Warrior beer spigot:

Beth:

Drinking tea by the window:

Beth and Charles:

Evan at his future place of employment:

Look at the sun trying to shine through those clouds:

Behind the pub was a very steep staircase:

Views on our drive back into Bath:

We stopped to take in the views.  I spotted this cool spiderweb.  I loved their flowers and vegetation:

Charles' car with personalized plates:

View of the Royal Crescent from the public park.  It is the most photographed building in Europe, built 230 years ago, originally 30 units, 5 floors each.  It is now split into 5 owners for each unit, 1 floor each, other than one unit that has 4 floors owned by one individual.  There is also a hotel in the middle 2 units, with 45 rooms for rent.  It is one of the most expensive hotels in Bath.

Dinner at Martini:

Beth and I walking the streets of Bath:

Evan and I met my friend Kate (and her husband Mark), that I met online - it is the first time we've met in person. She drove from South Wales and we toured the Roman Baths:

Mark, Kate, and me:

View from the flat window - the left side of the lawn is the public park.  There is a retaining wall that separates the public park from the residents' private park, which is gated from the roadside:

Looking straight down from their window into the basement unit courtyard:

Evan loving life, drinking beer in the windowsill:

Walking towards Royal Victoria Park:

Royal Victoria Park is the site for hot air balloon launches.  We happened to walk through just as they were launching 3 balloons:

Dinner and drinks at The Hop Pole:

Moon at night:

Drinks and lunch at The Raven:

We took the city bus tour of Bath, and sat in the back of the upper deck:

Views from the bus tour:

Walking to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol:

Views from the Pedestrian Bridge:

We had dinner on the patio of The Lion in Bristol, watching the sun set over the bridge:

Gorgeous sunset:

Our room in the flat:

The living room:

Kitchen/dining table:

In the London Paddington train station:

Telephone booths are still common in Europe:

We took a city bus tour of London.  Here are the views from our bus:

This is a giant ferris wheel called The London Eye.  There are 32 capsules and each held 25 people.  It rotates very slowly and takes about 30 minutes to get all the way around:

Big Ben:

Buckingham Palace:

US Embassy in London:

On the escalator to take "the tube" (subway) to meet Beth's sister for dinner:

Arriving in Canary Wharf for dinner.  We ate at the Strada:

Getting off the train in Bath after a very long day of travel and sightseeing:

 Evan in the window of the flat:  

Charles and Beth:

Evan and me:

Arriving for lunch and drinks at The George Inn in Lacock:

 Lacock is a very historic city:

This is Charles' Dad's place in Melksham, which is for sale.  

We passed this lock and dam on our way past and were lucky enough to see a canal boat coming through:

Charles and Evan helped them close the lock behind the boat:

We visited Stonehenge in Salisbury:

On the bus back from the Stonehenge tour:

Poppies grow wild in the country:

We visited the Salisbury Cathedral:

We had drinks and I had tea (I drank a lot of tea in England) at The New Inn:

There are still horse drawn carriages in Bath:

Dinner at Rustico, an amazing, authentic Italian restaurant very close to the flat:

We had drinks at the Royal Crescent Hotel bar and sat on the lawn:

What an amazing vacation we had.  We absolutely loved Bath and look forward to returning some day.  A huge thank you to Charles and Beth for taking us around and showing us all of their favorite pubs, restaurants, and sights of Bath and the surrounding area.  Also, thanks to my parents for watching my boys so we could enjoy some time away.

And, If you're still reading, thank you for bearing with me while sharing an abundance of pictures!!!! :)