Day 2 - Bath, Roman Baths, Bristol and Cardiff

We woke early and excited to get started.  Our host set up a nice continental breakfast and we were off and running by 8:30 AM.  We drove through the little village and found a grocery store.  There we stocked up on supplies for the next few days before driving on and into Bath.  We parked at the Cricket Grounds right in the heart of the city.  It was overcast and rainy and that didn't matter in the slightest.  Our luck always comes through and we knew the rain would stop when we needed it to...AND IT DID.

This view of the Avon river was enhanced by the bridge that folks refer to as the most photographed in the UK.  So much for the Tower Bridge in London (???)

We grabbed a Hop On Hop Off bus tour to get a lay of the land and our guide, Sandra, was quite pleasant and informative.  The city is beautiful.  Its Georgian limestone archetecture dates back to the early 1700's.  This is the home of Jane Austin and of course the Roman Baths.

After an hour of riding around the city, the rain subsides...see...and we started off on foot to visit the Abby and do the Roman Bath site.

The baths were started in 55 AD by the Romans and enhanced again and again over the years.  The center was superb with free audio guides, very informative placards, and of course, the antiquities.

The natural thermal spring...the only one in England.

2,000 year old lead pipes.

The abbey is the center focal point of the city and today there was a formal universtiy graduation going on.  It was great to see so many young folks so happy and excited about their future...and of course all of the proud parents and family members.

It started to rain again so we boarded the Hop On again and did the high country tour.  Even in the rain the sights were stunning.  Lovely mansions, beautiful gardens, and great circles apartment and townhouse blocks.

The downtown bus and train depots.

We enjoyed our first picnic on the Quasimodo's hood before driving on to Cardiff via Bristol.

In Bristol we found a large shopping center and picked up a great ice chest and some plastic dinnerware.  We are now set for our UK adventure.  As soon as we were done shopping the deluge began and for the next two hours it poured.  Upon reaching Cardiff it stopped, of course, and we easily found our REALLY NICE Airbnb near the airport and on the bay.  We have water views from our room.  The folks here really know what they are doing and the place is great!