Let's Start in Bath! (Originally Posted 2/1/08)

I’ll be arriving at London, Gatwick. Once I get through customs, I plan on catching the train to Bath.

Bath is considered a World Heritage City with a population of about 85,000. It is best known for the hot springs that are credited with ended infertility for Queen Mary, who became pregnant after bathing in the Spa.

Supposedly, the Romans traveled there extensively also to use the springs so much so that the town was called “Aquae Sulis” which later was shortened to “Bath”. The city of Bath logs about 2 million visitors a year!

The town is also known for the 5 years that Jane Austen lived there (circa 1800) and how Bath influenced her writing, but we’ll talk more about that later. There seems to be quite a bit to do in Bath and the surrounding country. I chose to go to Bath upon my arrival in England because it sounded like just the right place to be to recuperate from my jet lag. I will be staying at the Elgin Villa-Bed & Breakfast. It looks lovely and the proprietor, Anna Rutherford, sounds like she’s going to be a wonderful and helpful host. Here’s a link to the Elgin Villa so you can see where I’ll be staying.

Photo: Elgin Villas Bed & Breakfast