There is a lot going on in Bath, which probably explains its popularity. Only steps apart you have “baths” dating back to the Roman era, a large central church, shopping districts, and more. Walk a little further and there’s a river, plenty of places to eat, and increasingly less tourist-oriented facilities. Cross that river and perhaps walk up some hills, and the place seems quite different from the central tourist-centric zone.
Continue reading Brock Street, Bath
We spent a couple of days in the quaint English town (center) of Shrewsbury this past June. After close to three weeks of exploring Scotland and Ireland followed by a weeklong walk in the Cotswolds, we had several weeks left to visit various English towns and cities. Shrewsbury sounded like a slightly lower key stop compared to our previous stay in Bath.
Continue reading River Severn, Shrewsbury
We made a brief stop in Chester, England last June during our travels in Scotland, Ireland, and England. When I write “brief,” I mean a matter of hours! We had heard that Chester has interesting old buildings, a bit like Shrewsbury, so we scheduled our trains between the latter town and Liverpool to give us a layover there of a few hours. We had just enough time to grab a bite, walk a good section of the town walls, wander past some downtown shops, and visit the Chester Cathedral.
Continue reading Altar, Chester Cathedral
Perhaps you are thinking, “If that is a photo of a circus, where are the clowns?” It isn’t that kind of circus. This “circus” is a marvelous example of Georgian architecture in Bath, England. At a high point in the city a circle of fancy apartments wrap around a small, central park, broken only few narrow entrances to the inner area. It is hard (panorama photographs anyone?) to make a photograph of the entire structure without taking to the air, so I decided to focus on a small section.
Continue reading The Circus