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Published: April 13th 2011
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Wednesday 23 March and Thursday 24 March 2011
On Wednesday we drove from Oxford to Exeter via Bath. We didn't have long in Bath, so we tried to cram as much in as we could. First stop was Royal Crescent - a crescent-shaped row of Georgian houses that were built as holiday accommodation for the well-to-do. The Georgians were seriously into symmetry - all the buildings are symmetrical and the rooms even have false doors to balance the real ones! One of the houses has been turned into a museum. Each room is 'equipped' with a volunteer who provides information on that room and can answer questions - it's great. As a consequence, we spent far too much time in the house, chatting to the volunteers!
We had been hanging out to have fish 'n chips since arriving in England and, purely by chance, we happened upon a cafe that served the best fish 'n chips we've had in many, many years!
Jane Austen (you know, the 19th century author!) features large in Bath - she spent some time in Bath and also used it as a backdrop to some of her novels. As she is one of Ali's
favourite authors, we were keen to visit The Assembly Rooms, which featured in two of her books. In reality, they opened in 1771 and subsequently became enormously popular as the place for 'polite society' to be seen dancing, playing cards and drinking tea. The same building now also houses the Bath Fashion Museum with its collection of fashionable dress from the 17th century to the present day. Sadly (from our point of view), since England was gripped by 'Royal wedding fever' at the time, much of the exhibition space was taken up by a display of wedding dresses!
We managed a quick look at Pulteney Bridge and the Abbey as we raced to get to the Roman Baths before they closed. These were really good, with excellent exhibits - including some innovative use of video technology to bring the baths to life. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do them justice.
All was going swimmingly as we raced towards Exeter on the M(something) until, just as we approached Exeter, the GPS decided to have a hissy fit and stop responding to instructions. If it hadn't been for the directions provided by the hotel we would never have found
it. The hotel is located in Cathedral Yard - which, as you might have guessed, is essentially in the yard of Exeter Cathedral. This meant that we had an uninterrupted view of the cathedral from our window - very spectacular.
Next day, poor John had to work (woe is me) while Ali got to explore. First stop was just out the door - Exeter Cathedral, which has been around since the early 12th century in one form or another. It is famous for having the longest uninterrupted mediaeval gothic vaulting in the world! Initially Ali was put off by having to pay to enter a church but they have made such an effort to make it a rewarding visitor experience that she came to appreciate why there is a charge. In many churches, you feel like you're intruding. Here, however, it felt like they really wanted you to experience their church. On reflection, this seems to have generally been the case in England - at least in the country areas we visited.
The other hightlight for Ali was the quay on the river Ex. Once an important port (until a neighbouring Duchess blocked the river!) it now houses
antique shops and bars and is just a really pleasant place to wander. Being so close to Cornwall, Ali expected to be able to get a decent Cornish Pasty, but was sadly disappointed - it was inedible!
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