Stonehenge & Bath - My Favorite City

Note: We recently returned from three MARVELOUS weeks in Europe! Over the next little while, I'll be sharing our adventures with you {as well as some of the things we learned}. We chose to plan our own trip because we couldn't picture ourselves on a tour bus with a bunch of other tourists. Whenever possible, I'll explore the myths & stereotypes that I've always heard & if they are true or not. I'm going to be honest about our opinions & experiences - in doing so, I hope I don't offend anyone.

OK, so Stonehenge is totally worth it. 

We accidentally passed it the first time & saw it from the road. I wondered if we really needed to turn around, find it & get out of the car to see more. We're so glad we did. It is cool!

While in the area, we searched for Highclere Castle. This is the real-life home of the Earl & Countess of Carnarvon AND where Downton Abbey is filmed. {Can I get an "amen" from you other fans out there?} Unfortunately, the castle was closed because they were filming the TV show at the time. BUT, we did eat a marvelous meal at The Carnarvon Arms - which is the former coach house to Highclere Castle. I highly recommend it!

If you want to visit Highclere, you'll need to go when it's open for tours. We couldn't even get close enough to see the outside. CLICK HERE for tour dates & tickets.

When I saw the city of Bath from a distance, I gasped out loud. It is that beautiful. Wow, I am so in love with that place. We stayed at the Parkside Bed & Breakfast, run by the adorable "Inge" {pronounced In-ga}. She made us feel so comfortable. It was like visiting Mom - only we didn't have to do any chores. {But we did offer!} Our B&B was quiet, oh-so-clean, & the breakfast was great. TIP: An "English breakfast" consisted of eggs, ham {sometimes sausage as well}, fried mushrooms or fried tomatoes, & toast. Cereal & fruit are also usually provided. We ate a lot of big breakfasts which fueled us for the busy walking, sightseeing, & hiking that we did.

The Parkside Bed & Breakfast & Inge in the dining room

The Roman Baths are a must see. We went in the evening after the tour busses had left town & it wasn't crowded.

The water is full of minerals & has healing properties. You can't get in, but you can taste it. It's yu-cky!

I think Bath is best seen on foot. We wandered & wandered, but never ran out of picturesque buildings & gardens to explore.

We stumbled upon this picturesque old cemetery . . . .

Some places will look really familiar if you watch a lot of period British movies - like the Royal Crescent . . . 

- Photo by Jeffrey Lunt -

And there are so many beautiful doors!

Jane Austen lived in Bath & there is a fun little museum there in honor of her. I confess I had to have a few little treasures from the gift shop - including an "I Heart Mr. Darcy" bag, some bookmarks for my book club pals & a Mr. Darcy Christmas ornament.

I would love to visit Bath again. Have you been there? Leave a comment & let me know what you thought of it.

Want to read more about our adventures?

• To read about our visit to Scotland {CLICK HERE}
• Our Stay in Paris {And a Safety Warning}
• {CLICK HERE} to read about our London adventures
• To see what we did in Wales {CLICK HERE}
• {CLICK HERE} for a chuckle about the unusual signs we saw on our trip
• {CLICK HERE} for Manchester England & Christine's Rhubarb Crumble Recipe
• {CLICK HERE} for The Lake District in England
• For our visit to Ireland {CLICK HERE}