Bath.  I didn't know quite what to expect of the town itself.  After touring the Roman baths (to read that post click HERE) we weren't sure which way to go.  Finally we decided that we had time to walk to the Pulteney Bridge.  This photo is of the River Avon (there are many in England) with the bridge behind me as I took the photo.  The people looking over the edge are on the road that goes from the Abbey (where we started) to the bridge.  (Be sure to click on this photo to enlarge it--it's full of lovlies.)



The Pulteney Bridge, with the weir below, is exceptional in that it is lined on both sides with buildings.  They are pubs and shops--I even saw a grocery store.


The bright colored photos of food on the wall to the right is often the best indicator that you are in the vicinity of a grocery store in England.  At this point, we had only been in the country for 2.5 days so I did not recognize it for what it was.  Cars are still allowed on the bridge but there is talk of making it a vehicle-free zone.


As we left the area of the abbey and the Roman baths, we came across this police station.  (DD wants to be a K-9 officer.)


And we spotted this church.  (It can be seen from the other side in the top photo of this post.)


And this perfect house.  A white house with a green door and pink geraniums, as well as a pediment with corbels, a brass "Medusa" door knocker and panelled shutters, is pretty much perfect in my book.



And this cute store called "Stag" with its attendant stag.  (It was also very cute inside.)  I love the "Wanted--Customers" sign.



If she was trying to cop the same expression as the stag, she did a marvelous job.


And this gorgeous pedimented portico that served as the entry to a restaurant.


And this marvelously flower bedecked establishment.  (We didn't eat here either.)  (I'm pretty sure we didn't.  Eat, that is. Like, at all.)  What we didn't realize is that we had circled around and were pretty much back to where we started.  So, we headed out again.


We came across this lovely garden.


This was one of the lovelies in said garden, but I am much more smitten with the bit of a square tower behind the trees.  (I think it is part of the abbey.)


Here's the same photo with all of the people pictured this time.  The abbey is off camera to the left and the bridge is off camera to the right.  (Just trying to paint a picture for those going on a virtual journey with me.  I know you are out there.  Thanks for coming!)


Bath is made almost entirely of this mellow yellow "Bath" stone.  It glows in the sun and puts one in mind of a warm, tropical beach.  This is a welcome reminder as Bath is never what you would call super warm.


This is the same building from a different angle.  If I had known that the sidewalk we traversed was held up by these ancient pillars, I'm not sure if I would have taken the risk.


We made friends with her.  (We knew she was a "she" because of the pink lipstick.)


Spotted this gorgeous white, metal, over-door window decor.  (Would have willingly dragged that around for the rest of the tour if only . .. )


Salivated over these architectural details . .



 . . just a few of many on this blue-domed building (I believe it is a theater but I was pretty food-deprived by then and the brain was functioning worse than normal).

Enjoyed the poetry of the tiny white and gray cloud just to the right of one of the lower spires of this church.  (That IS a cloud, right?  It's not a bird or a plane or a UFO?)  (I didn't think so.)


A great pub/restaurant (there are three eateries inside of this building) on the bridge with a lovely veiw of the water.


A lovely white building (I believe this is also a grocery store.  Indeed, the same one as before.  Same store but different building--so two of these on the same bridge.) (I guess there is never too much of a good thing.)


Then it was time to rush back to catch the coach.  On the way there we passed this gorgeousness.  It is the entrance to a popular family-style restaurant that we saw many times in England called Garfield's.  This was certainly the classiest one that we saw.  (I suppose Garfield could refer to some respectable individual but since it was an Italian place, all I could think of was Garfield, the lasagne-loving cat.  Not too classy in my book.)




Heading back towards the abbey.  What a great way to display all of your extra hanging flower baskets.


Very possibly the only gray building we saw in Bath (other than the church with the spire.  Er, the *taller* spire).


Where we met the coach.  I really should have gotten more assertive about photos of this monument.  I didn't even walk over there to find out what it is in tribute to/of.  (Pretty much starving by this point).  (Actual flesh is falling off of my bones.)


Once we were back on the coach, we commenced our coach tour of Bath.  The photo above (which is NOT my photo--I credit Pinterest) represents the King's Circus (or, just the Circus) in the foreground and The Crescent in the background.  These are both Stunning Examples of Georgian Architecture for which Bath is Famous.



First, one must enter the hallowed portals.  (Those of us using the road didn't have a portal.)



There were many, many (many X 4) people at the Crescent.  I have cut most of them out.  This photo depicts the center section.  As you can see, some of the units are brighter than others.  That is because some people have the facade cleaned on occasion.  There is one unit with scaffolding in front of it, just to the left of center.  I have seen photos of the Crescent when visiting the Jane Austen Festival website and I was a little disappointed at how drab it all looked.  (I blame the clouds.)



Here's the left end of the Crescent.  

If there is just one tree in the center of The Circus, the tree to the right is The One.  (Oh, look!  These have huge end-cap mansions, too!)



I am positively certain that life in one of these graceful abodes is better than in some other abode.


I love the carved frieze depicting various occupations/avocations.  How wonderful!



These bas-relief images are fascinating.  Click on the photo to get a closer look.


The plaque over the door of this unit, #17, tells us that this is the one-time home of Thomas Gainsborough.   If you have read any Georgian or Regency era novels by Georgette Heyer, you have heard tell of TG.  He was THE painter of the day, and for obvious reasons.  (Click on his name for images of his paintings.)