Roamin' Bath

When in the Roman Baths...by neuroplastic creative

[roaminbath]

Back home

I’m back home, and really glad that I visited Bath! I stayed in lovely, very English B&B 30 mins’ walk from the centre.

I’d love to return again when I need a break. Bath has everything for a relaxing visit: the Thermae Spa, parks, shopping, and food. Small and easy to navigate, with quirky shops and restaurants, and a smattering of museums and historic attractions - the Roman Baths were the highlight for me. I think I learned to chill and just enjoy the simplicity of a pleasant atmosphere and beautiful countryside during my trip.

Thanks, Bath!

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Southgate

Southgate is an open-air shopping centre, or basically a shopping street that winds around instead of going straight like a Hauptstraße. Highlights for me were Boux Avenue (lovely lingerie and fragrances), Urban Outfitters, Topshop, and Boots (the one on Westgate St. is much smaller). Very pleasant and easy to walk around and browse.

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Had a lovely banana and mango smoothie in the Vintage Bean Cafe on Cheshire St. Spot the sleepy dog in the shop door opposite!

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Fashion points in the Vintage Market: subtly open shoulder, and fringed blank t-shirts.

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Visited my favourite spots in a Brick Lane, including my favourite okonomiyaki stall - I'm a loyal customer who visits every 3 years or so...

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Carnaby St., among Oxford, Regent, and Bond Streets, is a hidden gem. I love Monki!

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On the very comfy First Great Western to London. Lovely countryside, much more vast and green than where I come from.

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Forest of Imagination event in Queen Square.

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I had a classic Hong Kong lemon tea (凍檸茶) and the most hilarious pad thai ever, in Hong Kong Bistro. Don't get me wrong, it was really nice...but notice the lemon (supposed to be a lime), and the ho fun noodles instead of rice sticks...it tasted nothing like pad thai, but like a variation of ho fun.

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Painting by Simon Kenny in Southgate.

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This is the most fly and chill Urban Outfitters I've been in (Southgate). The one in Dublin stocks the same old crap all of the time and only recently carved out a faux gallery space upstairs, but I really liked Texan Urban Outfitters. However this one has arcade games and chairs everywhere to sit on! And it has a wider range of items like in America, but somehow more curated and less mallrat.

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The Priory Park Landscape Gardens are breathtaking. It has a few viewpoints (PROTIP: climb the hill for an even better view), one of which looks over Bath, cows, ducks, swans, benches, and the end with the Palladian bridge is straight out of a Monet painting. It's huge and really well-looked after. One of the nicest parks I've ever been to. Take the 1 bus to the entrance, and walk back to Bath - it's all downhill.

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For a semi-obsessively health conscious person, I have a strange fascination with Krispy Kreme. If there's one in the country I'm visiting, I must get one. I don't even like donuts that much, (don't like fried food or excessive sugar) nor American food. I think I really like the logo, which conveys a sense of Americana in nontraditional colours. And now I have 3 donuts. L - R: Lotus Caramelised Biscoff, Strawberry Kreme, Chocolate Hazelnut Kreme.

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I visited the Yellow Shop and The Black & White Shop in vintage Bath. Unfortunately there was nothing special in the Yellow Shop, the same old Dutch-imported "pop" and 101 velvet mens jackets. However The Black & White shop is stuffed with designer surprises such as a Jil Sander oversized shirt, D&G bustier print t-shirt, and this soft faux-satin/silk blend Topshop skirt with a funny shape that reminds me of Susie Bubble, spotted on the £10 rail. Thanks!

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Hills

Bath is hilly, like Stockholm. Walcot St. even reminds me of Katarinavägen.

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The Fashion Museum appears quite small at first, but it's surprisingly comprehensive for it's size: covering Georgian fashion to Gareth Pugh's dress of the year from 2014. I snapped my favourite outfit - a Topshop slip and my HG shoes, Converse.