Bath, England, you beautiful city! We began our morning with a little breakfast. Austin tried his first official “full English breakfast,” of which… he was not a fan. The man loves beans, but the sausage is what got him. Then we walked back to the Gainsborough Bath Spa for our spa treatments. He had a massage, and I had a full body scrub. After our treatments, we sat and sipped tea before it was time to shower and pack our things.

After loading our car, we walked back into town to tour the Roman Bath House. This location is the only place in the UK with a fresh, hot spring. My family lives near Hot Springs, Arkansas, so I thought it was interesting that there is only one spot for a hot spring in the whole country!

It was amazing to tour the bathhouse, learning about Roman culture. Rich and poor would visit the bathhouse for healing and exercise. Austin was especially enamored with the ancient coin collection, with coins dating back to Jesus’ time and beyond. I found the wax tablets used to write curses to the goddess Sulis-Minerva the most interesting. My husband is a Christian minister, and often when I have been taught about the verse “bless those who curse you” (Luke 6:28), it’s often with the idea of explicit language. But Roman people would write their complaints against you and request that the goddess curse you. One man wrote hoping a curse would fall on whoever stole his cloak, either the pagans or the Christians. Wild!

We loved walking around the town, and did not realize the rich history until we were back home. We would definitely come back to Bath, and you know I’m already scheming toward that end!

Next stop: The Cotswolds! I could not wait to drive the winding trails of the English countryside. Austin had been watching a show called Clarkson’s Farm. The Diddly Squat Farm Shop was created by Jeremy Clarkson, and was on the way to our destination in Great Wolford. They had a quaint little shop, with many items to choose from. We were too late for lunch (sensing a theme?), but they had little savory hand pies and drinks. So we sat at a picnic table and took in the scene.

We stopped in Chipping Norton at Chequers to eat. I had the meat pie and Austin had a burger. We were starving and it hit the spot! We loved the atmosphere, with the big fireplace and classic, English pub vibes.

We finally made it to our beautiful VRBO, the most precious barn called the “Christmas Cottage.” The hosts were incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and had some food for us in the little refrigerator. The garden and pond were spectacular. Check out the view from the bedroom! Dreamy.

We took a stroll down the lane into the little town. We wandered through the church courtyard, and met a local with two adorable dogs. The birds sang as we took it all in. Magic.

A really beautiful day.

xo, Amanda