A Birthday in Bath

Shortly after we found out we were moving to the UK, I came to the realization that I'd be turning 30 in another country. I was sad to not be able to share this milestone with friends and family, but Adam, being the man and husband he is, not only respects my emotions and neuroses, but also indulges them on occasion. So, we got to planning, and oh... did we plan the best 30th celebration(s).  I'll get to the big gift  in a separate blog (or two, because teaser - a 10 day trip to Italy deserves nothing less), and here I'll share how we spent the actual birthday weekend which was Part 1 of the celebration. I'll also say 'Hello' to part 2 of the festivities.

My birthday happens to coincide with the busiest time of year for Adam at work.  As a result, we delayed our Italy trip (my birthday gift and Part 3 of the celebration) until April. My birthday fell on a Sunday, so we decided to take a little weekend getaway to one of the English towns on our wish list. Though Adam briefly toured Bath on his 2010 Euro trip, we were both excited to go and have a relaxing weekend away. Friday evening we drove the 1 1/2 hours south and checked into the Tasburgh House. This B&B is a 15 minute walk from the main part of Bath, but well worth it. It's lovely, charming, and did I say lovely? I'd highly recommend a B&B to get the full experience in a town like Bath, plus hotel options are limited.  Upon arrival, champagne and chocolates were waiting in my room (compliments all the way from my Mom in the US). We spent the evening out for dinner at a local steakhouse (the best steak we've had in England to date) and popped into a local pub for a nightcap on the way home.

Saturday morning we set out to discover the history behind the city.  We walked along the canal behind our B&B to town and started our sightseeing at the Roman Baths. This is a well-preserved site of a place where Romans once, you guessed it, bathed.  The history is interesting, the bath exhibits are pretty, and you get to taste bath water at the end of the tour. Why would I want to drink bath water? Historically, the water had healing powers. Realistically, it tastes like real bath water. Don't worry, it wasn't real bath water, but I did promptly rinse out my mouth.

After the Roman Baths, we stopped for lunch at a place called Sally Lunn's, famous for it's hot buns. The restaurant serves, you guessed it, buns (literally, they're like hamburger buns), both sweet and savory.  It also has a museum downstairs and is a fun experience. We'd fortunately missed the lunch crowd and queue, so got out in time for a walk around the city before heading home to get ready for dinner. Adam picked an Italian restaurant (my favorite) and we had early reservations. Rather than being suspicious, (I assumed he knew I'd be hungry as I always am) I walked right into the surprise of our American/Mississippi/fellow UK expat friends waiting at a table with balloons, gifts, a cake and great company. We make an effort to do something with Kyle and Melana at least monthly, if not more often, and I was so glad they came all the way to Bath to celebrate me.

The next day we treated ourselves to a day at the Thermae Bath Spa which boasts a great view of the city from the rooftop pool. The natural spring waters in the pool are also (supposedly) healing and we felt refreshed for our drive home to finish out the hectic month.

I couldn't have asked for a better way to start my 30th year. While I was apprehensive at first about celebrating away from home, I also recognize how cool it is that I celebrated in such style.  Oh, and I totally recommend Bath to anyone who has an extra night or two in the UK.  The town is a lot of fun, and if you do get bored (which isn't likely), it's a quick drive from Stonehenge.

I'm skipping over how we spent Easter (saving it for another post), but a few weeks later we continued the birthday celebration by going to see Adele  in concert. ADELE. I had one thing on my wish list for when we came to the UK, and it was to see Adele if/when she made her triumphant return. I was discouraged after our first failed attempt to get tickets to a London show, but thankfully she added a few shows and we landed great seats at the Birmingham concert. If you follow me on Snapchat, you're welcome. I can't even begin to do it justice so I'll just say... it was amazing. Oh, and here are a few pics (not featured - the many videos of me singing loudly and proudly).

Oh, and our families got me a bike! I've been wanting a city bike for a while and now I can ride to work and quit the bus! No, I haven't made the 3 mile journey yet.  It's June and it's still cool and rainy in England.  But I'm determined to soon!

It's been a crazy, busy few months, which I'll blame my lack of posting on, but I've been keeping a list of all our adventures and will do my best to catch up soon. Here's a sneak peak at the next blog post - you'll get the story behind this photo.