Bath, England

Crazy busy, still flying around, coffee meetings, killing the cell minutes, but found a break to blog. Directly from our France visit Mom and I drove about an hour south to the Basel Airport and flew to England. We landed in London Luton, which is a city unto itself. It was completely industrial and didn't warrant pictures, but we walked to dinner there--a Thai restaurant. So we're in England at the only restaurant we could find, Thai, and the music is the common Thai hit, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," picture it.

We wanted to head to Greenfield, Grandma Audrey's old home, but were deterred by the fact that the rail doesn't run many trains to the North on weekends. We chose instead to visit the historic city of Bath. This town is named after the Roman baths that were located there during the Roman occupation (I think).
Nearly every building is constructed with the "white stones of Bath," which are nearly all brown with dirt. Jane Austen used to vacation here for extended periods with her family. It was here that she wrote Persuasion and Northanger Abby, neither of which I've read; sorry.
It rained on us before the sun realized I had relocated temporarily. The sun, being one of my greatest fans, thus rushed to England to grace my photography with color. Above, you can still see the last bit of precipitation on the cobblestone. Sun lovers, follow me, I'll lead you to your happy place.
Consistency of style is not a common theme among the British; neither is engineering. But a bright note is the vast sights, each unique.

Jane was probably a bit short for me so I had to scrunch pretty good. I think that's what smashed my normally beaming smile.
This, above, is a typical street, with the typical 6-10 chimney setup on top. They don't waste time with yards here.
A few older parts of the city boasted cobblestone, but unlike Germany, it isn't as embraced.
This pic., above, is evidence of the sun's late realization of my relocation. I forgave it for its tardiness.

Slightly farther North than Germany, Bath gave us a great sunset, which I only captured well after it had faded to a sky and silhouette. We spent a lot of walking time all through the city. A volunteer, much in similarity to my late Grandmother, gave us a free tour, then we re-toured a few times. We had a great time.
I will express a bit of disappointment for the "traditional British breakfast." It was lousy, especially when compared to the brötchen, cheeses, meats and specialties of the Germans.
I should also express grand appreciation towards the company that offers free bathrooms across many nations. Thank you Starbucks for not locking your bathrooms and for being everywhere at the danger of ubiquity and brand delusion--my Mom especially thanks you. With that, we left for London, one of the crazier and more expensive places on the European continent.