Rick's Roadshow: Bath Spa & Buckingham Palace

Rick's Roadshow continues with updates from the beautiful city of Bath, which is 95 miles southwest of London. It is an ancient city, dating back 2,000 years when the Romans lived here. Bath is the only known place in the UK with a natural hot spring still flowing continuously. It was here the Romans built the massive Spa facility- much of which still stands today, having been unearthed over many years. Today visitors can explore the site and follow the exact steps the ancient Romans did when they enjoyed the healing powers of the hot mineral waters. It is an important historical site, and is the most popular tourist attractions outside of London. I've been to Bath many times previously, but as it was John's first visit to the UK I'm showing him a few highlights of England on this brief visit.
above: the lovey River Avon, flowing through Bath provides a calming ambiance to this city.

Above: a view from above of the great Roman Baths, built as a temple in 60 AD in honor of the goddess Minerva. It is an impressive structure.

above: I paused for a few minutes to reflect on the history of this great site and think about the people who enjoyed these waters over the past two thousand years.

The Roman influence of Bath can be found everywhere throughout. I love the carvings like this one above.

above: This gives you a sense of the architecture style in the city.

above: another photo of the Baths, with a view of the spire of Bath Abbey in the distance.

above: a quick photo inside Bath Abbey, which is stunning.
Now, Back to London
No visit to London is complete in my mind without a visit to Buckingham Palace. Despite the fact that I lived in London, and have also visited the Palace on numerous occasions, it still seems exciting to me each time I return. And so, here are a few quick images of the beautiful "Buck House" as locals like to call it. Keep in mind that while this is the London residence of The Queen, it is really sort of a work residence; she actually prefers Windsor Castle or Balmoral Castle, as they are truly her "homes". However, duties of State and her responsibilities as Monarch, as ceremonial they may be, keep her in London.

above: another view of The Palace, with the side gate in view.

above: anyone who has ever visited Buckingham Palace has taken this exact photo. The gates are truly magnificent, and captivate everyone.

above: the St James Park, that leads up to Buckingham Palace is quite relaxing with this lake.
A Spot of Afternoon Tea

after visiting the Palace, we stopped for Afternoon Tea at the fabulous and legendary Fortnum and Mason's, at the St James restaurant on the fourth floor. There are only a handful of places in London who serve tea as well as Fortnums. I also recommend The Dorchester Hotel, The Ritz or The Savoy. I couldn't take any other photos, as there was Lord seated next to us as we took our tea, and I didn't want to be an ugly American. Well that's all for today. Thanks for visiting Rick's Roadshow. The journey continues, so stay tuned.
-Rick Rockhill