I bought the cheapest tickets available. Translation- this section of the train is kind of ghetto :)
I am so not a Jane Austen fan. I can appreciate (to a point) that she is depicting a period of time, capturing her society and their manners. OK, I love the empire-waisted dresses and bonnets. But I really cannot relate to all those poor women sitting around, drinking tea, plotting marriage.
One Royal Crescent. One thoroughly drenched, shivering and still patient pup.
The weather report did say showers, but I was impulsive and hopeful. I thought- it's ok, I can walk through drizzle, find the Royal Crescent, the Circus, meander through the streets of Unesco-listed Bath, cross the Pulteney Bridge, be dazzled by the Abbey and finally, perhaps try and ask if I could enter the Roman Baths with my dog in his bag.
Reality dashed all my bright ideas. We got thoroughly soaked, I was worried about my shivering dog, we got turned away from a restaurant, we sought temporary shelter in the eves of period buildings, and even under a tree...
View from under the tree...
A passer-by in raincoat and umbrella stopped to admire Bruno and asked me, if he likes the rain.
!!!!!!!##@!???!!!!
We kept walking. Three taxies whizzed by without stopping. I wrapped Bruno up in his travel blankie (the size of a face towel...) and stuffed him into his bag to try and keep him warm. In the end, I decided that the only way to get a cab was to activate the Last Century New Yorker. And no, no, I didn't holler this time. I simply stepped onto the street, right in front of an on-coming cab and flagged my free arm with conviction.
(Dear Reader, please do not be inspired to do all the things I do. It may be detrimental to health. It sometimes involves risks. In the above circumstance, the cab was traveling slowly, Bath's streets are narrow, cobbly, I needed a quick action plan to save my dog from freezing.)
The cab driver didn't look too amused, but he was kind and polite enough to take us back to the station. Upon arrival, there was a London-bound train to catch in 10-minutes. There was a terrible crowd, but we managed to get on, find a seat, and arrived safely home.
Total time spent on the train: 3 hours
Total time spent in Bath: 50 minutes
Lessons learnt:
- If you know you've made a bad decision, don't dwell, get moving, pronto.
("I will be calm. I will be mistress of myself"- Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen!)
- When traveling with the patient and faithful dog, remember to always pack a towel and his raincoat.
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