Saturday, we drove to Bath, which is probably my favorite city in England. The city is just beautiful, a wonderful mix of old and new, history, and charm. The day turned out to be better than expected. The forecast had called for rain and cooler temperatures, but luckily for us, the rain stayed away for the most part. Bath conveniently marked the path to the Christmas markets with little white footprints which was pretty neat!
The markets were busy and packed with people all trying to purchase special gifts and treasures. We moved slowly, trying to stay with the flow of traffic. We stopped at various stalls that caught our attention. We eventually stopped at a stall for Bath Aqua Glass, hand-blown glass makers. The baubles were exquisite and apparently, very durable! While we were perusing, the vendor took a bauble and started banging it against the nice wooden booth! My friend and I were surprised at the sound and equally surprised the bauble still remained whole. We decided to check out their shop, which is located next to Bath Abbey, and escape the crowds of people for a bit. I highly recommend visiting the Bath Aqua Glass if visiting Bath, you can even blow your own personal bauble!
We rejoined the crowds after a small stop in the Bath Aqua Glass, and saw many more various stalls. Soaps, jewelry, kids toys, handmade crafts and much more were to be seen, and my friend made a comment that each wooden stall had a different theme, or brand. There were few if any repeats which is nice as some Christmas markets have several stalls that sell the same products. It was good to see such variety! We didn't just shop Christmas markets, but checked out some of the other brick and mortar stores Bath has to offer! In one of the stores, we saw this awesome potpourri T-rex head!
The following day, we took the bus to Salisbury, stopping first to see Stonehenge, because when you're near by, you must. Check out my other blog for more info on Stonehenge.
Next stop, Salisbury Christmas market! This was my first time to experience the city itself and I will have to find time to revisit and see more of the city. I read a little about Salisbury before this trip. Like Lavenham (if you read my earlier blog), Salisbury was once a wool market town, and like Lavenham, the town prospered during this time, but fell into decline as people moved away when wool was no longer profitable. Unlike Lavenham, Salisbury had a visionary that saw the potential for regrowth and made invested in city planning. The town has seen steady growth yet still maintains a charming, quaint feel all the while keeping it's historical beauty intact.
The Christmas market wasn't near as crowded as the Bath Christmas market; however, it did have multiple sections, some covered stall which may have been part of a general market (or not?), some wooden stalls, and even an arts and craft event in the Guildhall. Again, there were various vendors selling their products with very little repeating booths, even a vodka made from sweet potatoes. The stall was too busy and not enough samples to go around so we opted to move on, which turned out to be a good thing. By far my favorite vendor was a nice lady named Margaret Armand Smith in the arts and crafts area. Her product, books, a series to be precise, that she had written herself.
While I love books and could have been sold on that fact alone, I was really intrigued by the cover art. Her first book, One Sun, One Moon, Two Stars, cover art was done by an elderly friend of hers, but as her friend was in or nearing her 80s, declined to do the 2nd book cover art. The 2nd book, The White Tower, was done by a friend's daughter in art school, and the 3rd by a friend's child who had enjoyed the first two books, he asked to the third book's cover work, The Diamond Dilema. All I thought were unique, eye catching, and just fantastic! They really drew me in. I've started the first book, and so far am enjoying it! What was even more fantastic is that she self-published and she goes around to markets promoting herself and her work! She even signed all 3 books (of course, I had to purchase the series) of which I am very appreciative and grateful. Check out her website for more info.
After the markets, we set out to see some sights, mainly Salisbury Cathedral and the Magna Carta.
Salisbury Cathedral was closed for inside viewing due to an event; however, we did walk around the outside for a bit and went to the Chapter House to see the infamous Magna Carta. Salisbury's Chapter House houses one of the four remaining manuscripts and the most preserved. The Magna Carta was a treaty between King John and rebel barons and was the first time everyone, even the king, was subjected to the law. While the Magna Carta wasn't upheld and deemed a failure, it is still considered the cornerstone of building any constitution, including our own Bill of Rights. The Magna Carta is the first time "free men" were guaranteed the right to a fair and just trial.
After visiting the Cathedral, we stopped at the Boston Tea Party tearoom to enjoy some tea and relax before the journey home.
I hope you enjoyed this latest blog and this brought you a little Christmas cheer! Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and mine and many wishes for a Happy New Year!
