I am absolutely in love with Bath - seriously, if I had to live in the UK, Bath would be high on the options list. Now you are being warned that I am going to be a nerd and start talking about planning and architecture and I am really sorry but...
I have spent most of the day starring in awe of grand crescents - Great Pultney Street, The Circus & Royal Crescent. Firstly Great Pultney Street is a grand avenue about 300m with approximately 30 stone terraces houses on each street. Each terrace house is 3 storyes + attic and basement. Great Pultney Street was originally planned as the nucleus of a large residential quater on the eastern bank of the River Avon but they ran out of money and it was never finished on the scale intended. On the northern side of town in The Circus connected to Royal Crescent by Brook Street. The Circus, which was designed by famous Bath architect John Wood Snr, is three crescents arranged in a tight circle of three story terraces and a massive park in the middle. Adjoining Royal Crescent is by far the grandest of all the cresents. Again, it is 30 terraces houses on a slight curve (about 300m) overlooking Royal Victoria Gardens, which began construction in 1767 and was designed by John Wood Jnr. I desperately want to live in any of these precincts but Royal Crescent would be devine.
So other than studying houses all day I did actually go and see what Bath is famous for - the Roman Baths which were really interesting but very busy. It was great to see the great bath and it is quiet interesting to see however over time different civilisations have used and rebuilt the baths. While the Great Bath is full of water you can still see the east and west baths, the Sacred Spring (which is where the hot springs originate) and the remains of the roman temple including the plaza and temple steps. While you can't swim in the Roman Baths you can at the Therma Spa which was opened in 2000. The Therma Spa precinct is gorgious and the spa itself very welcoming but at £20/hr I have it a miss (but left my togs back at the YHA).
I also walked the antique precinct up to the Assembly Halls and the Paragone (more crescent housing!). The other highlight was Pultney Bridge which connects Great Pultney Street to the town centre. Pultney Bridge, while only 50m or so is the only bridge in the UK where shops line the bridge. It also leads down to the parkland and river walk along the River Avon which was nice and sunny for my afternoon nana rest!
One of the things I liked most about Bath was all the secret laneways which I got lost in several times trying to navigate my way around town as barely any of them are shown on the maps. But it is amazing how many boutique shops and tea rooms there are. Speaking of which I had afternoon tea at the famous Sally Lunns Tea house which is apparently famous for its "Sally Lunn Buns" which are basically a giant scone. While I would't travel half way around of the world of them, my Cornish High Tea of clotted cream and strawberry jame scones and tea was very yummy!
I finished of my 9 hr walk of Bath with a shopping trip down the main pedestrian areas of Union Street, Milson Street and George Street - so much stuff I wanted to buy and it's not like any of it would fit in my backpack.
Jeslyn I'm curious....are there pelpoe in this travel writer's 'club' that aren't writer's, just photographers? And are there other's who aren't super-wealthy that can't afford to go on these amazing trips to the seminars. I'm on both pedastals but am really trying to get my photos out to the world to see, and I dream of traveling alot with my girlfriend when we can afford it. I am soooooo interested in doing what the pelpoe I read about are doing, especially for the comaraderie of like minded pelpoe. Am I being impatient with myself? Thanks for the time you give in encouraging me with your insights.
Diogo Well, their latitude is not clear very cleevr, youse guys! but Ellesmere Island extends from about latitude 78 north to about 82 north. (+/- depending on the day of the week and the number of penguins landing there.)The fiction of 24 hours of sun is sort of true for areas of the Arctic north of the Arctic circle: What really happens is that at EVERY point north of the Arctic Circle (66.5 north, based on a ecliptic variation of 23.5) will see the sun towards the north at least once during the year.As you go further north, the sun remains above the horizon for longer and longer periods of time during the arctic summer, during a period centered around the June 22-23 each year.As you go further north to a max of the pole at 90 north the sun appears higher and higher in sky towards the north each midnight. At the perfect north pole you would see the sun at the same 23.5 elevation all the way around the horizon at the same height all day for 24 hours. Great. Fantastic. Every foot further south you walk, the sun gets closer and closer to the horizon at midnight each day. (To be fair, the sun also gets higher in the sky towards the south at noon every day as you walk south. In Key West, just north of the Tropic at 25 north latitude, it appears just about directly overhead at this very same moment at noon on June 22.) At any given latitude between the Arctic Circle and the pole, the sun will be above the horizon for 24 hours only a very few number of days every year (the further south, the fewer the number of days!) and as you go further south for any given day of the year different from 22 June, the lower the sun gets at midnight every night. Thus, at Ellesmere's nominal 80 north latitude, there are several days when they could have photographed a midnight sun. Including today, by the way. But by Aug 30, it will have set before midnight at this assumed latitude of 80 north, then risen again in the northeast horizon at few minutes later on Sept 1.On Sept 22, it will rise in the east at 0600, then set due west at 1800 that evening. Just like every other location on earth.