The Circus is one of the most famous sets of buildings in Bath, just down the street from the Royal Crescent.  Like so much else in Bath, its quintessentially Georgian.  I particularly liked the intricate carvings above the door – there were a couple dozen different designs, and though some of them were replicated, I couldn’t figure out a pattern or logic.

Ian and I talked a lot about the appeal of Bath – would you want to live in one of the houses on the Circus, or the Royal Crescent?  The Royal Crescent seemed particularly unappealing.  Sure, you live in a beautiful building with a great view and a giant park as your front garden, but you have yahoos like me always trying to peer in your front windows.  What’s more, while Bath isn’t that big, you’re not close to grocery stores or fitness centers or really anything except museums, a couple really good restaurants, and a lot of tourist schlock.

Although I’m not convinced I’d want to stay there, Ian and I wrung everything we could out of the weekend. We had originally planned to go to Portugal, but decided we’d rather wait for bird migration season, and so we chose Bath because we figured most of the good stuff to do is inside, anyway (and it poured pretty much the whole time we were there, so that was smart thinking). In two days, we hit up the Roman Baths, the Fashion Museum, the Pump Rooms, the Assembly Rooms, the Jane Austen Centre, the Royal Crescent, the Royal Bath Theatre, the Pretentious Coffee Shop, the Bar Owned by Rugby Players, the Unassuming Local Pub, the Shmancy Restaurant with the Best Food Since Valencia, the Yuppie Furniture Shop Where We Bought a New Coffee Table, the Disappointing Bakery and the Banana Republic, where Ian got a new t-shirt.  Not all of those are the actual names.

Things we missed: the Holborne Museum looks worth a visit, as does the Building of Bath Museum.  Honestly, though, if we were to stay longer, the thing I’d most want to do is drink more lattes and eat more food. There are a lot of restaurants and coffee shops I didn’t get to go to.