Notting Hill Carnival West London 2014

Our visit to London on 25 August 2015 coincided with the Notting Hill Carnival, reckoned to be Europe's biggest street festival. The event was said to attract over one million people over two days.

The crowd was massive. At time, we were trapped and jam-packed in the crowd and were just being pushed along with the moving waves of crowd. Come to think of it, it could have been disastrous if someone accidentally fell and he/she would likely be stampeded as there was just no way for him/her to get up. 

Risks aside, it was the most fun time we had in London!

Bathampton

Bathampton, a semi urban old village in Bath has a few surprises for us.

The St. Nicholas Church, an Anglican Church was first built in the 13th century. Alteration and a tower were added in the 15th century. Admiral Arthur Philip, the first governor of New South Wales Australia was buried in this Church after his death in 1814.  For people looking for information about the history of New South Wales, the "Australia Chapel" in the south aisle which contains memorials and information about Admiral Arthur Philip would be helpful for this purpose.

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Kennet & Avon Canal passes around the edge of this village and is just across the road within walking distance from the church compound. This is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles (140 Km). This is made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the waterway rather than solely to the central canal section. From Bristol to Bath, the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury and from there to Reading at the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates 105 locks.

It did cross our minds that in future tour to UK, one of the ways to see some of the country side of England would be via one of these long boats that ply this canal.

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Bathampton would also be remembered for its beer and pub food. We spent two evening in the "The George Inn" which is also a stone throw away from St. Nicholas Church.

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Another surprise we had was when we left Bathampton for Tetbury on 17 August. We needed to pay a one pound toll to cross a bridge. This arc bridge was built of Bath stones in 1872 to allow passage across Avon River. The road on the bridge is only a single track with a give way sign.

A Day in Bath

It was evening by the time we checked into Lindisfarne Guest House in Bath on 15 August. Lindisfarne which is a house set in gardens just by the road side in a village in Bathampton. The Guest House is a mere 1.5 miles from Bath city centre. Bath is a city in Somerset, southwest of England.

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Even though we had a car, we were advised not to drive to Bath city because of the high parking charge. Instead we took a cab to the city centre.

Bath, declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 attracts almost 4 million day visitors and 1 million staying visitors each year.

This city was made famous because of the hot springs discovered. In AD 60, the city became a Spa when the Romans built baths and a temple here.

We took the double-decker bus city tour which proved to be a good and fast way of getting to know the history and appreciating the beauty of this city.

Charging high parking rate proves to be a good move for a city that thrives on tourism. With lesser cars that jammed up the city, tourists can move around with much ease and less risk.

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We took a tour of the Abby Church of St. Peter and St. Paul commonly called Bath Abby. The church is cruciform in plan and has a seating capacity of 1,200. It is used for religious services, secular civic ceremonies, concerts and lectures. A wedding ceremony had just been held at the time of our visit.

 

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Avon River traverses through Bath city. A river cruise along this river allowed us to see another side of Bath.

 

This old bridge across Avon River reminded me of the old London Bridge where a row of buildings is erected on one side of it. These units are small barely sufficient to serve as souvenir shops and eating places catering for the tourists.

Inside the boat and when I looked up, my spine chilled when I surveyed some of these units that are perched precariously on cantilever! The builders or engineers of yester-years proved to be competent. Somehow their structures defy gravity and stand intact over time.