Last full day of the holiday. Spent time chatting with an American couple and the landlady, plus Cami the dog, over breakfast. The landlady was very agreeable even if her breakfast policies are a bit rigid and stingy.
Went to the Roman Baths which are fabulous. They weren't just baths, they were part of a huge temple complex. You got to explore only some of it as it is now well below ground and only partially excavated.
Had a very detailed audio guide which got a bit longwinded in places but was very informative. Got a bit cheesed off with the narration for a grave stone for a small girl who was only 1 year, 3 months and *sob* 12 days old. This was repeated, complete with sob, several times. I was ready to strangle her myself by the end. Seeing the Roman Baths made me want to go back to the Thermae Baths. I'm becoming a fan of steam rooms followed by cold plunge pools.
Finished up at the shop where I bought myself some sterling silver earrings with (rather indistinct) images of the god's face from the pediment. Looks like a cross between a Celtic green man and a male gorgon to me. An absolutely fascinating face.
Was about 20 to 12 when I was all done so decided to go for an early lunch. Tilleys Bistro was nearby and had good reviews. They were also doing a tempting lunch special so I wandered in. Only to be told very sniffily that they weren't open and didn't start serving until 12. Well, pardon me for walking in a wide open door. It had quite given me the impression they were open for customers. How silly of me.
Went to the National Trust shop and bought a few things about JA for Mary since I couldn't get any GH stuff. Also bought myself some more jewellery - an amethyst bracelet and a hematite pendant necklace. Have amassed a good set of souvenirs (for me) from this trip. Nothing for John, Jane or Jim. Oops.
By the time I was done shopping it was well past 12 but decided not to go back to Tilleys since they were so rude. Just wandered and ended up at the Arch Restaurant in Queen Street which was also doing a tasty lunch special. Had asparagus (again, it's in season) with creme fraiche and cardoman flavoured breadcrumbs followed by steak and chips with salad. Apparently this restaurant is famed for its steak which was very tender and tasty and cooked just as I ordered. Unfortunately, the salad was gritty which was a shame as the dressing was good. Also had a glass of Australian shiraz and an espresso.
After lunch had a look at 1 Royal Crescent which has been restored to its original Georgian splendour. They only had the dining and drawing rooms plus the study and one bedroom on display. They didn't have the servants rooms on show but they did have the kitchen visible. The house seemed much too small, only one room deep. It must have been subdivided at some time. It was all beautifully restored and there were very earnest women guides in each room to tell you all about it. I joked that I could have lived there and one started to tell me how much it would cost to buy one of the houses on the crescent. Slightly out of my price range at about 5M-10M GPB plus, emphasis on the plus I expect.
After this it was close to 3pm. Still way early for my train but not enough time to do much else so I picked up my bags and headed for the station. Lots of trains and people coming and going, so with people watching the time passed quickly.
When I got to Reading I bought a bus ticket for the next day and identified the bus stop before heading to my B&B. Got there about 5:30pm to find the bakery below all shut up and a sign on the B&B door saying check-in was between 9am and 3:30pm. There had been no such warning on my reservation details. I was more than a bit peeved when I called the phone number given on the bottom of the notice. I didn't know where else to go and in any case, I'd paid already for a night there. Was ready to make a fuss and insist someone come and let me in but it wasn't necessary. They'd left my key card in a lock box nearby and gave me the code over the phone.
The key card got me into a long corridor with motion sensitive lights that only came on when I was halfway down. It ended at another key-coded door which let me into a stairwell with equally friendly motion-sensitive lights. These lead to a floor with 5 rooms leading off it, one of which was mine. Small but clean, if an odd shape, and a decent sized bedroom. There was free WiFi but it was encrypted and there was no info on what the key was. I didn't bother calling the number again to find out. No information about when breakfast was served either.
Had planned to ask for advice on places to go for dinner but with no-one to ask just went to the O'Neills pub next door and had a burger and chips with a pint of Guiness. Very ordinary but reliable and convenient. The B&B seemed deserted but I did hear one other person come and go. Very spartan and unwelcoming after all the other places I've stayed. Even the Vine in Stanton wasn't quite so bleak. At least it had friendly cats.
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