The Royal Weekend in Bath

I had a three day weekend and started Friday morning by meeting Luci and Sophia at the house. I wanted to show them the progress and have a nice little catch up. I had spent the night before packing and doing laundry preparing for our road trip to London to stay with Andy's friends.
By 2pm Andy and I were on the road and I had no idea that he'd prepared a suprise escape trip to Bath! We'd always wanted to go up there, and when I finally twigged in the car I burst into uncontrollable giggles. The stress of work came undone in a heartbeat and the fun began. We descended into Bath on a long hilly twisting road that had many beautiful old English manor houses with big gates. Bath is regal, has a wonderfully enchanting feel to it, and caters to a more creative appetite. On first impression, I was impressed. It got better though, because when we arrived to the road leading to the hotel, it led to an enormous green park, massive roman facade crescent, and smack dab in the middle- The Royal Crescent Hotel. Oh my gosh, are we staying there?! No way, really!!!! YAY!!!

The Royal Crescent has a proper Alfred style butler, who greets you and ushers you into the drawing room. They do not have a front desk, they come to you, take your info, unpack your car...dont' even think of lifting a finger. Finally, 5 star service in the UK. It was an impossible dream come true. Our room was romantic, soft Victorian furnishings with a beautiful sash window overlooking the gardens and lawn where we had afternoon tea. They have a private thermal spa bath house, which also offers spa treatments. We would have indulged in a massage if the pro-golfer who was also staying at the hotel wouldn't have reserved every single free session left that weekend. But we did relax in the pools and big barrells, basking in the natural light that came through the peaked windows. It was magical.

On Friday evening, Andy and I headed out to the Thermaspa in Bath town, to watch the sunset from the rooftop thermal pool. Awesome. On one side, sunset view, on the other side, Bath Cathedral lit up in glory. We feasted at dinner and I just couldn't believe that we finally had some down time to relax. Everything has been so go go go over the last two months with the house, and work, and prepping to move etc. We both really needed it.

Saturday We met up with friends for lunch, and had afternoon tea on the lawn and played some board games. Then we went into town to watch Rugby and do some shopping. The sun was out, it was warm, and again, the day could not be more perfect. In the evening Andy took me to the Moon and Sixpence for dinner. We gorged ourselves on a vegetarian rotollo made of butternut squash, ricotta cheese, sweet potato and spinach. Mouthwatering blessings all over the tastebuds, and at the end, we were stuffed to the brim.

Sunday we were up at 7am. I felt like going for a run in the park out front and visiting the botanical gardens before heading to breakfast. We jogged through the park and it was so private and peaceful. Almost no one was about. The sun was shining as we ran through tree lined paths. It was a very special morning. I felt it was blessed by God. I felt at peace, calm, and everything felt like it should. Fears that I'd been holding onto melted away. It was an incredible healing experience. Andy and I had a moment to ourselves that topped off the entire trip. He asked me to be his wife. I burst into tears, millions of tears of joy. I couldn't believe it. He told me I didn't have to answer, that he wanted me to make the decision from strength. And he knew that me going home would be good for us, and for me. The energy and power of that moment could have fueled the whole of Bath. We felt on fire.

For breakfast we happened to find Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant, and had a lovely meal before returning to the hotel and getting ready for the trip home. It felt like we'd been away for a week. I felt restored, at peace, and so incredibly happy and radiant. This year will be a transformational one. But I am not scared, I'm excited.