After only a week out of summer, we were already feeling the chill of autumn. The ugg boots came out, along with the duvet (must remember not to call it a doona) to wrap around us on the lounge. On Friday night we went over to Russell Square for sushi, seeing this part of the city in a different light to when we stayed there in our first few weeks.
We had a bus day trip out to Bath and Stonehenge on Saturday. Bath is today recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its most famous former resident was Jane Austen. There were plenty of locals dressed in Victorian attire wandering the streets.
Bath is also the only place in the UK where you can bathe in naturally hot, bubbling spring water as discovered by the Roman’s over 2,000 years ago. These days you aren’t allowed to actually touch the water at the historic Roman Baths. There are other modern spas nearby, although we didn’t have enough time to go there. Alongside The Roman Baths is the impressive Bath Abbey, where first King of England was crowned. Fudge seems to be another of Bath’s trademarks, and of course we were willing to have a try.
Following on from lunch, we boarded the bus again and traversed the English countryside around an hour southeast to Stonehenge. Since we’d already been there on the weekend that we hired a car (refer to Week 8 http://bit.ly/1V0qhb3), we spent our time in the visitors centre café while the rest of the tour group went to check out the stones.
After having limited interaction with animals over the past few months, on Sunday we visited Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium. Set up by an Australian lady around 18 months ago, the ‘emporium’ is a café home to 10 cats. We entered the café, but before we could interact with the cats had to go through an air lock and wash our hands. Inside the main area, cats are able to wander amongst the diners or rest in numerous hiding places. There are plenty of shelves, cat hammocks, beds and houses for the cats to rest in. Because these are rescue cats, they are a little standoffish – happy for you to pat them while they lay there, but they don’t come up seeking attention from you.
The novelty of the cat café concept has ensured that the café is regularly booked out, Roslyn made our booking more than a month before we went. Each booking attracts a £6 per person cover charge and is allocated an hour and a half on site.
After eating our brunch and patting the cats, we went across to Westfield Stratford City to further stock up on winter wear.
Highlights for the week:
- Dinner at Russell Square
- Bus trip with Aussies in London
- Bath
- Roman Baths
- Bath Abbey, where first King of England was crowned
- Ate fudge
- Stonehenge
- Brunch at Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium
- Westfield Stratford City
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