Although the days are getting significantly shorter and the temperature significantly colder, we were still both due for a haircut. Strangely, we have found that over here the idea of cutting hair to thin it out is just not something the Brits are familiar with.
Roslyn put out a call to the Aussies in London Facebook page for any Australian hair dressers over here that own thinning scissors and know what to do with them. We had success, and on Thursday evening went across to Fulham. Although the setup was far from being a salon (sitting on a dining chair in the girl’s share house bathroom), the final result was positive.
On Saturday, we joined a bus tour bound once again for Bath, this time to experience the renowned Bath Christmas Markets. This is far beyond your standard village market. The Christmas Markets comprise more than 170 wooden chalet-style market stalls lining the streets and squares around the City centre. Many of the chalet stalls are dusted with “snow”, as are the imitation ski lodges.
There is all manner of handcrafted goods on offer, gourmet delicacies and plenty of hot mulled wine/cider/apple juice and fruit mince pies. It was opening weekend and yet the chilly conditions, caused by a fusion of low temperatures, wind and rain that came down nearly all day long, did not seem to deter visitors. Brendan continued on his quest to eat all things venison, this time it was a venison pie for lunch.
Just shy of boarding the bus to return home, we wandered up to the Royal Crescent. This impressive arc of 30 homes is considered one of Bath’s landmarks, but if architecture and housing aren’t a key interest of yours you probably wouldn’t go and see them.
Construction on the homes was completed in 1775, and while all homes have a uniform appearance externally, purchasers were free to craft the internal layout as suited them. This means that today, while they all look identical, no 2 homes are the same. The homes are arranged around a manicured lawn looking out to Royal Victoria Park, with a ha-ha acting as a divide between the public parkland and private lawns. A ha-ha is a recessed landscape element (essentially a ditch), designed to create some form of barrier while also preserving unobstructed views. In addition, the ha-ha at Royal Crescent has a stone wall to further define the divide between the public and private realm.
We returned to London, but around half an hour later disaster struck when we realised that our day’s shopping had been left behind on the now long departed tour bus. After several attempts at calling and text messaging our tour guide, the bus company, and the bus driver the loot was located safe and sound.
On Sunday, Brendan meandered through the tube system to the other side of London to pick up our shopping from the day before while Roslyn went to the Tower of London and drinks afterwards with Mel.
Highlights for the week:
- Our first thinned-out haircuts
- Bus trip to Bath with Aussies in London
- Bath Christmas Markets
- Drank hot mulled wine/cider/apple juice
- Being in a snow globe
- Brendan ate venison pie
- Royal Crescent and the ha-ha
- Roslyn went to Tower of London
- Roslyn had drinks with Mel
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