We met with up Lee and Jon at Portsmouth Harbour and walked through Gunwharf Quay before settling in for some food at a local chain, Slug and Lettuce. Colleen and Lee worked together at Iowa State back in 2007. Lee moved back to her native Britian about three years ago. Here is a family dinner photo!
Coco found a gorgeous Art Deco B&B a few blocks from Jon and Lee’s house. There were several homes in this style and the B&B keepers had lovingly restored the home and purchased period appropriate furnishings.
The B&B keepers are heavily into collecting Art Deco everything, and were also selling some items. One of the other guests mentioned that Deco isn’t very popular in the U.K. right now and that no one wants “brown furniture” at auction. Hmmm...
We had a delicious breakfast and headed back to Gosport, took the ferry across to Portsmouth. We enquired about lunch at a information centre, and later a local, who works in the docks, suggested a small cafe across the street. Coco had a slice of lamb and leek pie and Bri had a mushroom and spinach pie. Delicious! We then boarded the train to Bath.
Whist traveling to Bath, we started seeing sheep in the pastures for the first time, but not the last. From this point through Wales and Ireland, these guys would be ever-present by the roads and railways.
One of Coco’s best friends from graduate school, Helen, drove over from Cardiff to meet us for the afternoon and evening in Bath. She greeted us from the lobby of our B&B, a beautiful villa Brian found whilst searching online for accommodation.
In exchange for Brian taking their photo, one of the members of a very boisterous group in our tiny pub volunteered to take our photo too. Coco and Helen developed a “giving one” (instead of giving a high five) during their days in Carmarthen. Coco probably needs to wear her glasses in order to recreate their signature handshake.
The beautiful Bath Abbey...
Our dinner location...no wild beasts were around. We headed back to the Roseate Villa and Helen made her journey back home. We will reunite on Saturday!
