Quick Thoughts: Our British Isles Cruise

Hey, friends! We're back from our trip, and I am so excited to share it with y'all. I have all of these posts in my head I want to share, so hopefully I will get to at least some of them before our next baby is born (just being realistic here. Haha). This pregnancy has been rougher than my first (and my pregnancy with Anthony wasn't easy), so I usually take things one day at a time. Anyways, today I just wanted to share a few random things about our trip before I get more into the specifics.
I have been asked often if I think a cruise is a good way to see these spots, and in this case, I do. We were in each port for about 12 hours, so there was plenty of time to explore. Plus, we sailed to new destinations while we were sleeping, so it worked out better than having to drive from one place to another. The time at each port is what really sold me on this cruise, though. Honestly, we were both so exhausted from our adventures by the end of each day that we were thankful to get on the boat, relax, and watch a show. Plus, we really enjoyed the beautiful views when we sailed away from the different locations!
Speaking of exhaustion, I was a little worried about keeping up with our excursions, but thankfully, I did well! I did have to rest more than usual after climbing a bunch of stairs, but overall, I was able to do everything we wanted. The most difficult part of the cruise was when the boat rocked. It had more to do with the placement of our cabin than anything (we didn't have a choice with cabins since we had to book late due to not knowing Christopher's schedule), but I was really thankful I had just gotten over the severe nausea/vomiting I had for the first 22 weeks because I would have wanted to get off the boat. We did have one super rough night due to a storm where we barely slept, but overall, it was manageable. 
It was so fun to get to celebrate our big milestones in some stunning places! Chris got to celebrate his 30th birthday in Edinburgh, a city he has always wanted to visit, I celebrated my 30th birthday at Mont Saint-Michel in France, and we celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary in Guernsey! 
Chris and I both admitted that this trip was just about the right length for us, and we wouldn't have wanted it to be longer. We saw so much and truly enjoyed it, but we were both exhausted by the end of it and ready to see Anthony. The jet lag was much worse than normal too, but thankfully, we're finally feeling adjusted back to Texas time!

Quick Trip: 24 Hours in Bath, England

It’s been a while since I introduced my Quick Trip: What to do in a city when you only have 24 hours series with Boston. Today I wanted to switch gears from recapping our fall foliage cruise and share one of my favorite places in the United Kingdom—Bath, England.

When we were in England, I knew I had to visit Bath for two reasons—to see the Roman Baths and a city where Jane Austen lived. Bath is located only two hours from London and one hour from Stonehenge so it’s a great place to add to a London itinerary. Plus, the beautiful, quaint city is so much fun to explore!

What to do: The Romans built the Roman Baths around 2,000 years ago, and tourists have been visiting since that time (first to bathe, now to explore). I really enjoyed our visit to the Roman Baths, especially the Great Bath. We bought the audio tour, which was well worth it. As we explored the different areas, it explained the purpose of each room. You can’t bathe in the natural mineral water at the Roman Baths, but Bath does have a warm mineral spa called the Thermae Bath Spa where you can relax in the thermal spa.

After we finished at the Roman Baths, we wandered over to the Bath Abbey across the street. The Bath Abbey is absolutely beautiful and worth a visit. We decided not to do this, but you can also pay £6 for a 45-minute guided tour that takes you up to the tower, where you can get a lovely view of Bath.

Another highlight to our time in Bath was the Pulteney Bridge, which has fun shops on both sides (it is one of four bridges in the world that has a full span of shops on both sides). We also enjoyed the gorgeous architecture of the Royal Crescent and the nearby Victoria Park.

Although Bath is known as a place where Jane Austen lived with her family for several years (Northanger Abbey is said to be based on her time living in Bath), I thought the Jane Austen Centre was disappointing. It wasn't interesting to me because it wasn’t close to where she lived, and it didn’t include any artifacts from her life.

Where to stay: We decided to spend the sleeping part of the 24 hours in London instead of Bath. Since London is only two hours away, it made sense for us to spend the night there since we were headed to Belgium the next day. If you would like to stay in Bath, several of my friends have recommended the Bailbrook Lodge.

Have you been to Bath? What are some of your favorite places in the city?