Bath, June 09 and 10

 What wonders a good night's sleep and an an Advil can do!  Set out at about seven to do the six-mile Bath Skyline walk.  (Add on getting there and back!) It was so delightful that tomorrow I am going to do it again in reverse.  As the name would suggest, it offers excellent views of the Bath skyline:

And one also sees a remnant of a castle:

 And behind the castle a golf course:

There are ecological fences:

And an ecological art area:

A stone wall with stones on top:

People walking dogs:

Oh, and of course, pretty paths:

Benches for resting.  On this one is carved: I am going into the fields to take what this sweet hours yields. 

Only the bench faces not the country but the city, which may explain the absence of customers.

Don't you love the name Bushey Norwood:

After completing the skyline circuit,  I walked over to Alexandra Park.  Another pretty route, well, partially pretty, the part that went along the Avon, that is (unless that is the canal!):

Alexandra Park is famous for its view of Bath, and my hostess had swooned over it, so I felt I had to go, but after dragging myself up more than 200 steep steps, a lot more, what I saw looked pretty much like the view up top.  Needless to say, most people drive up and are probably a great deal more excited than I to spot particulars of the city.  

Eventually it was time to hunt and gather during which venture I came upon a candy shoppee, where, after years of being without, I found Walkers Licorice Toffees. 200 grams should last a little while.  

Repeated the Skyline walk today.  That is how pleasant it was. Then stopped in at the Victorian Art Gallery.  Guess who was there?

For the cat lovers out there, here is an art-cat:

And for the horse lovers, an art horse:

This travesty elicited a loud OY!  Not only was it SO BAD, I had just seen the Matisse on May 31 at MOMA!

But wait!  I did learn something interesting.  Apparently Gainsborough did not love painting portraits.  No.  He preferred landscapes, but portraits were money makers, and a man has to eat.