Good, clean fun

Approximately two years ago, our family visited Bath and Lacock during the second half of spring break because we had to hurry back home in order to be in London for the marriage of Prince William. I had enjoyed this little side trip to one of the picturesque towns of England and offered to play tour guide for our friends from Texas visiting us for the week.

Once we got out of the London suburbs, it was an uneventful two hour drive to Bath. Upon arrival, we promptly went to see the Roman baths.

Happy to view the excavated ruins a second time, we enjoyed seeing Roman engineering feats from the 1st to 3rd centuries when it was constructed. They were some smart cookies! My favorite items on display in the museum were the "curse tablets". Romans would inscribe a curse on a sheet of lead or pewter, roll it up and toss it into the spring. Archaeologists also found more than 12,000 Roman coins in the spring. It seems folks appealed to the goddess Minerva for good and evil.

After the baths, we toured the adjacent abbey. A site of Christian worship since the 8th century AD, this is the last great medieval church built in England. Revised and renovated over the centuries after its founding in 1499, I was impressed by its fan vaulting and stained glass windows.

An exterior abbey detail I absolutely love can be seen below - sculpted angels climbing ladders to ascend to heaven. 

After grabbing a sandwich and drink to-go, we hit the road for a scenic route to Lacock village. Located in Wiltshire, three miles from the equally precious town of Chippenham, Lacock is a time warp. Owned in its entirety by the National Trust since 1944, it's like stepping into a bygone era. The scene for several period movies, it's most famous for its role in the Harry Potter franchise. Check out the video below. In all honesty, Lacock did have a magical quality about it.