A Toast to the City of Bath

They say life begins at fifty; or is it forty? Well, for this fast approaching fifty year-old, the former seems a far more appealing notion. Towards the end of January, it suddenly dawned on me that the fortuitous forties were fast coming to an end. My gut instinct was to allow the fifties to enter quietly, without fuss or hysteria. But on the final day of January, I woke up and realised that my fiftieth birthday has to be celebrated in some way, no matter how small or low key. And so, I called my dear friend Toyosi to discuss. She didn’t mince her words. “Segs, do you know how far you’ve come? Think about what you’ve been through, you’re lucky to be alive, and have a lot to be grateful to God for. You must celebrate it with the people who’ve always been there for you.” She’s right, my family and close friends never gave up on me, but rather, kept believing and encouraging me at every turn. I am forever grateful to them. As such, my fiftieth birthday weekend is a celebration of their love and support. Unfortunately, a few of them are in Nigeria, and won’t be able to make it, but I know they will be with me in spirit. 

‎ 

I decided to celebrate my birthday in Bath. I hadn’t been to Bath for over ten years, but its pull was as strong as it ever was. Fast forward to Wednesday 16th February, and there I was, standing in front of Bath Spa train station, smiling like that proverbial cheshire cat, as the dark clouds pelted me with their liquid darts (I decided not to drive, as I haven’t had a sniff of alcohol since 31st December, and sense I may be a little too worse for wear to handle the three-hour drive home on Sunday morning). The winds had decided to join in the fun, pulling and shoving with feverish and sustained fervour. Despite the torrential weather, I checked in at the hotel and headed straight out to plan the next morning’s running route; always the first thing I do whenever I travel somehwere. Somehow, I managed to walk all the way to the top of Widecombe Hill, excited by the thought of using it for my intervals training, in preparation for next month’s Hampton Court Palace Half Marathon. That hill is steep!!! The winds and the rains had a field day with the little man from Watford, at one point threatening to carry me to a sudden and swift end. Nevertheless, I couldn’t wait to do intervals on it the following day.

And did I?

The thing about Bath is that it’s just so damn pretty! Every street, horizon, scene, lures you into it’s delectable arms, promising awe and wonder, and never failing. So, when I stepped out of the hotel this morning, rather than turn left and head towards Widecombe Hill, I was taken in by the view on the right hand side, and without hesitation proceeded to take an entirely unplanned route. It didn’t let me down. Somehow, I found myself along the canal, and my word was it incredible! The canal takes you all the way to Reading, and the views are spectacular. I’d only intended to do a light six miles, but every time I wanted to turn back, I was gleefully slapped in the face by yet another awesome scene on the horizon. I ended up doing eleven miles, asking people to take pictures of my very happy and excited self every ten / fifteen minutes. And that’s another thing about this amazing city; everyone is so kind and friendly. Or was it just my charming smile that warmed their hearts? Nope, they’re just damn good people. Only when I remembered that I had a meeting with the general manager of the restaurant at which my birthday dinner is being held did I tear myself away from the canal. 

After the meeting, the faint knocking of an impending headache reminded me that I hadn’t eaten. Starting to feel a little wobbly and jittery, I started to look for somewhere to have brunch. But lo and behold, I came across Pulteney Bridge, and the thought of food was unceremoniously kicked into touch. On Pulteney Bridge, I came across a lovely Asian couple, who not only agreed to take pictures of me, but didn’t snigger or poke fun at my feeble attempts to ‘strike a pose’. Having quite forgotten that I was carrying a bag with my new woolly hat in it (yes, the one in the picture – don’t you just love it!), the lady asked, “do you want your bag in the picture as well?” The manner in which she asked was to die for, and we all broke into laughter, at my expense, but the timing and subtle sarcasm of her question deserved nothing less. I took some pictures of them too (with their camera ofcourse), still chuckling at my gormlessness. Once done, we said our goodbyes with post Covid elbow shakes and parted ways. Once again, rather than finding somewhere to appease the ever growing threats of my weakening body, I was struck by the view ahead, proceeding to explore yet another beauty spot. As I did so, I took out my phone and called my brother, who used to live in Bath. “Bro, I have just one question for you.”

“What’s that?”

“How on earth could you have lived in Bath and then leave it?” We chatted about the city’s charms for several minutes, prompting me to reconsider the plans for Saturday afternoon. Maybe a group walk around the city will be more fun than the crazy golf we have planned. Hmmm…we shall see. 

Finally, I yielded to my body’s assiduous complaints and actively looked for a good place for brunch. I stumbled across the most delightful little coffee shop / restaurant I’ve been to in a very long while. A warm and happy sensation cursed through my body as soon as I stepped inside. The staff at Cortado, 7 Bridge Street, are truly wonderful. There is nothing at all extravagant about the place, and that’s what makes it so heavenly. Despite its very down to earth simplicity, there is something alarmingly chique about it. I felt as though I’d found a hidden corner of Eden; a place where middle aged people eat and chat with one another, regardless of whether you know each other or not. I’ve always believed the ambiance of a restaurant is set by the hearts of those who work in it. The staff at Cortado are quite extraordinary – friendly, funny and so welcoming. And the icing on the cake? One of the female members of staff was wearing the coolest pair of trousers. Can’t explain it, lots of different flowery colours and a very unusual cut. 

So, now back at the hotel writing this, and looking forward to my afternoon nap. What? I’ve done an eleven mile run, walked for a couple of hours and my tummy is finally happy. I deserve it. Besides, I am approaching fifty you know.