Disclaimer!

Right. When I say 'drain', apparently I mean 'plughole'. Forgive me, I'm Canadian. For 7 years I've been saying 'drain', meaning 'plughole' and no one has corrected me until I have created a public blog announcing my ignorance to the world. For clarification, I mean 'the place where the lovely bubbles drain away when you take the plug out of the hole in the bottom of the bathtub'. Expat pitfalls indeed. They never end.

You know, this thing

Behind the Royal Crescent

Royal Crescent, Bath

I'm a member of the club at the Royal Crescent Hotel (I know, sorry). The gardens are looking particularly glorious this time of year - fragrant and lush and fresh. The spa pool is warm, with views of the blossoming trees.













But behind the tourist attraction, there is the reality of all the workings that guests shouldn't see. As a local, both views are part of my day-to-day experience.

The Great Dell

Queenly sequoia in The Great Dell

The more traditional part of the gardens

Visitors can easily miss The Great Dell during their explorations of Bath's Botanical Gardens, but it's one of my favourite spots. A little bit shady, a little bit damp, with dangerous muddy paths, the dell is the Prince Harry of the Royal gardens. Look up, look way up, at the grand sequoias holding court - it will give a tiny taste of life on the west coast of North America. I visit when I'm homesick and imagine I'm in a British Columbian forest.

Not the grimiest part of Bath, but an overlooked treasure.

The Fair

An annual pain in the ass for local publicans and residents, the fun fair brings with it a plethora of un-Bathlike images, sounds, smells, and people.

Fancy a cup of tea Mr Darcy?

Unattended baby

Yes, there really was a baby in there! 

The Bath You Don't See in the Travel Guides

Number 1 Royal Crescent, Bath

This blog is dedicated to my current hometown, Bath. One of the UK's top tourist locations, a typical trip to Bath would usually comprise a visit to the Jane Austen centre, a gander at some Georgian architecture, and a turn around some twee gardens. This blog aims to shake up Bath's image and present an alternative take on this wee city. We'll look 'behind the scenes' to see the grime left when the bubbles go down the drain.

Apart from all the well-known bits about Bath being a site for Roman baths and Georgian society events, we must remember that the city was originally a pig farm - and some of that original muck still exists. In addition to the dirty side of life, we'll expose some hidden gems and new hot spots that might be of interest to hipsters, artists, and non-conformists.

The images have been taken with various settings on my Hipstamatic app on iPhone4.

Please comment, chastise, and feel free to send me your own images for sharing.

Joelle. x