Illuminate Bath, Coffee & Cake at the Holburne & Chinese New Year!

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend 🙂

Bath was buzzing with activity this weekend and we had a great time hanging out in our home city.  Here are a few of our weekend highlights…

On Friday we went to the Illuminate Bath festival… We enjoyed it so much, that we decided to go again on Saturday evening 🙂

This telephone box had a big clockwork key in its side which triggered lights and sound when turned.  The kids loved it 🙂

Another piece that captivated the children was an animation called ‘Heads, Bodies, Legs’ which was created in collaboration with pupils from a local junior school.  Here’s a clip that Lil’ L took on his camera:

 

One of my favourite pieces of artwork entitled ‘Attracted to Light’ projected silhouette images and fluttering moths onto a building front.  I found it totally captivating. 

Even though the moths were simple projections onto the wall, they looked 3D. It was very clever!

On Friday night, the public were given free access to enter the Roman Baths to experience the light and sound installation called ‘Frequency’.  Lights were projected onto the spa water, where they danced and pulsed in time to the music. 

The lights were moving in the steam from the spa, making it look like the water was rippling.  I found it totally and utterly captivating.  I’m so glad that I got to see it 🙂

Here’s a short clip that Lil’ L took of the Frequency exhibit. It’s not great quality but it gives a flavour of what it was all about.

 

On Sunday afternoon, we went to the Garden Cafe at the Holburne Museum for coffee and cake 🙂

To reach the museum, we walked along a stretch of the Kennet & Avon Canal that I haven’t walked before.  I thought it was really beautiful.

I love the way that the residents have designed their back gardens.  They’re really interesting and individual.

The Holburne Museum’s Garden Cafe is situated in the modern extension at the back of the building.  It has a very cool, stylish interior and a large outdoor terrace that will be a perfect spot for afternoon tea when the weather warms up.  

As soon as I entered the cafe, I was immediately drawn to their gorgeous display of baked goodies.  I even spotted a jar of delicous-looking granola, so I might have to pop back for breakfast one day 😉

Whenever we go to cafes, I rarely get to eat any of the baked goodies as they tend to be made with dairy.  So, you can imagine my delight when I discovered that the cafe at the Holburne Museum sells a dairy and gluten-free orange and almond cake!  They even had soya milk, so I could have a soy cappuccino along with my piece of cake.  I was one happy girl 🙂

Thanks so much guys for considering those with allergies, and catering for us.  We really appreciate it! 🙂  Thanks also to the staff for making us feel so welcome.  It was great to meet the cafe manager Aurelie and the guys!

I’ll be back to visit the Holburne Museum again soon.  There are so many great events coming up.  One that caught my eye was ‘The Art of Shoes: Manolo Blahnik in conversation with Iain Web’ on 29 March 2012.  The event’s described as “a rare opportunity to hear Manolo Blahnik’s story and views on life, shoes and Bath, the city he calls home”.  He’ll also be signing books before and after the event, in the Garden Cafe.  What a cool night out for the girls 😉

Sunday afternoon was rounded off with a visit to the Assembly Rooms to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  When we arrived, the Ball Room was alreadycrowded with people watching the dance recitals, acrobatics and kung fu displays.  The event’s finale involved the dancing lion making its way to the Museum of East Asian Art to the sound of clashing cymbals and firecrackers. 

Look, it stopped to pose for a picture for us!

 

Another great weekend in Bath!  So much fun!  These free events really bring people together in Bath.  Let’s hope we get some more soon!  

Have a great week everyone xx

 

6 thoughts on “Illuminate Bath, Coffee & Cake at the Holburne & Chinese New Year!

  1. I know we had fun at the weekend swimming and spraying the new garden landscaping with a pressure washer, but this beats our weekend hands down. Brilliant. 🙂

    1. I can’t believe that this was the third year of the Illuminate Bath festival… and I’ve only just heard of it!I’ve finally joined the world of Twitter and can climb out of my cave 😉

  2. What a wonderful weekend. I would have loved all of those festivals and the food at the Holburne looks very tasty. I see they have millionaire shortbread…I made some not too long ago from a recipe a friend gave me (I suppose this is a British treat) as we don’t typically have it stateside.
    I love the canal and seeing into the gardens what just a lovely view. If I could take walks like that I would never be inside I would just be taking in all of the lovely nature…however I do suppose that wouldn’t pay the bills 🙂

  3. What fun! I love how you enjoy all the fun festivities and events in your city. And there seems to be many! I cannot get over how gorgeous the sights are–I am in love with the canal and the houses along it. Thank you for sharing your lovely party of the world!

  4. Great weekend! Always something to see in Bath. Illuminated phone boxes, dragons and cake appear to mix surprisingly well.

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