A Step Back Into Time: Day Trip to Bath

Bath Street, Bath, Somerset, UK

Yesterday, a my exchange group took a day trip over to Bath.  Being a Jane Austen fan and a Georgian architecture enthusiast, Bath was one of the top places on my list to visit.  Wandering around the ancient streets was like a step back into time.

We arrived around ten in the morning.  It was one of the most beautiful days I've experienced since arriving in this rainy country.  About fifteen of us jumped off the bus, and headed for the main attraction, the Roman Baths.  

Over 2,000 years of history, once buried under the rocks, was excavated and restored into a wonderful monument.  The baths themselves look like they do in the pictures, but I was surprised to find out that the geothermal spring that once heated the water for the Romans continues to do so for today.  The museum did a wonderful job of weaving the restorations in with the original works.  

At the end of the tour there was a filtered Bath Spring Water stand, so we too, could take the healing waters.  We all drank the warm, newly filtered water, then immediately regretted it, because, despite being filtered, it still tasted as if it had been boiled with dirty gym socks.  Gross!  It took me two bottles of water and a couple breath mints just to get the taste out of my mouth.  Jury's still out on whether or not it will "heal all of my ailments".  I guess time will tell!

Next stop was Queen Square and the Royal Crescent.  The park held an obelisk type monument erected in the honor of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.  The Royal Crescent appears to have once been a palace or some sort of extravagant stately home.  Now, it has been broken up into apartments.  We were told that one would have to pay £400,000 just for the right to rent one of the homes, then monthly rent and co-op fees on top of that.  The dozens of luxury cars parked in resident parking only went to further our realization that this was where Bath's elite lived.

My group spent most of the afternoon wandering the streets and just taking in the city.  We stopped for lunch at a pub.  

I tried Cottage Pie for the first time.  It was delicious!  I'm going to have to find a recipe and see if I can recreate the dish.

During our journey, we happened upon the famous Pulteney Bridge.  Beneath the bridge was a terraced water feature much like the one from Javert's death scene in Les Miserables.  Beside the bridge was a lovely park named Parade Park.  Despite it only being the first of March, daffodils were blooming everywhere and the grass was luscious and green.  Springtime is coming, I could feel it in the air!

The last stop for the day was Bath Abbey.  I've mentioned before how much I love cathedrals, and this one jumped to the top of my list to tie with Notre Dame.
Unlike many cathedrals I have visited, Bath Abbey was light and airy, rather than having the dark, omnipresent air that many seem to have.  The building was made of a light colored stone, and the windows positioned to take full advantage of the natural sunlight.  The stained glass and flowers added color to a sand colored backdrop.  The way the sunlight and colors mingled brought a feeling of joy to the place, instead of the somber reverence inspired by many churches of England.  It was a beautiful place!

All of the Georgian architecture, well kept streets, ancient alleyways, and beautiful gardens was like stepping back in time into a Jane Austen novel.  Some places you can feel the light whisper of history in the air, in Bath that it is not a whisper but a song floating through the streets.  This beautiful town has become one of my favorite places in England.