A Week Of Birthday Celebrations - Day 7

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It was our last full day in London, so after the success of our trips to Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Greenwich, we decided we would try our luck with the National Railway System once again and head to the city of Bath Spa. I had been there 10 years ago and fell in love with the place. I thought it would be the perfect day trip to end our vacation.

We made our way to the Paddington Station and boarded the 10AM train to Bath. After a 90 minute train ride, we arrived and started our self-guided walking tour.

Our first stop was the ancient baths that dated back to the Romans. What an incredible place. Located right in the heart of the city, the baths attracts thousands of visitors each year. Again, we got our very own audio handsets and we ventured through the grounds. In the past ten years, the place had changed so much. They had added more artifacts, more explanations of things, and it was a huge improvement compared to my initial visit.

I won't bore you with a lesson on the hot springs located under the city, how they captured the water, piped it into the baths, and made offerings to the gods. I will let you look at the pictures so you can see what a great place this is.

At the end of the tour, there is a pool of sorts. Here, the Romans would throw money and other things into the pool, asking the Gods for things. Today, we call it a wishing well. Susan and I threw coins into the pool and made two wishes. We asked the Gods to keep our mom healthy and we asked the gods to allow mom to always get the Final Jeopardy question correct. My mom loves Jeopardy.

Once out of the baths, we walked to The Circus. Here, it's a series of arced buildings that suround the park. It is nothing like we have at home. Very impressive. I stole the following explanation of the Circus from the Bath Spa website...

"The Circus was the masterpiece of John Wood the Elder. The striking architecture has spawned numerous theories to explain its stark originality. Viewed from the air it forms the shape of a key, perhaps a Masonic symbol? John Wood is also thought to have taken inspiration from the ancient standing stones of nearby Stanton Drew and from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Either way, the Circus is a stupendous creative accomplishment and one of the key reasons Bath was awarded the title of World Heritage Site by UNESCO."

Up the road from the Circus is The Royal Cresent. It is another amazing piece of architecture... Again, an explanation from the Bath Spa website....

"The Royal Crescent is one of the world's best known landmarks. Built between 1767 and 1775 and designed by John Wood the younger, the crescent contains some 30 houses, one of which is now the Royal Crescent Hotel, another is Number 1 and open to the public."

After leaving The Royal Crescent, we walked through the Botannical Gardens and stopped for a pint in Molloys Pub. Once rested, we walked past the Jane Austen Centre. Jane is Bath's most famous resident. We didn't go in, but the centre offers "a snapshot of life during Regency times and explores how living in this magnificent city affected Jane Austen’s life and writing."

From there, it was back to the train station and back to London.

Of all the places we visite, I think I would pick Bath as the place to buy a home and settle down.

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Photos

Minerva's Head
Not her real head... just a sculpture

Comments

[DEB HOLBIK]

A Favourite of mine too.
I really loved Bath when I visited there. You make me want to visit again.

[Jeanne]

Hi Rob, You don't know me but I stumbled on your blog a couple of days ago when I was looking for mine. I was in Tanzania almost a year ago to volunteer in an orphanage. I was only there 1 month, but I miss it so much. Your blog has really brought me back, from reading about the people, the villages, rain, bugs, food,... Thank you for such a wonderful blog. I look forward to continuing to read it. Take care. Jeanne