Wednesday, January 28, 2009

When in Bath, do as the Romans did.





After spending a freezing morning at Stonehenge, we began the hour journey to Bath, England. Of course, we got lost a few times on the way, but no one seemed to mind too much as we were lost in some of the most beautiful countryside we had ever seen. Personally, I was in the back seat happily eating chocolate.

Bath is famous for its natural hot springs and its Roman heritage. When the Romans invaded England long, long ago, they set up shop in Bath to make use of the hot springs. They built a beautiful temple and Roman bath on top of the springs, the ruins of both still standing and working today. The temple is in pretty bad shape, but the baths themselves miraculously have withstood the test of time, looking much as they did for the last 2000 years. Crazy.

The city of Bath, known by its Roman name Aquae Sulis, has been a tourist town since the baths were constructed. It's often referred to as the oldest tourist town in Europe. Author Jane Austen resided here for a good part of her life, and many kings were crowned at the magnificent Bath Abbey which you can see peeping out over top of the baths. Bath Abbey was built in 1000 something or other, and it is quite a sight to see, too. Sadly, we were too late to go inside, but I think I'll make it back to Bath soon to see the Jane Austen museum and to tour the Abbey.

After a glass of wine (for me, at least), the weary travellers began the trek home. Luckily, we had no car accidents and we didn't even get lost. I'd call that a success, wouldn't you? Check out my picasa album for more pictures of our trip to Bath: http://picasaweb.google.com/laura.ingram/Bath

Til next time,
Laura Bionix

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