A Day In Bath

Above is a picture of Nicole and I in front of Bath Abbey.

I must first point out that Bath is a city in England and that the name is derived from the public baths that were built there by the Romans using water from natural springs. This was a trip that was planned by the American Studies Department and was offered to any Americans who wanted to go. I would also like to clarify that there is much more to Bath than just the baths themselves. There is also a gigantic park on the river bank, bus and river boat tours, walking tours, Bath Abbey (in the background above), the Jane Austen Center (she was an English writer in the 1700-1800's for you non English majors), and an American museum which we didn't have the time nor the desire to visit. We busied ourselves with the baths, the abbey, and the Jane Austen Center. I must admit that a lot of aimless wandering also took place in an attempt to simply get a feel for the city and no we were not lost. Below, as usual, is a pictorial tour of Bath, England and almost everything that it encompasses.

Above is a picture of the main bath. There was a roof covering the bath when it was originally built but of course it has since disappeared with time. The roof would keep the outside air from coming in and so the algae that you see (the green stuff) didn't exist. The water was clear when they were in use but that is (clearly) not the case anymore. There were also signs all over stating that the water was unsafe not only to drink, evidently, but also to touch. We asked a guide about it and we were told that the base of the baths were once lined with lead. Great, lead poisoning and acid rain, no wonder why the Roman Empire fell!


This is a picture of the same main bath but with more of the actual building. That massive structure in the background on the left side of the bath is Bath Abbey.


This would be the main bath again but with more of the building and taken from the opposite side of the courtyard.


Above is a picture of one of the many statues of Roman warriors that watch over the main bath. Below are two more warriors. Please ignore all body parts and any tourists that may have found their way into these pictures. The tourist population in Bath is astounding and seeing as I'm not one for crowds, especially of tourists, it wasn't exactly my favorite place but the sights are awesome.





The picture above is of one of the smaller baths. As before, there was once a roof over it and the water was clean. The water did have steam coming off of the surface and the water seemed to be bubbling up from the bottom but according to the sign the bubbling was caused by the natural draining of the pool.


Above is an example of one of the drains for the main bath.

A picture of me at the main bath. I hope that boulder doesn't move or might get a little wet!

Below are some of the artifacts recovered from the Sulis Temple that was once on the site with the Roman baths. The last picture is of some stone Roman coffins.













Going in?

This was a sign that was in the bath house and it explains what the steps are to taking a bath. If you click on it the picture should enlarge and hopefully enough that you'll be able to read it. If you can get it big enough, notice the servant in the first drawing, he's smiling.

The amazing thing about the Roman baths is that the floors were heated. This picture shows how they did it. They would build several small fire pits around the perimeter of the room and then build the floor on pillars of stacked bricks(above). This would heat the entire floor and then there were small holes in the walls beneath the floors to allow the heat from the fires to flow freely from one room to another.


Above is one of the indoor baths still remaining and this is where people would go for a , "cold plunge" after a soak in the steaming hot baths.

These are the steps to the above bath. I'm not sure if you can see them clearly, but I can reassure you that those coins aren't pennies and quarters. They're two pence and 20p (pence) coins.


This is an original "foot bridge" placed over the stream by the Romans. The ditch that the bridge spans is the water flow from the main bath to the drain that is pictured above somewhere. Also, notice the sign in the background.

Welcome to Bath Abbey...


Amy, me, and Nicole in front of Bath Abbey.


Me and Marta inside Bath Abbey. In the background is the stained glass window that is comprised of 56 different panes each portraying a different part of Jesus' life. Most of my pictures of the abbey need to be turned around but my computer won't let me do that right now so I'll mess around with it and see what I can come up with, sorry. Lets see what other pictures I can dig up.

This would be a horribly humiliating picture of me and yes, Jane Austen, well a statue of her anyway but hey its the best I can do seeing as I came about two hundred years too late. The Jane Austen center is definitely a must for any English major who has the means, or doesn't, to go to Bath. Jane Austen did live in Bath for about five years and while she lived in several houses there, most of which aren't open to the public (one was bombed during the war) you can still wonder the same streets and get just as lost as Jane.

Well, I would love to offer you more pictures of Bath but again my computer won't allow for that at the moment so these will have to do. You may notice the publication date for this blog, I know it was about a week ago but it has taken me that long to write it. I had to move from my campus dorm to my flat in the student village two miles from campus and unfortunately a ten minute bus ride from my beach. I've been a little to preoccupied to write but I hope to pick it up again but maybe over the weekend. Its fresher's week (orientation) and I have a paper due Friday. I did visit Cardiff and Caerphilly castles last weekend and I hope to start on that blog relatively soon. Please be patient with me as I try to balance parties, class, travel, and a bit of journalism, as it would appear.

I hope you have enjoyed the Roman baths and Bath Abbey. Do note however, that the pictures are in no way a substitute for actually going there. If you are ever given the chance to travel there, or anywhere for that matter, jump at the opportunity and do as I am attempting to, grab it with both hands and love every minute of it. I think that the days spent traveling become the best of a lifetime, at least for me.