Day 7: Bath

Today was fun. :) But then, what day hasn’t been? I can’t believe it’s already Saturday. We can’t be almost done already. This trip has been astounding.

Today we took a day trip to Bath. Jane Austen lived in this city for several years and set a couple of her novels there, including Persuasion, which we read in class.

Bath is rumoured to have been discovered by King Lear’s father, who was riding through the countryside and fell off his horse into water and was healed of leprosy (pre-Christian era). When Rome invaded Britain, the Romans discovered the natural hot spring and built up bath houses around it, dedicating one pool to the goddess Sulis Minerva. There was an entire complex, including a temple on the site at one time. People eventually began to build over the baths, but excavations have been in progress for quite a few years.

During the Georgian era, baths became the fashion in England (probably originating with a royal visit of some kind). The aristocracy began to come to Bath both for medicinal reasons and societal reasons. Because so many people visited, they began to build a city on the site. They built houses and apartments, assembly rooms, buildings for shops and other amusements. It became a center of society where prominent people would come to mingle with other prominent people, even to try to find husbands for their daughters (or wives for their sons... as the case may have been).

The first thing we did when we got to Bath was to go to the Jane Austen Centre, which was kind of nice, but at the same time not as interesting as some of the other things we've seen. It was basically just a building where they've several costumes and some information relating to Jane Austen and the period she lived in. A lady gave us a quick presentation and then we were free to walk through and explore for ourselves. It was somewhat interesting, but had little to nothing to do with the real Jane Austen. It's several buildings up the row from the house where she lived when she was a resident of Bath. She lived in number 25 which is now a dentist's office. We passed it on the way up the hill.

We then went to the fashion museum, which is in the building where the historical assembly rooms still are. We saw a tribute to fashion through the eras that was extremely interesting. I wished I could have spent more time there. I did, however, get one of my only souvenirs from the gift shop just outside the museum. 

The architecture in Bath is still the original Georgian architecture, designed mostly by John Wood the Elder and his son, also John Wood. Between them, the marvels of the Circus and the Royal Crescent were designed. Landscaping had also become important at the time. A landscape architect named Lancelot or “Capability” Brown landscaped over 170 parks in the 18^th century. An important concept in architecture at the time was that the view of the land was uninterrupted and that the landscaper, in essence, attempted to improve upon what nature had placed there naturally. This, as our fabulous guide John informed us, was the reasoning behind what is called a “ha-ha.” He had mentioned them the night before and many people looked slightly bewildered. Apparently Jane Austen talks about them in Mansfield Park and (perhaps?) Persuasion. I looked it up last night and saw that it was defined as a “sunk fence,” but I found further explanation detailing that it was created to divide properties and contain livestock without disrupting the view of the landscape. So, today, we saw a ha-ha in Bath. John also gave a fabulous explanation for why it’s called a ha-ha – he said he had always been curious so he researched it and found out that it was called that because you can’t see it, so when you’re walking and you come up on it, you’re so surprised that all you can say is, “Ha-ha!” Well. Perhaps the 18^th century British people said that. I think I would probably just say, “Oh.” :)

Then we split up into groups of three or four for the afternoon. Noah, Liz and I ate at the Roscoff Café, and I got salmon scrambled eggs and the best apple juice I’ve ever tasted in my life. Then the three of us toured the Roman baths (absolutely fascinating), then went into the Pump Room and had a glass of the spring water (it was warm and basically tasted like well water... kind of nasty. But they say it’s good for your liver), then went into the Bath church. It’s a beautiful, enormous cathedral with dozens upon dozens of ancient grave markers. The architecture is Gothic and stunning. 

After seeing the cathedral we wandered around some more, went into a few shops, got some ice cream, then headed back to the bus and started back for the hotel. Tonight’s dinner consisted of a tomato-mozarella starter, followed by a main course of penne pasta, followed by lemon tart for dessert.

Tomorrow we head for Box Hill first, then for London. When our coach driver, Andy, drops us off at the hotel, that’s the last time we’ll see him. He’s been fantastic! We’ll walk around the city some together, get accustomed to using the tube, and try to get our bearings before tomorrow when we’ll split up and take on London in smaller groups. Then tomorrow night will be the last time we’ll see John as he’ll be leaving extremely early on Monday morning. I can’t believe it’s already coming to an end! I’m very excited for London though. At the moment my plans basically consist of a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe (I probably would have cried if I’d left England and not gotten to go), and going to the British Museum and/or the National Gallery. Several people want to go to Abbey Road and I may go along, but I’m not much of a Beatles fan so it wouldn’t really mean much to me, but it would certainly be interesting.

Well, in any case. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in London. :)