Day 2 in Bath was met with wonderful weather! The sun was bright and the air was a comfortable mid-70s, but we only had half a day in Bath so we got up and made our way to the Roman Baths to beat the mobs of tourists.
HISTORY ALERT:
The Romans first built a temple to the goddess Minerva and a public bath on the site in around 50AD. Roman Baths were religious and social places where the healing waters would wash away the worries of the day. As the centuries went on, different groups took over the baths that had fallen to ruin. It wasn't until the Victorian era that the bath again was used for its healing powers. Visitors came to the Pump House to drink of the curative waters and to relax in the natural hot springs. The top part of the baths seen in the photos was created during this time, but the lower part that is below street level is the original bath. The waters are green due to the sun creating algae. During Roman times the bath was said to be covered so the algae did not grow.
The Roman Baths are beautiful. The water can be seen reflecting off the walls from the street, and once you enter you are taken away by the Victorian architecture that surrounds the now lower than street level bath. You look down at the green water that in colder weather actually steams (according to Brad who saw it last time in winter). You enter the bottom floor where the pool is and immediately are taken back to the time of the Romans. The floors are original so are also the pipes and drains supplying the water to the pools. The water level was much higher when the Romans first opened the bath, so small nooks where bathers would sit now serve as places for tourists to sit and take in the Roman ingenuity. The water looks nice, but not really suitable for swimming due to the green color...but you can imagine how nice a hot dip could feel back then!
Once you go through the baths you enter the Pump House where you can drink a glass of the restorative water. High in minerals, the water is said to provide nutrients to heal many ailments. It didn't taste as bad as you would think, I've had worse water in the Tri-Cities. It did taste thick, but only slightly odd.
After our trip through Ancient Rome, we went to the Bath Abbey where a church as stood since the 8th century. As is customary in Europe, the Church is full of a lot of dead people. Monuments of undying love and unconditional respect surround the Cathedral and just walking around you see how much the Church was the center of life long ago. Sort of like a commoner's Taj Mahal, husbands and wives show their love with large carvings and plaques outlying how much their love meant to them and how they will be missed. Not bad since they are still there!
We had learned that Abbey had a tour, and decided it would be fun to see the behind the scenes of a real life Cathedral. Little did we know that the tour involved taking 212 steps in 2 very narrow spiral staircases. Yikes! We had a blind man on our tour and I think he did better than me navigating the steps. He felt his way and had no problems, while brad hit is head a few times and I stumbled more than once!
We were able to see the bells that chime the hour and play songs each Sunday as well as go behind the clock face to see how the churning of the hands happens. It was all very interesting, and from the top of the Abbey we could see the whole English countryside. Breathtaking in more ways than one!
After our afternoon in Bath we were on the train headed for London!
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