Bath - July 12

Today we left Melanie and Neil behind. They have already been to Bath and Melanie had to work anyway. So around 9:00 we went off to the train station with stops at the bakery and grocery. The bakery has good things for breakfast and the bottled refreshments are much cheaper at the grocery than the shops in the rail stations. So we purchased our tickets and at 9:28 we were off to Bath.

The train trip takes about 2.5 hours so if you do this trip be sure to take something to read or some other activity with you. The trains are very comfortable, easy to move around in, and many even have "catering". The food and drinks you buy on the train are very expensive so plan ahead if you can to take things along.

Once in Bath, we stop at a visitors center and bought a city map that we really didn't need since we really only went two places and stayed in site of the cathedral the whole time we were there. But then we must contribute to the local economy.

Our first stop was at the Bath Cathedral. Impressive! It's not nearly as vast as St. Paul's in London but it was very stunning and it cost nothing to go inside. The stained glass is really extraordinary and of course there are the never ending memorials to people buried in or near the church. The oldest one I saw was from the 16th century. Are there any churches that old in the US, maybe but can't be sure.

We signed up to climb the tower at the cathedral. The tours run every hour or so. The tower is actually a bell tower and a clock. Nearly 200 steps on a narrow, spiral staircase. There are breaks along the way to view things and to get information about the tower and the bells themselves. You also get to go behind the face of the clock which is quite interesting. The tower tour was well worth the £6 that it cost.

After touring the tower we went to the Roman Bathes. This site has been used by many different peoples that have occupied the area since before Christ. The Roman bathes were rediscovered in the late 18th century. Basically what happened is the hot spring stopped flowing at the site. When it was investigated they found the spring had actually just re-channeled itself in another direction. This was "corrected" and the Roman Bathes were uncovered. They have been working on excavation of the bathes ever since. More and more artifacts and "ruins" are uncovered all the time.

These structures are really fascinating and would have really been spectacular when they were being used by the Roman Empire. To say they were well built by the Romans would be an understatement. So the the plumbing created during it development by the Romans is still working and channels water in and out of the various areas of the spa. The green color you see in the water is from alga that would not have been there during Roman times. When the Romans used it the whole structure was enclosed.

The museum that is built around the bathes themselves is just as fascinating as the structures themselves. You should take the audio guide with you as you roam through the structures and museum. The commentary is very useful in helping understand the purposes and uses of all the different areas in the bathes themselves and all of the displays in the museum. It was an amazing tour and a fitting end to a long day.