Sunday, June 18, 2006

Bath

Another day trip out of London. Bath is an old Roman town near the west coast of England, just east of Bristol. The bus ride there takes 3 hours. Kate, Kelly and I caught the 7am bus from Victoria and headed west to spend a day out in Bath.

The town is built on the banks of the Avon River - the same one that flows through Stratford-upon-Avon, through the Cotswolds, Bath, Bristol and then the ocean. The town's main claim to fame is that it is built on ancient hot springs that the Romans constructed bath houses on. The main square of the town is focused around the ancient bath house. It seems like a typically Cotswold town with narrow cobbled streets, gothic churches and plenty of character.

We firstly went into the Roman bath house. It has a self-guided tour and it is amazing to see the infrastructure that was built for the baths, the church nearby and the old town square. You can almost get the feeling of being there in Roman times.The town also has a famous author, Jane Austen, who spent some of her life living and writing in Bath, taking inspiration from the country side surroundings. Kate and Kelly spent some time in the Jane Austen house, looking at a history of her life. We walked up towards the northen side of town, up the top of the hill, to the Royal Crescent. The Royal Crescent is a half moon of stately Georgian houses that overlook a park and the botanic gardens.

The arched Pulteney bridge crosses the Avon river and it has houses and shops built on top of it, probably much like London bridge would have looked before its many rebuilds. We stop to have dinner and a couple of beers at a cafe that looks over the river before getting back on the bus for the trip home. It is little wonder that Bath has been listed as a World Heritage Site. The town is a beautiful example of golden sandstone architecture blended with an interesting history and window into Roman-esque life.

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Bath
Jun 17, 2006 - 14 Photos

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