More Bath

To quote Sean Bean, "one does not simply blog one post about Bath." In keeping with that advice, here are more pictures from this ancient city...

As you might have guessed, the architecture here in Bath is heavily influenced by the Romans (despite the fact that most of the buildings were constructed after the fall of Rome). Furthermore, the cities reputation as a health spa meant that I was a draw for the rich and powerful. This led to many magnificent residences, among them the Circus...

And below, we have the Royal Crescent townhouses. Built in the 18th century, they overlook a pristine park that stretches as far as the eye can see...

In addition, I failed to mention that the Roman baths were the place to go when one needed to curse someone. That's right, in addition to exercising, bathing, and healing, you could also wish death from above for you enemies. The picture below shows some of the threats that the Roman's wrote down.

One last thing before I go. Take a gander at the picture below (hey that rhymed!)

Doesn't look very Roman does it? The statue was added later, and is supposed to depict, according to English legend, the king who discovered the hot springs. According to the stories, this individual was an ancient prince, who was banished from his kingdom because he had leprosy. He stumbled across the spring and, after bathing in it, found himself to be completely cured (and yet that same spring couldn't cure me of my cough). Since he no longer posed a health risk, he was allowed to return to kingdom, take up the crown, and eventually fathered King Lear. Small world isn't it?

Going to Bath

I know that I promised a Roman Wall in my next post, but life has a funny way of interfering with one's plans, so instead I'm giving you all a Roman bath instead. That's right folks, today I had the pleasure of visiting the ancient city of Bath. As you all recall, a long time ago in in a country not, that far far away, the Roman Empire invaded and conquered England. The Roman's were very much into bathing, and when they found a hot spring, this happened...

For the Romans the baths combined medicine, relaxation, exercise, and religion all into one convenient place. The Bath itself was dedicated to the goddess Minerva (Greek: Athena) and archeologists have even located the head of the statue that was worshiped at this site.

(Interesting note, that statue in question would have only been seen by the priests at the temple/bath, common citizens were not allowed). The baths themselves were huge. Hot baths, cold baths, and everything in between were a part of the Roman bathing experience, and while a large portion of the complex has been restored (the statues below for example), much of it is original.

The above picture actually comes from a tombstone. After the fall of the empire, the tombstone was used to help build the wall that protected the city. Once England stopped being invaded, walls like this became rather unnecessary so the tombstone was shipped to the museum.

 The elements of the above picture formed the top of the entrance to the Roman baths. They are arranged as they would have been when the baths were in operation.

 (If you look closely, you can see the steam coming out of the spring).

In the above picture, the brown wall indicates how, in the middle ages, the monks raised the water level when they used the baths to treat sick villagers. The handles were added when the baths were used by upper-class British citizens during the 18th and 19th century.

As a testament to Roman architecture, this drainage system still works. I'm not kidding, this drain has been transporting water from the spring to the nearby river since the time of the Romans.

Of course, there's more to Bath than just the bath, so afterwards everyone headed over to the fashion museum. As you all know, I've never been a big fan of fashion, but this museum... okay I still am incredibly bored with fashion and this museum didn't change my mind. That being said, I do think that I look rather dapper in a suit and top hat...

Hello Governor!

After that was a visit to the Jane Austin house. Now I'm not the biggest Jane Austin fan, so I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to think about this. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Pride  and Prejudice just fine, but I'm not exactly gonna go gaga over Austin. That being said, I know that many of my friends and family adore Miss Austin so I figured I should probably check. Now the house isn't the actual house that she stayed in (a dentist has his office there now), but all of the houses on the street apparently have the same design so its not that big of a deal.

Moving  on, we next visited an Abbey that dates back to Norman Times. It was partially destroyed during the Reformation (Henry VIII you're a jerk. An effective ruler and military commander, but a jerk), but it was restored to towards the end of the 17th century. Anyway, words can't describe the beauty and majesty of this place, so here are some pictures...

 During the Renaissance through the 18th century, there was fear that one's dead body would be dug up and used for medical research. As a result, many people requested to be buried in the actual church itself, hence the gravestones above.

Like I said the Abbey was gorgeous. In fact that whole city was gorgeous and it was sunny, which is something that I've missed since I've gotten here (the jokes that people make about England being dreary are, in fact, true). That's all for now, but I'll have more pictures from Bath coming up in a day or two. Enjoy!