Monday, July 28, 2014

Rocks, Bath, and Beyond!

England Adventure goes once more beyond the big city of London. In a world of many wonders, explore alongside the author as World Heritage sites and unique cultures are unraveled.

For British Culture and Society, we get to see a great number of famous locations and sites. July 21st had a number of amazing places in store. 

We got up nice and early, boarding a coach at about 9:00 am - apparently "too early" in the eyes of our professor, who unfortunately must commute from the other side of London. Nonetheless, we have a great view of the countryside on our way there.






And about two and a half hours of scenic beauty later, we arrived in Bath! Bath is, of course, home to the ancient and world renown Roman Baths. Originally just another city, that is until 60- AD when the Roman, expanding their empire, stumbled upon the regions natural hot springs. Eager to recreate the creature comforts of Rome, they built large and intricate public baths. Unfortunately being destroyed by the nearby river, the entire city has since been "rediscovered" as the Holiday city we know today in the 1700's.

 A quick panoramic of the beautiful holiday city of Bath.




Although it may be hard to hear, there is a rather poor street performer peddling her talents and her CD for standers-by. She showed up several times throughout the city.


This bridge is unique in that it is one of two in the world with shops running alongside both of its edges. Whats more, this bridge is cameo-ed in a rather large musical...

For the fans of the musical Les Misérables, this is the spot of Javert's suicide, filmed here in Bath.


 The Crescent. A large and impressive building, originally built to house the wealthier of the Bath tourists in the 17th century.

 A Sedan Chair. the fashionable way to go around the city in the 17th century. Doors and stairs were, and remain, wide enough to accommodate them. The porters were nefarious, as they could demand any payment, or else leave you stuck inside.


Bath didn't used to be the fashionable city it is today. We can thank the architects and the amazing socialite Richard "Beau" Nash. Nash, a very eccentric fellow, wound up as self-proclaimed 'King of Bath'. As the benevolent king that he was, he grew the social experiences of Bath, planting the seeds of fashion that now thrives in Bath. Besides Paris and London, Bath is a fashion capital of the world.

But, at least for me, the most impressive part of the city are those ancient structures from which the city got its name: the Roman Baths.






In addition to the 120 degree waters, there are a plethora of ancient Roman sculpture and culturally significant stonework surround the baths.


In addition to the baths, the Romans built a number of heated rooms, heated by the air coming out of the hot springs. The stacked rocks above used to support a floor, allowing hot air to go underneath it. The drain above was also of Roman design. 


Touching the water in the baths is strictly forbidden. While it used to be the case that people were allowed to wade in, a number of health factors prevented it, including the original lead pipes, radioactivity from WWII, and now deadly amoebas. We are allowed to drink it though, through the power of modern technology and a little bit of filtration.

The hot water tastes exactly like water that had hard boiled eggs in it.


That concluded our tour of Bath, but fear not readers, for my day was only half over! We again clambered aboard the coach after enjoying a bit of lunch. For myself, that included a traditional Cornish Pastie and a slice of delectable Carrot Cake. Om nom nom. 

We then departed for our next stop: a big pile of rocks:

 No joke. What you see in the picture is what you get. Either way though, it rocked!


Declared a World Heritage site and a World Wonder, Stonehenge is one of those places you have to see at least once in your life. And to be completely honest, once will do you. That was essentially the exact same feeling the farmers who owned the land thought about them decades ago, seeing them as more of a nuisance to their crops than anything else. Today, they are heralded as a great unsolved mystery, much in the same vein as the pyramids. How did they build them? What was their purpose? Aliens!? Illuminati!? People love to speculate. Scientists and historians agree amongst themselves, though, that it certainly was a feat and spectacle when they were first assembled.

Besides standing in front of them, the picture will never look different.
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 - The Knowledgeable Tyler

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