Travel By Jury

Let’s just get it out of the way quickly – the Roman baths in Bath, England (hence the name) make for an amazing visit to Western culture’s historical past. Of course Rome or the whole of Italy might better suit your need for Roman history, but knowing that the Romans traveled as far as Bath to set up their geothermal wonder is enough of a fulcrum for your imagination to hinge upon; the baths are still running, thousands upon thousands of years later, and the water is still warm. The friezes in the Roman Baths are still intact (mostly) and beautiful; for a pound, you can drink from the waters of the baths, but don’t expect a refreshing drink. Other than the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey (right beside them) is a great place to hang out; grab your lunch to go and watch the street performers, whose varied talents and piccalillis may charm you into thinking Bath is all about fun. And why not? Aside from the historic landmarks, such as the impressive architecture of the Royal Crescent and the Pulteney Bridge, there’s the great Sydney Gardens and the Royal Victoria Park, where all sorts of interesting folk are hanging out and having a good time. Bath’s rugby presence is strong; ask random people wearing rugby jerseys questions and you won’t wont for more enthusiastic conversation. Staying in Bath is easy, as it’s a tourist-heavy town, and there’s more food and artisan shops in the city to keep you occupied for months. Fun fact: if you take the train to Bath from Paddington Station in London (very easy train ride, and Bath’s small enough so that getting from the train station to the inner part of the town could be walked, if you felt like it) you’ll see at least two of the mysterious white horse “hill figures” carved in the sides of England’s hills and dales. Bath is all about history, theater, and art, but there’s a lot more to the city than just tourist attractions; hang out and see what all this city has to offer.

Filed under: Europe | Tagged: artisans, Bath, Bath Abbey, drink, England, food, freizes, friendly folk, geothermal, hill figures, history, London, Paddington, pubs, Pulteney Bridge, Roman baths, Romans, Royal Crescent, Royal Victoria Park, rugby, shopping, shops, Somerset, street performers, Sydney Gardens, train, UK, United Kingdom, Western culture, white horses | Leave a Comment »