Our first full day in Bath, a city with hills reminiscent of San Francisco.
Our apartment is open, spacious, and very modern, with a balcony overlooking the surrounding hills. Interestingly, it was once part of the former Kensington Chapel.
This morning, we visited the Roman Baths, another archaeological marvel. Like Corinium in Cirencester, it offers a fascinating glimpse into Roman life, but here the focus is on the Romans’ remarkable bathing culture and the engineering behind it. The Roman Baths are among the best-preserved Roman sites in the world. More than 300,000 gallons of steaming spring water, reaching temperatures of 115°F, flow through the complex every day! The engineering, the ingenuity, and the sheer technical achievement involved in creating this place are AMAZING. It’s hard to imagine how the Romans accomplished so much nearly 2,000 years ago. I would write more, but I am oh so tired right now. Here’s a good website to check out:
https://www.getyourguide.com/explorer/bath-ttd517/visit-the-roman-baths-in-bath/
After a quick lunch at Milk Bun, where we had THE BEST SANDWICH, we headed to Bath Abbey for a tower tour. While we waited for our tour guide inside the Abbey, we were serenaded by the sweet voices of a girls’ choir. We climbed more than 200 steps up a very narrow, winding spiral staircase. Along the way, we saw the clock-face room and the bell chamber, which houses 10(?) bells, some weighing as much as 1.5 tons! One of our fellow tourists told us that he had been a bell ringer as a young boy in York. Being able to ring one of the bells, he said, was the thrill of a lifetime. He was quite moved. At the very top, we had a spectacular 360-degree view of Bath and the surrounding countryside. The weather was gorgeous but really windy, our tour guide estimated the winds at 30 miles per hour.
On our way back home, we walked by The Royal Crescent and The Circus both stunning examples of Georgian architectural landmarks.
So much to marvel at, from the extraordinary achievements of the Romans, a lot of which was underground to the beauty of the city viewed from above, and a lot in between. It was another extraordinary day. Even got to taste the water at the Roman bath, it was warm, almost hot and had a distinct mineral taste.
13,300 steps, 5 flights of stairs, though it felt like 10!