Strawberries and Clotted Cream

July 28, 2007

We headed to Bath today, a refuge for the ill and a party for the fashionable for centuries. Starbucks got me through most of the morning, though I dozed for a large part of the bus ride. We pulled up just outside Bath Abbey about two hours later, where we listened to street violinists before heading into the Roman Baths.

The Celts had noticed something funny about the water around what is now Bath about 7,500 years ago--it smelled weird, looked weird, and was incredibly hot (try about 95 degrees F). They believed it was the site of Sulis, one of their goddesses, and they revered the place as sacred grounds. The coming of the Romans brought greater fame, and they built a bath over the site where the sick could be healed by their goddess, Sulis-Minerva. The place remained a site of healing until the Victorian period, when monarchs began visiting it for relaxation. Bath quickly grew in fame as a fashionable hang-out, and it's remained that way ever since.

The Roman Baths were lovely, and we saw the original bath built by the Romans, the water all green from the sulfur and the steps covered in algae. We wandered through the beautiful ruins while listening to our audioguides (narrated by Bill Bryson, of all people!), and the group finally split up for some much-needed lunch. Tricia and I had a wonderful lunch in the historic pump rooms and we tried the Spa water, which was hot and disgusting and I felt very cultured doing it.

We next saw Bath Abbey, with its beautiful fan vaulting and wonderful gravestones covering the walls. The day was absolutely beautiful, so we wandered through some open-air markets, sampling teas and cheeses and just admiring the city. We met up with some other Meredith Students at the Jane Austen Centre, where everyone was trying to buy gifts, before heading up to the Assembly Rooms with Maggie (the home of the most fashionable parties in Bath, and where Jane Austen often danced). Most were closed for a wedding, so we headed downstairs and had fun in the Fashion Museum, where we tried on corsets and hoop skirts. I wish I could post pictures, because they are priceless!

We soon realized it was close to 4:30, so we walked to Dr. Webb and John Rose's house and had tea with fresh strawberries and clotted cream in their backyard. It was so wonderful and relaxing, and we joked around with Sisters Muriel and Pat, who joined us on the trip. I'm going to miss them! The bus eventually returned, and we drove all the way home.