Roaming around Bath, the Home of Jane Austen and the Romans

Yesterday was my Bath day. I mean the place. Jess and I decided to take the later train because 4 am for Oxford was too painful an experience. 

It's strange to experience three different places in England and compare and contrast. I guess in their own way, each place is exactly how it is built if that makes sense. Plymouth is a port town, filled with people coming and going, activity, and a mission. Oxford is a really old University town known for intelligence, writers, literature, and big, big libraries. Bath was what it is known for. A lot of the architecture is older and the main feel of it is casual and very posh. I know, I just said posh. I mean sophisticated and polished. Because of the history that contributed to it's popularity, most of the lifestyle of the wealthy remains. The stores there are very Vogue, and the main shopping square was beyond crowded. Even the train station smelled nice. 

Our day started with a very old book store with tons of classics leather and originally bound. That was a nice beginning to get in the mood, this was after all the home of Jane Austen. From there we went into Bath Abbey. This church was amazing. I cannot stress that more. The entire abbey is built of tomb stones. The floors and walls are all tombs with beautiful inscriptions and elegant carvings. There are some pretty famous people buried there as well. The building itself is huge, old, and beautiful stained glass windows arch all the way to the ceiling. 

There were also candles there to light so I lit one for some special people. That was a beautiful moment, lighting a candle in an ancient cathedral across the Atlantic ocean. 

We then did the tourist thing and payed to go through the Roman Bath Museum and see the bath's themselves. And let me tell you now, it was worth every penny. The museum itself is filled with amazing facts. This is the only hot spring in all of England and the Roman structure itself was built some 2000 years ago. For more information about the Roman Bath's go here. 

Just sitting beside the bath and running my hand through the water was so relaxing. I really wished in that moment that I could have been a Greek and enjoyed the water. There was a part of the baths too where you could drink the water. I did. I immediately regretted it. Real honesty? It was exactly like the aftertaste of blood in your mouth... like when you bit your tongue and swallow. Just like that.

The fashion museum was next. There was a huge collection of gowns and dresses through all the ages and some really neat finds from the French Court, Jane Austen's time, and even before that. Me being a fashionista... well I really enjoyed that. 

We then stopped for tea time (as one must in England) at the Sally Lunn Bun cafe. It is one of the oldest houses in Bath and has the infamous Sally Lunn Bun, which we had. Delicious. Absolutely Delicious. 

Sadly, I didn't make it in time to go through the Jane Austen Center, but we did explore the gift shop and walked to the building area where a scene from Persuasion (by Jane Austen) was shot. It was neat to explore the city that is described so often in her novels.