With the weather being unseasonably warm for London, we opted to limit our adventure yesterday to a bus ride to the air conditioned Brent Cross Shopping Center for a chance to replace the rain jacket Karen lost in Norway and to acquire a summer flat cap for Steve. But today we headed out on an excursion to the historic town of Bath and its ancient hot springs. At Paddington we were reminded that sometimes travel plans go awry. We were scheduled to depart for Bath on the 9:30 AM train only to learn our train had been cancelled due to an incident on the tracks. We investigated getting a refund but opted instead to catch the 10 AM train. It was a cultural experience. We didn’t need to scan our tickets at the turnstile. We did get seats on the crowded train but not the seats we’d reserved. Then we didn’t need to scan our tickets to exit upon arrival at the Bath Station. We did appreciate the expedited process! From there we made the four minute walk to the Roman Baths Museum where we purchased our tickets and embarked on a trip back in time. There is archeological evidence of human activity here at least 10,000 years ago. Centuries before the Roman invasion of Britain the Celts built a shrine here honoring Sulis, a goddess of water. Then in the 1st Century AD the Romans arrived and took over the site, calling it Aquae Sulis and merging Sulis with their healing goddess, Minerva. It was fascinating to make our way through the archeological remains of the Roman baths built up over the centuries of Roman rule and to learn that these had been lost through time only to be rediscovered in Victorian times and rebuilt with a Victorian aesthetic. Another thing that we learned was that we would need much more than just a few hours to take advantage of what Bath has to offer. Next we visited the Bath Abbey. What an amazing treasure! We were disappointed that we couldn’t take photos inside today because a youth choir was rehearsing but we soon realized it was an opportunity to appreciate the incredible acoustics in this amazing edifice which was first an Anglo-Saxon convent, then a Norman Cathedral, then rebuilt during Tudor times, then all but destroyed during the Protestant Reformation under King Henry VIII, then restored during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Next, before we headed to the railroad station, we paused at The Bath Bun Teashoppe where we savored tea and traditional bath buns seated under the 200 year old London Plane Tree outside on the Abbey Green. Soon enough we were back at Paddington Station paying homage to Paddington Bear and promising ourselves that we’ll return to Bath for a longer adventure!
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