Last week we traveled by fast train to Bath, a journey of about an hour and a half from downtown London.
The town, which is a World Heritage Site, lies on the Avon River -- this is a view of town and river and the beautiful Pulteney Bridge.
This is the Abbey, taken from the Roman baths. Over 2,000 years ago, the Romans channeled these hot sulfurous waters and built the pool buildings. A millenium earlier, Celtic tribes used the site -- archeologists have excavated m any of their remains.
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The springs were used by prehistoric people as long as 7500 years ago. (It's interesting to think that prehistoric sandals dating from around that same time were discovered by UO archaeologists in a cave in eastern Oregon.)
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These pictures are from our tour of the Roman Baths:
Picture Roman ladies and gentlemen lounging about the hot pools. (Picture their slaves keeping the pools clean and in working order.)
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This is the water source to the Baths.
A remnant of the Roman mosaic tile floor in one of the soaking pools.
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These are parts of the Roman Temple of the goddess Sulis Minerva. The Temple was near the site of the Abbey and the Baths. The museum is a part of the Roman Baths tour. Copies of this image of the goddess are used as the symbol of the City of Bath.
The sacrificial altar and a pediment from the Temple.
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Bath today is still an enchanting place. Most of its buildings are of the famous cream-colored Bath Stone. It's an easily carvable limestone that dates from the Jurassic erea.
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These pictures are of the Royal Crescent, around Circus Park. The buildings were designed as elegant town homes by the architects John Wood Sr and Jr. They were built from 1754 to 1769 and are still used as townhouses. And they still seem elegant. The units are built in a semi-circle around a pretty park. They are listed, which means no additions or changes are allowed.
(Windows were sometimes boarded up because property tax laws were changed in the 1700's to be based upon the number of windows in a residence)
Sally Lunn's Restaurant, named after a famous Bath resident. (A recipe for Sally Lunn bread is in most basic cookbooks.) We had a lovely dinner here. It is the oldest house in Bath, and was built upon Roman foundations.
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We had such a good time in Bath. Walked a lot around the beautiful Avon River and the charming town, took a scenic bus tour to get an historical overview, and spent a long time touring the baths and museum.
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Even the Bath rail station is charming. It was getting dark as we walked there to get on our return train. And it was very late by the time we got home to Sydenham. (We had to take a city bus from Paddington Station because it was too late for the local trains.) We were really tired -- but it was really worth it!
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