Seek Them Abroad: Bath (Not that kind of bath)

Friday our group went on a lovely day trip to Bath, a town about an hour and a half from London made famous by some Romans and Jane Austen. You can tell which one I'm more interested in. The day threatened to be miserable but managed to pull itself together and become rather beautiful instead. I have to pause a moment in this narrative to talk about how much I love trains, which we take to get everywhere. They are so much more relaxed and comfortable than airplanes. Train stations are prettier and so much nicer than airports. Abolish airports. Up with trains.

Anyway. Once in Bath we toured the beautiful ancient Bath Abbey that featured incredible high

ceilings, gorgeous stained glass, and an organ that I could actually take a photo of (PLU students will understand that joke). As always, it was difficult to fully comprehend the age and history of the place. After the abbey we went on a miniature Jane Austen tour past the house where she (probably) lived, the royal crescent where rich people would parade themselves, and the assembly rooms that JANE HERSELF PROBABLY WENT TO BALLS IN. Needless to day, I enjoyed myself.

After a Cornish pasty break (delicious) and a trip to the river, we got to tour the actual Roman baths. I love the way the museum was designed. It was built around the baths rather than over the top of them, so you can still see how everything worked and where the water flowed to and from in the Roman days. They don't actually let you in the baths anymore (they aren't what you would call clean), but you can try to drink some of the water at the end. It isn't great. Imagine you accidentally swallowed some warm, slightly shampoo-flavored (flavoured, I guess, because England) water. That's about what it tastes like. However, I am now apparently cured of all ailments, so I guess it was worth it.