I can't really describe how excited I was at Paddington Station in London to be getting on a train and heading out to the English countryside. Train travel just seems so charming and quaint and in some ways it does live up to that idealized view of traveling. It was an easy train ride mid-morning from London to Bath. The coach was new, nice and not at all crowded. There is a refreshment trolley cart that passes through most trains and you can buy beverages, snacks and sandwiches (not good ones but they will get the job done in a pinch). As I whizzed through the rolling green hills of the countryside I couldn't help but smile to myself. The sheep, hedge groves, little villages with churches passing by were so endearing. I leaned my head against the window and started to doze off a bit and then PUWGGGGGGG a train went zipping by in the opposite direction. Those train tracks are close and seem even closer when you're looking out the window and suddenly there's another train in your face!
The view of Bath from the train station is just so quintessentially old England. It was a thrill. Bath is a bit touristy in some locations but there are other areas that aren't crowded. One of my favorite memories was the boat tour I took on the River Avon. Not the River Avon of Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. Apparently Avon is an old foreign word (might be from the Vikings) that means river. So, they named a lot of Rivers - just "river" or "Avon". There are more than 4 such rivers in England. So, I'm on this boat tour on the river and I met a retired couple from northern England - near Hadrian's Wall - New Castle. Ray (his name) and I talked for the whole hour about England, America (they had visited several times), life in general, culture and all that. His accent was a bit thick and I did have to ask him to repeat himself a few times. There we were floating along looking at the houses along the river, the sun shinning off the grass along the banks, people fishing and just talking like old friends. It was really fun.
I toured the Abbey; the last great medieval church in England is a fine example of Perpendicular Gothic style with breezy fan vaulting and stained glass to earn the nickname "Lantern of the West". Look closely for the Angels going up the ladder to heaven (increase the zoom).
The Roman Baths are a real archaeology site and they can continue to excavate new areas that are still being discovered. The floorplan is arranged in such away as to not disturb the excavation and at the same time allow you to get up close for a good look. This extraordinary site is a bit of a maze, done in many levels of walking up and down short flights of stairs but well worth the effort. As you wander through Roman artifacts, ancient foundations, pediments and statues you become more and more awed. The Romans were so skilled in architecture, math, engineering and just plain organization. And to think the entire thing had been forgotten about and covered with ground until the 1700 or 1800's.
Bath is known for the allegedly healing powers of the mineral water or baths. The naturally hot spring water doesn't smell very good and they won't allow you to touch or drink it. Bring tissues with you; the sulfur does affect your sinuses. After the first 10 minutes, we were all sneezing and sniffling. Maybe the waters are good for your body to soak in but not good for your nose.
I don't recommend going to Bath on the weekend, too crowded for most people but still enjoyable.
