Day 12 of London, hooray! Today was definitely a great one. Our group traveled to Bath to visit the Roman baths and we did some exploring around the rustic town itself, and it did not disappoint! To get to Bath, we all met up pretty early at 8 (well… it’s the earliest we have met up so far) to go to Paddington Station and take our first train of the whole trip. It was a relaxing ride there. I got to watch a bit of the new Star Wars show which I have been looking forward to seeing, and I napped for a bit. It was the perfect way to pass the time.
When we arrived in Bath we expected rain, but the weather was beautiful all day! It was warm, but not to the point where I was sweating with every step. We walked into the central area of the city, and I stopped to get a delicious brownie from a place called Mrs. Potts Chocolate House. There were so many things I wanted to try in there, but I had to hold myself back because I would be getting afternoon tea later.
After my brownie, I met back up with the group to go into the Roman baths. The baths were just as I remembered when I was younger. They were essentially rocks and water, but they were rocks and water with meaning. I also got to talk to a performer at the baths who was dressed in some historical garb, and she had some insanely cool hair. She said she wanted to steal my hair, too, which I took as a huge compliment. There were also parts of the baths that were scary and I rushed past them, like the darker areas that were just empty pools. I was really interested in some of the architecture that included sculptures, because I was surprised they were able to preserve any to the point where they were recognizable as human figures. At the end of the baths, I got a cute tote bag that I used throughout the day- it was probably my most useful purchase!
After the Roman baths, I made a reservation for afternoon tea at the Jane Austen museum in the Regency tea room. While I waited for the reservation, I decided to walk around Bath. Bath is really a beautiful place. It has cobblestone streets with shops lining every street. You could hear live music virtually everywhere you went and since the weather was so nice, I was able to stay out for a while. I ended up getting some jewelry from both crystal and glass shops, some Turkish delights for me and my dad, and tea so I can do my best to recreate afternoon tea at my apartment. I think just exploring the city like this was my favorite part of the day. I loved the atmosphere and I wish I had plans to go back.
After my walk, I went back to the Jane Austen museum for afternoon tea with two others from our group, Leah and Kath. Both the company and the meal were great! I could have sat and talked with them for hours. I was so happy to have cream tea again, and I was able to try some new sandwiches and tea- yay for trying new things! I enjoyed myself so much that I was almost late to meeting our group for our departure back to Paddington Station. Bath was truly a magical place, and I look forward to the day where I will be able to return. Hopefully that is sooner rather than later! I already know I will miss London so much when I leave, and I’m mourning my loss of it way before our actual trip back to the states.
That is all until tomorrow! See you then! 🙂
Theatre in London U of A 