Did y’all smell that too?

Today was our first day trip! I adore London, but I was really excited to get out of the city for the day and go somewhere that was not a gigantic city. Plus, I was excited to learn more about the Roman influences on Bath and England itself. To be honest, I had no clue about this history until taking this course and going abroad. The Roman baths were interesting to walk through, as I felt like our group was able to go back in time in a way. The audio guide was very helpful, as the narrator walked us through what each portion of the property was and how it came to be. My favorite part of the baths was honestly the view. The terrace that wrapped around the top of the baths gave a great view of both the pools but also the abbey that reigned above the city’s skyline. Beautiful views are one of my most favorite things about going somewhere new. It was this view and several others around the city today that reminded me of how beautiful a landscape can be and how fortunate I am to immerse myself within it.

An interesting fact that I learned today revolves around Minerva’s head – which was a statue of the goddess of Minerva which was made out of bronze which is incredibly unusual, as most statues were not made from the bronze material. When walking through the exhibit, there was a part where you could see and touch a replica of this head, which I thought was neat, as it was able to draw the public more into the statue and have them gain more interest in it altogether.

While the majority of the tour was fun and insightful, I really did not enjoy going under the baths into the area that smelt very ~foul~ It also just so happened that this area was being heavily trafficked when I was there, so it took a little longer to get through than what I would have liked and wished for. I am just glad that I was wearing my mask because 1. it helped not make the smell so potent and 2. it saved me from the embarrassment that I would have faced, as others would have been able to see how I felt about the smell due to my inability to control my facial expressions. 🙂

After touring the baths, I had the pleasure of going to the Jane Austen Centre and touring it. It was absolutely incredible, and it made me want to purchase all of her novels that were in the gift shop. Colin Firth’s portrait was a nice touch too. I then had a hot dog for lunch and then a slice of Victorian sponge cake for dessert. The day trip ended with a nice walk along the river and watching a cricket match for a few minutes. An absolutely terrific day, if I do say so myself!