Upon arrival at the Roman baths one is greeted with a smell of sulfur and the visual spectacle of ancient Roman architecture. While the height of their ceilings may be less impressive than it was back in the day, the artistry and craftsmanship on display is as breathtaking as ever. While walking around the museum, exploring their artifacts, and eventually even having a sip of their lovely, warm, and penny flavored water it felt like I was getting a real taste of history. My personal favorite part, pictured below, is a collection of witty curses written to different gods in response to different items stolen from common people. A nice bit of history that reminds us we’re really not all that different nowadays.
Post the bathhouse, I had some amazing shawarma, picked up a gift or two for some people, went to a few stores, and generally had the pleasure of walking around Bath before tea. It was a lovely city to explore, my only real regret, not having more time. It felt like a location full of history but also very tourist friendly so I’m sad I didn’t get a bit more time to see everything I could. The highlight of the day trip was yet to come though, as it was tea time that I truly loved most of all.
What is there to be said about tea at the pump room? I could tell you of the amazingly savory salmon spread with caviar, the scones that were to die for, or the number of sweet treats that put me into a food coma, and that’s before even touching on the phenomenal tea itself. No, I think it’s best to leave it at this. Perhaps the finest dining experience I’ve had in a long time, it managed to not only make me desire wealth over morality, it also made me realize that perhaps my favorite food on the planet is a scone. Overall, I am a changed man, probably for the worse, nevertheless, my trip to Bath was lovely and it’ll be very difficult to find something that tops it.
Theatre in London U of A 