#Littletreat #Feminism

With the amount of hype that was built up around the idea of a day trip to Bath, I was positive that it would fail to meet such high expectations. But, after spending an entire day there, I can confirm that it is a pretty remarkable place. We began the day with a train ride that was about an hour and a half to two hours long. We’ve been riding the tube as a group every day, but this was our first extended train ride of the trip. Cate, Joclyn, Trevi, and I all sat by each other and passed the time getting to know each other better and playing crazy 8’s. After we arrived in Bath we had about 30 minutes to explore before our scheduled tea time. We went into a couple of fun candy shops, and then went into the visitors center to get a better understanding of the area. They gave a brochure with the must-sees of the city, so we stowed that away because it was time for tea.

I find the invention of afternoon tea to be such a whimsical thing. According to thebritishmuseum.org, afternoon tea was started by the seventh Duchess of Bedford, Anna Marie Russell, around the year 1840. With the rise of industrialization and specifically gas lighting around this time period, the wealthier classes started eating their dinner later and later. Russell did not enjoy the large gap between lunch and dinner, and felt incredibly hungry at around 5:00. One day she requested tea, bread, and cake to be brought to her room in the late afternoon. This simple request caught on, and afternoon tea was born. With England being such an old place with deeply rooted history, you would expect for there to be a ritualistic origin, but no, the now famous activity was started because of one iconic woman wanting a little treat.

I am so glad that Russell wanted this little treat, because boy did I enjoy afternoon tea. The atmosphere was so prim and proper, and felt straight of a show you would see on BBC. The tea was delicious, and the finger foods were fresh and light. I have never added milk to my tea before this trip, but I do quite enjoy this addition to a tea. The group at my table did get caught up in the whimsy of the event, and all pretended that we were higher class folk enjoying an afternoon tea together. So much joy was shared during this experience, but I would recommend taking off the posh British accents when actual British people walk by. I got caught up in the bit and fully responded to someone in the most obnoxious accent. Not life ending, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you are trying to hold on to the small amount of dignity you have left as an American tourist.

After our tea we got the opportunity to explore the ancient Roman Baths. This was by far my favorite museum of the trip thus far. The museum was built around the ruins of the ancient baths, so you actually get to walk through 2000 year old roman buildings. This incredibly old architecture is something that you just don’t really run into in the United States, so I was in awe of the ancient structures. At the end of the experience you actually get to try some of the spring water. It was warm and full of sulfur, but being the person I am, I drank two cups of it. It was particularly enjoyable, but when in Bath you have to do things for the plot.

I finished off the rest of my day by enjoying the pretty sights of Bath and finding the Jane Austen and Mary Shelley centers. I didn’t pay to go inside either of them, but the fact that these two remarkable female authors lived in Bath is pretty amazing. Overall, I was a pretty remarkable day.