The Globe Theatre was beautiful and such a fun and interesting experience. It is the only building left in London with a thatched roof, and that alone sets it aside from other theatres as far as historical background goes. It was smaller than I expected, but I didn’t mind because I felt that it gave the whole experience a more wholesome and intimate feel. In the giftshop, I bought a box set of three mini books, one being a complete collection of Shakespeare plays, the second being love poems, and the third being Shakespearean insults.

Much Ado About Nothing, has for a long time, been my favorite Shakespeare play. I love the witty characters and the miscommunication trope represented within the play. Seeing Shakespeare plays on stage done by well trained actors will change your outlook on Shakespeare completely. There is so much that is missed when just reading the script. Since the language is a bit difficult to understand at first, it’s easy to quit early in a script. But watching it on a stage was magical.

I truly think we got the best experience that they offered by standing as groundlings. We had a perfectly unobstructed view and could hear and understand the actors perfectly clearly. It was such a joyful but also bittersweet feeling to think back at all the people who have stood in these very spots before us to have such a similar experience.

The stage had a gorgeous painted roof, and had such a simple set of just a few orange trees and a couple of buckets of oranges. It was simple and easy but added so much to the show and helped put the audience into a more enveloped state within the play. I made eye contact with many of the actors and loved when they made the choices to interact with the audience.

All in all, this is one of my favorite things we have done so far. Cheers!

We started the day with a 2-hour train ride, which was so much more comfortable compared to my airplane experience. I took the whole time to take a nap, and it blew by so fast. When we arrived at the Bath tube station, it was a breath of fresh air. There was so much more countryside, and greenery. I love being in the city but taking in the fresh air was exactly what I needed. 

As we headed to the heart of the city, I was drawn to the architecture of the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, most known as Bath Abbey. It is a humongous church located right next to the famous Roman Baths. It is an example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture, and it was so different from a lot of the architecture I saw!

The Roman Baths have such an incredible history. Sulis Minerva was a deity that was worshiped at the baths and looked at as a healing deity. The baths came to be known as Aqua Sulis, aka the water of Sulis. Her healing divinity was thought to cure any sickness or disease of anyone you came to through the hot springs.

She was worshipped in many ways, from public sacrificing of animals to private offerings of possessions such as jewelry or coins. But one of my favorite offerings to Sulis Minerva was the curse tablets. These tablets dated back from 2nd to 4^th centuries AD, and were recently discovered in 1980.

Not only was the goddess Sulis Minerva worshipped for healing but also known for her power to punish injustice. People would inscribe curses on metal sheets against specific people who committed petty theft. If the items were not returned, the worshipper would gift them to Sulis herself, because it would be like they had stolen from her. I loved that she was known both for healing, but also punishment!

I heard all the stories of visitors from different countries and social classes, coming to Aqua Sulis to experience the healing properties of Sulis Minerva. I had no choice but to follow those before me and experience the healing powers of the hot springs. I took a shot of the water, and I instantly felt cured!

The most memorable moment of our trip to Bath will forever be our afternoon tea at the Pump Room Restaurant. It was right next to the Roman Baths, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I felt like I was in Bridgerton, with the talented orchestra playing for our entertainment. Then the menus came out and we ordered our tea. We could order endless amount of tea or coffee! I could try a different type of tea without being stuck with it. There was one that I had never heard of. The Pump Room Darjeeling tea. I was intrigued. And let me tell you that it did not disappoint. As soon as we get our tea, we get a FULL teapot for ourselves. My mind was blown away! I thought they were going to bring out the tea already made. Then they brought out the milk and sugar. The sugar was in small little cubes, which was so adorable and fancy. I started giggling to myself. I was sipping the best tea I’ve ever had, while the most beautiful music was being played.  BUT THEN, towers of food come our way. It looked like the fanciest dishes I had ever seen.  I had never felt so proper in my life. I started referring to everyone at our table as Lord and Lady. We started cheering and tasting our food as if we were of the highest class.  I was living my dreams! I tried caviar for god sake, what’s fancier than that?

Farewell for now friends!

We had the amazing opportunity to see Much Ado About Nothing preformed in Shakespeare Globe Theatre. The building itself—a replica of the original that burned about 400 years ago—is a Tudor style circle with a simple stage surrounded by bench seating on three levels and a large space for standing. There is only a roof over the seating area, but the center of the building is open to the elements. Apparently, Shakespeare’s Globe is the only building in London that has permission to have a thatched roof. Given their proclivity to burn easily, London has banned them all elsewhere, but the Globe is allowed because they want it as similar to the original building design as possible. I spent the first half seated because I thought I would be too uncomfortable to stand. Our seats were on the side though, and blocked by a wooden column, so I had to shift around to watch all the action. After intermission I had to go try standing, most of the rest of the group had watched the first half from the ground and I knew the experience was going to be even better. I was right, we were so up close and personal with the actors, who in proper Shakespeare form interacted with the audience a bit! I knew that Shakespeare’s plays were more interactive than others, with characters often addressing the audience with soliloquys, asides, even just a funny joke. I probably could have taken the whole play standing, but I am at least glad I was down there for the second part. That is when the characters Dogberry and Verges, the comedic relief, had their scenes. They were so funny and I loved the way they interacted with the audience. When a little kid laughed at Dogberry saying “ass”, the actor played along and acknowledged the kid a few times. As good as the play itself is, what really made the whole experience for me was that personal relationship you get with the actors. They will look directly at you, laugh with you, make fun of you, anything to further the bit. I was also able to picture other, older generations doing the same things as us. Some sitting, some standing and all collectively drawn in to the story and drama right in front of us. I imagined people in the dress of England in the 17^th and 18^th centuries in front of the same stage or sitting in the same seats as I was now. The production was even better than I was expecting, and I was already excited because it’s Shakespeare, its in the Globe, it’s Much Ado, and the actor for Benedict was a small role in some of the Harry Potter movies. I had high expectation and they were still exceeded. It was just such a fun play and being right next to the actors, where they hand you a real orange from the stage or laugh at your beard or help them on stage, was such a unique and exciting experience. I don’t know how different it was performed back in Shakespeare’s day, but I imagine it was just as fun and entertaining to that audience as it was for ours. I would love to see another play there, particularly a comedy, as I think that is the most fun to do with that type of interactiveness, whereas one of his tragedies or histories might serve just as well to be seated like other plays. My legs were a little tired, but only afterwards, as I was so captivated by the drama I couldn’t care less. Shakespeare’s Globe was so much fun!

Our trip to Bath this week was incredibly memorable, not only as an ancient Roman site that once again set my anthropologist/archaeologist heart aflutter, but as a charming, slightly tourist-trappy town. The site of the Roman baths themselves was incredibly fascinating to walk through. I loved seeing all the different artifacts that have been found around this site, such as the different tomb markers and the many curses left at the site for the gods. Those curses in particular were a great read, containing a lot of insight into the kind of place these baths and the significance it held as a gathering place for many. The curses mostly spoke about thievery, cursing individuals who stole pots and cloaks and jewelry. There was even one that discussed how a slave was taken from the baths, and I took note of that one as, rather than giving just a generic curse upon the thief as many of the others did, went on to list the names of people the slave’s master suspected had taken them. 

Apart from seeing the material history of this site, walking through the ruins and remnants of what once was a roman bathhouse inspired its own sense of awe and wonder. For most of the tour, we were walking through modern exhibits, with displays for the architectural ruins left behind, but further into the tour, you get to see the larger foundations that were still intact, and even get to walk on the actual stones themselves, stepping through ancient steam rooms and gymnasiums and changing rooms, none of which had been used for almost thousands of years. The architectural history and remains of the site were magnificent, such as how you could see the columns that would have held up the mosaic floors of the rooms and allowed for fires and coals to be lit beneath them, creating heated flooring. You could even see the paths of the waters flowing from the hot springs, going through canals created by the Roman founders all those years ago, eventually filling up the large, green, murky pool in the center of the site (also, you can actually drink the water from the hot springs at Bath if you want to. And in case you are wondering, I did in fact drink the Bath water. Not as bad as you would think. Warm and a bit metallic, but definitely drinkable). 

The city of Bath as a whole was very interesting, reminding me a bit of other more touristy towns, such as Eureka Springs. The town builds itself around the idea of it being this ancient site, and that is where a lot of the overt appeal comes from, and many of the shops try to particularly attract tourists, such as the fudge shop handing out free samples in the main square with a sign spinner, or the gift shop nearby with swords on display in the window (though regrettably none for sale), or the bookstore occupying an old meeting house with romanesque architecture. There was even a small little glass shop that me and some friends stopped in to look around that reminded me of Terrace Studio back home. Overall, Bath felt both very foreign and familiar in the best of ways, serving as a perfect little tourist trap that I wish I could spend more time in than I did.

(Also, we had afternoon tea in the Pump Room at Bath. Quite possibly one of the greatest and fanciest moments of my life.)

What’s up you weasels?? Hold on, sorry, let me begin again. Greetings, tiny rat-like mammals, and welcome to my blog! Today, our very refined group of students took a day-trip to Bath and visited the Roman Baths and the Pump Room. I, personally, am feeling much more sophisticated after partaking in afternoon tea at the Pump Room, much alike to my literary predecessors Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.

Okay, maybe not. Though I would like to clarify that that picture was taken on the way to Bath, not after, so perhaps I did become more refined. You’ll never know.

I like to keep a little bit of mystery in these posts, even if the whole point of your following me is to learn everything there is to know about me. It keeps the intrigue, you know? Regardless, I think I’ll actually tell you about my day now… Like I said, we went to Bath today! On the hour long train ride to the city I read Percy Jackson like a nerd and listened to Hozier, as any person would do on their way to the historical city of Bath. Immediately upon arrival, we found our way to the line for the Roman Baths, and after a little wait, we got to tour the building.

It was super interesting getting to see the original architecture, preserved as much as was possible, and still standing in the place where it has been excavated.

Something that I found especially interesting was the various myths of how it came to be, which I actually did not encounter until we were already out of the Baths themselves, and were waiting to take tea in the Pump Room. In the anteroom, there was a plaque describing the two myths of Bladud, a British prince who was educated in Athens. I didn’t get a picture of this, but did have a lengthy conversation about it with Ben and Shawn.

The first myth was the more believable of the two, oddly enough. The premise was that Bladud was the heir to the throne, but was exiled due to his leprosy and became a swineherd instead. One day, when tending to his pigs, he noticed that those who bathed in a specific spring were devoid of scabbing and illness. He bathed in those springs as well, was cured of his leprosy, and went on to become King after all. The second was that Bladud traveled to Athens for his education, and there he learned magic, which he then used to vest the Bath baths in magical power that allowed it to heal, as the Romans believed it did. I obviously do not believe either of these things to be true, but I personally find the mythology that people use to justify their beliefs to be so wonderfully intriguing.

Overall, I really did enjoy our trip to Bath. Similarly to London, I found that everywhere I went there were fun stores to window shop in, as well as a lot of cultural centers to explore. The unity of the city was something I really did not expect, coming from London, which is an amalgamation of architectural styles. As a student of art, I really appreciated getting to see the differences between London’s architecture and that of Bath.

Next up on my life’s story: Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I’ll give you a spoiler: this show was probably the best we’ve seen so far. I’m more than excited to write about it; I am absolutely ecstatic.

I’ll see you then!
CW

We took a day trip to the city of Bath yesterday. We got on the train, which was very nice, and rode it for about an hour and a half to Bath. On the way I started reading Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” which is so good, but I have not finished yet so no spoilers! Once we stopped in Bath we walked towards the actual Roman Baths. The architecture was so beautiful, it was mostly all the same tan stone, but varied from plain to very intricate. Particularly the square where the Bath and Pump Room was, there was a building—the Bath Abbey—that was covered in designs of angels climbing up the walls, larger figures, huge glass windows, and a large wooden door carved with more art and symbols. It was really a beautiful building, most comparable to St Paul’s in London. As much interesting and varied architecture there is around London, that church has still been one of the prettiest to me. Inside the Roman Baths was really interesting. I have been to Bath before, but it was about 10 years ago, and my dad reminded me that during our visit the Bath was actually drained for cleaning. This time, though, it was not! It was full of bubbly green water, which sounds gross but actually looked sort of inviting. The main bath room was surrounded by various other rooms such as a massage house, cold plunge, gym, and sauna. They were all made of stone that was broken down a bit. There were signs everywhere warning of uneven ground because of the state of the old stone floor. The massage and gym rooms had these very cool projections of people working out or getting a massage dressed in what they would have worn. We had a headset where you could type the corresponding number to hear a description of what you were looking at like a guided tour. When I was younger and my family and I would go to museums I never liked those things, but now that I am older, I really liked learning about it and the headsets provided some very interesting information. The Bath serves the Roman goddess Minerva and once housed a gold coated bronze statue of the goddess. People would come to praise and worship her, giving her offerings of coins, dishes, and even what they call cursed tablets. People would write messages to Minerva asking her to punish someone who has wronged them, usually stolen items. I felt like I could really imagine the people going to the baths just on a normal day. Now of course I can’t not mention the tea. We got to have high tea at the Pump Room! I thought we were going to get just tea and scones, but we ended up having the whole set up. There were so many yummy treats as well as the tea and scones. The scones were delicious, with clotted cream and strawberry jam. I got Darjeeling tea that was actually the best tea I’ve ever had in my life. We also had music, there was a trio playing the violin, cello, and piano, I even recognized some of the songs I knew how to play. The room was beautiful, and it was one of the most enjoyable parts of this trip yet. It was just so nice to all be there as a group enjoying the splendor of high tea. The only thing that could have made it better was some proper dress—I wanted to be wearing a big, corseted dress! I was sad to leave, Bath was so much fun and a relaxing break from the vibe of London! 

On the train back from Bath to Paddington Station, I can’t lie, I teared up quite a bit. Looking out the window and seeing the greenery, the pastures, the mountains, and the quaint houses, I started to appreciate England in a way I never had before. I realized there was so much of this country that I wanted to take in, but I can never have enough time to see it all. The sheep! THERE WERE SO MANY SHEEP!

Coming to Bath may have been my favorite part about this trip so far, (I say that after every excursion, so don’t take my word for it). There was just something about the town’s aesthetic that felt other-worldly and picturesque. It made me feel like I was a part of the plays, movies, and TV shows I have always dreamed of being in. The Georgian architecture is charming and adds layers of character to buildings that have remained cherished throughout history.

The Roman Baths were different than I had imagined they would be. I loved how sacred a body of water was to the Romans– Aqua Sulis was a source of prayer and hope. The cult statue of Sulis Minerva was gorgeous and I love that people sent in complaints and gossip to her to have her curse them! If someone pickpocketed me, I would definitely write to Sulis Minerva to give them bad luck.

It was very interesting to go to the East Baths and see the different types of spa rooms they had. The Romans had meticulous mechanisms to provide calming treatment to the Romans– a hypocaust blew hot air through the floors to heat the room and their feet. They had to wear sandals when it got too hot, but the hot rooms were old versions of saunas. I know going in saunas is supposed to be good for you, but the only time I went in one, I felt like I was going to have a panic attack.

Men and women had to go into the spas at different times or separate rooms in the Roman Baths. Body hair was not a part of their beauty standards, so women would often have their body hair plucked out. What was interesting to me is that it became socially acceptable for men to have body hair, but women are still expected to remain hairless in our modern society.

Bath was a very interesting town with cool shops and lovely live music. We watched a man perform “The Chain,” by Fleetwood Mac, singing and playing the drums. He was really sick. There was also a statue man that blew our minds. I still don’t know how he remained suspended in air.

By far my favorite part about our Bath excursion was our High Tea. I felt like a posh woman and I desperately wanted to wear a long, fancy dress and dance at a ball. The food and tea was delicious. Even though I was still stuffed from eating Tortilla, (really good fast Mexican food), I couldn’t help but stretch my stomach some more for the little sandwiches. I loved the ham and cheese ones specifically, as well as the pistachio pastry. Everything just melted in my mouth and I could tell it was intricately made.

Overall, I loved the homey feeling of the town of Bath. Everybody was kind and caring, and the vibes were darling. I would love to go back some time to visit the Jane Austen Museum because I used to be such a nerd for her, and I am mad at myself that I didn’t allow enough time.

That’s all for now!

xoxo Gossip Girl

London doesn’t feel at all like Bath. Bath feels intimate and quiet without as much bustling. The car horns and sirens were replaced with music from many performing street artists. The beige/tan of the buildings and sidewalks made the city feel small and warm. Even from the 20th century, I could see how some would flee Camden for Bath way back when.

I loved how many cultural uses the baths provided for ancient Bath. There was all sorts of mingling and exchanges. It was fascinating to learn of its restoration and history. People used the baths as a place to heal minds and bodies. They also used it to socialize, exercise, worship, and curse those that did them wrong.

The Romans practiced many spa practices that we use today. They had a sauna room for the men and a gym to exercise. There was the giant communal bath for relaxation, play, eating, swimming and socializing. There were also cold pools where people could plunge their bodies in freezing temperatures. It is extremely healthy to expose the body to extremes like this to increase blood circulation. It is a practice still preformed today by many athletes, including myself.

I loved the dedication to Sulis Minerva. Sulis Minerva is the name of two goddesses that became one. Sulis was the local goddess that was responsible for feeding hot springs water to the baths. These waters were believed to hold magical healing properties that alleievated suffering, physically and mentally. However the Romans dedicated the temple to the goddess of justice, wisdom, and decisions, called Minerva. With the cultural combination of these two goddesses into one central idea/personage, people could make sacrifices and curses for problems/people that have wronged them. I believe this to be a therapeutic process as people wrote down names or mishaps and cast them away from themselves and their minds. People also destroyed items to send them on the same plane of existence to the goddess, but had to smash, puncture, and take out emotion on objects. In modern days, we call these therapeutic smash labs.

I loved how open and tall it all was. I really wish they restored the roof and it’s arches. I would have loved to see the baths in their full glory with domes and natural light pouring through windows. I feel like the restoration of the ceiling would have resealed the intimacy of the space as it was hundreds of years ago. Calming and sacred, it was a place to dedicate time, energy, and hope to self care. It provided opportunities to meet people of both similar and diverse walks of life. I am really curious what it would have been like to meet new people in that fashion. I can picture people sharing stories and perspectives. I wonder if that was therapeutic or life changing to share and hear new perspectives. I think I would have loved to do that had I been born in that time.

I took a personal adventure to the Jane Austen Museum. It was beautiful and amazing to walk through Number 25 Gay St. Austen’s character’s come to life in an extremely charming and hilarious way as interactive tour guides. Learning about her life in depth, Jane Austen was a wonderful and complicated novelist that believed in true love rather than proprietary. She believed in honesty and being true to heart. Happiness, freedom, and love are greater than any salary. Villains always meet a deserving end as they cannot understand the value of these morals. Walking through her museum, I often thought about the love of my life. I find so much understanding and solace in Austen’s works as they always set my heart ablaze, much like Jayden does for me. Falling in love with Jayden everyday feels like living one of Austen’s novels of love. The experience furthered my knowing that Jay and I are on a beautiful adventure through life that includes writing our own love story together. Here’s a picture of my gorgeous girl just cause I miss her so much and I already talked about goddesses previously on this post, don’t get too jealous (Yeah I’m dating that, fist pump).

Drinking high tea in the Pump Room was so regal and an important cultural experience to this trip. This has been my favorite part of the trip so far. The foods were delicate, colorful, artistic, and absolutely delicious. It was prepared with care and balance. The flavors of sandwiches were savory and light. The scones were moist and flaky, smeared with clotted cream and strawberry jam. The desserts were smooth, fruity, and chocolatey.  I can see why taking the time to enjoy tea was and still is a cultural practice. Tea time has an atmosphere of self care, but with good company and friends. I will definitely bring this experience and event back home with me for my friends and family.

Bath was such a beautiful experience. In a way
there were almost like more old-ish lovely buildings to look at than in London,
at least in the city. There were just so many tall, beautiful things to look at
I loved it.

The roman baths were an experience I’ll never
forget! I felt like a weird calmness when we were in the building. The audio
tour was not for me to be honest. I would be looking at things and having my
own thoughts about what I’m looking at so I forgot to listen to what the thing
was saying.  But when I did remember to listen it was interesting stuff.  A lot of the words were kind of hard to understand so I did tune out some of it
oops.  But what I SAW was so interesting.  I went through by myself and honestly it was so peaceful.  I kind of felt like I was
intruding on history but at the same time was honored to be where it took place, if that makes sense. 

The historical element I really enjoyed was how
they worked out and got exercise.  There was a room where they showed like women stripping and said that they would just have like a girls area and swim laps next to their friends and then switch off with other girls.  I feel like that is just so woman boss and fun.

I went to sit by the biggest bath ( the green one)
by myself and was just feeling very blissful. I just tried to imagine what it was like for people back then to be there and enjoy all the magic that they believed happened within that area.  Felt very powerful.

The water that they let us drink was AWFUL
though.  I was gagged.