Weekend Update Part 1: Taking a Bath.doc

The UK Roadtrips continued this weekend with stops at Bath and Oxford. The weekend was too vast to contain in one post so today I chronicle the day trip to Bath and tomorrow I'll tackle my time at Oxford. Ah, Bath. I had heard before going from a few different sources that the town was one of the most picturesque spots in England and I have to say the visit did not disappoint. 

Once again, I was up early to get the weekend going - 6:55am to catch the uni bus to Leamington Spa train station en route to Oxford. The trains here have a small electronic sign above each pair of seats which indicates whether or not they have been reserved at any point during the trip (for example someone getting on three spots from now might have booked that specific seat). I found a pair completely vacant and started some readings on the way to Oxford. Only 40 minutes later and I had arrived. After sending various text messages back and forth, Paul arrived at the station and we set out for Bath. I'm sure it will happen a handful of times in the next year that I'm over here, but I cannot stress how comforting it is to see a friend from home in this foreign place - someone with a shared history who knows the references and stories. The trip to Bath was a lot longer than it should have been, due to updates to the rail system we had to transfer to a coach bus for a portion of the trip, but Paul and I used the time to catch up on summer happenings and make comparisons between the UK and our 'home and native land'.

Paul spent the last year studying Immunology at Oxford (Go Lincoln College!) and is back this year working in the department doing research. It was his first trip to Bath as well. As with the majority of my travels thus far, we didn't have much of a set itinerary (take note if/when you come to visit) but that's the way I prefer to tackle things. We set out from the coach park and headed to the city centre. The majority of the buildings in Bath are a beautiful deep yellow aged stone that defines that 'old-world charm' that everybody talks about.

We noticed a small crowd gathering in the centre of the market and headed in for a look. Upon closer inspection we realized it was a street performance featured two older men balancing on ladders wearing thongs. Now, it's late October and still quite chilly here. The 'act' got even more strange when the men stood upside down on the chairs and revealed sparklers placed (carefully, I'm sure) between their butt cheeks. Talk about a finale - I kid you not. The crowd, probably not knowing what to think, went wild. Apparently these guys have performed in the city for years. They had a really good repartee with the audience, even if they were a bit cheeky.

Not my video, but previdence nonetheless:  

Ironically, the performance was right in front of Bath Abbey an Anglican parish church founded in the 7th century. Edgar was crowned King of England there in 973. Once again, it's hard to describe the immensity of this building (which has been reconstructed after damage from WWII) and the humble feeling one gets in a place with so much history. The organ being played in the Abbey sounded beautiful and we were encouraged to spend as much time as possible wandering around.

After seeing how citizens of Bath had worshipped for the past centuries we moved on to see how they leisured: The Roman Baths. After the invasion of the Romans, construction of a temple at the site of the warm water bubbling up from the Earth began in 60-70 AD and lasted some good 300 years. While the original structure has been modified since then, housed now in 18th century surroundings, the original architecture of the Roman structure has been excavated and placed on display. The green soupy water, from which steam rises and the occasional bubble pops, is mystifyingly attractive - it's almost as if something lurks deep beneath. We were given neat audio accompaniments (which resembled Zack Morris' 1992 cell phone) and even met an actress playing Minerva, the figure to which the original shrine was dedicated. The performer lurked around the grounds in what resembled a toga and took pictures with tourists.

Apparently the water in the Baths is hazardous and thus guests are instructed not to touch or drink it. This of course does not stop those persistent souls who want to be able to say they've touched the water at the Roman Baths. We were told later that infectious disease can be caught from the water - a girl died from meningitis in 1979 after swallowing some of the green murky substance. I was glad we avoided the urge to reach out and touch...

In addition to just wandering around the city and seeing the gorgeous architecture, we visited two other museums. The first was the Fashion Museum which housed a number of collections which compared 'fashion throughout the ages'. The exhibits compared dresses from the 18th century, for instance, with the innovative silhouettes of Yves Saint Laurent. They also had a number of Ralph Lauren originals and a collection of gloves dating back to the 16th century. I know a lot of people back in Toronto who would have been in fashion heaven.

The second stop was the Jane Austen museum. She spent five years of her life in Bath and apparently hated the poshness of it all. In my opinion, Bath is trying to milk the connection for all it's worth - the museum is neither J.A's house nor do they house any original artifacts from the author herself save for one letter she wrote. The house the author lived in while in Bath is now a dentist's office. I think they should relocate the tour to the original house: "This spot here, where Doctor Smith is performing a root canal, is where Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice. Just follow me around the waiting room and I'll show you where her kitchen once was. Please don't take a toothbrush."

Before heading back to the coach park we stopped in for a burger and a pint for 6£ (I love this country) and inventoried our day - three museums, a street performance, and an Abbey is not bad for having no set plan. While in the pub, we watched that dreadful, but undeniably hilarious, Hole in the Wall gameshow which pits contestants against a rapidly approaching wall with a shape to which they must contort or face being smacked into a pool of water. Last video, I swear:

                               

 
After seeing a day of historical wonders, the irony of watching one of the lowest of lowbrow entertainments was not lost on me. From Bath we traveled to Oxford University...

Tune in tomorrow! Same Bath Time! Same Bath Channel!

(I avoided the obvious punning potential but one doesn't hurt)

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Why have showers become the superior form of washing-up? Maybe it relates to our more modern need for something more efficient, less time-consuming, and generally easier, but baths have been relegated to something one does "every once in a while". Rome wasn't built in a day - probably because peeps were chilling in the bath. Join them!