This past Saturday the International Cultural Program had the opportunity to spend a good amount of time in Bath, England. Forgive me for not being much of a history buff, but my best guess is that it's named Bath because of the Roman baths that seem to be the main attraction-I could be totally wrong, but I'm fine with my logic. (For more accurate information, use Google)
The Roman Baths are essentially typical early Roman architecture with mostly Doric columns, albeit it's hard to tell because of the amount of preservation and reconstruction, and houses a natural running hot spring that has been channeled into an open air bath large enough to have a family reunion and a few friends over.
Inside you'll find various private baths and cold baths for the bravely ancient and several former pieces of decor and structure that have been preserved and are now on display.
After grabbing a bite to eat, the group of guys I walked around with eventually made it to the Royal Crescent. The Royal Crescent is pretty self explanatory. It's a larger than life building housing many residents willing to pay a fortune for a posh yet sensibly located apartment/condo living space-hence the name Royal. The latter is because of the shape of the building being arranged in a crescent shape. Thank goodness it wasn't in the shape of an octagon. But in all seriousness, it was an absolute wonder.
Finally we made our way to the Bath Abbey. The Abbey-for those is the states it's pretty much a gigantic cathedral-is jaw dropping and dripping with Gothic architecture mixed with current renovations and updated technology. The flat screen televisions do contrast with the vaulted ceilings and mini baldachins, but alas, it is the 21st century and it is by all means a functioning place of worship and not just a tourist attraction.
After picking up our jaws off the aged floors of the abbey, and grabbing a great cone of ice cream, it was time to head back to the university. Although it was a very long bus ride, we had the pleasure of listening to the Wales/England rugby game. For those in the states that may not know, Rugby is Wales' national game and the Wales/England game is a huge deal. It was close all the way and despite a late scare, Wales came out on top 19-12 with one of the most amazing tries I've ever seen.
It was a long but fun filled and adventurous day in Bath and I wouldn't hesitate at the opportunity to venture to Bath a second time. Next stop, Cardiff-the capital of Wales!
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