Bath

The pictures that I've seen of Bath don't do it justice. I was completely charmed by this lovely city, known for its Georgian architecture and Roman ruins. It makes a nice foil to London, and indeed, travel writer Rick Steves recomends making it one's first stop in England, rather than London. In the daytime it tends to be crowded with daytrippers, but even so, the crowds are not even close to Victoria station or the Westminster tube at rush hour. Once the day starts to decline, though, the streets are nearly deserted. The locals relax, and it wasn't unusual to find myself the only American in a restaurant or pub.

Bath takes its name from the ancient Roman baths which were unearthed in the 19th century. Excavation has continued since then, and remarkable finds have been made here. The museum is well laid out, fascinating and worth spending at least half of a day in. The Georgian Pump Room, which Jane Austen would have known, gives one a sample of the supposed healing water. It is drawn from a beautiful tap by a costumed waiter with a wig and breeches who looks rather embarassed to spend his day drawing glasses of water for tourists. I can't blame him. To aproximate the taste of the water at home, try licking a cast iron frying pan, preferably while it's warm.

Unfortunately, one cannot soak in the waters the way the Romans did. Unlike the 18th century English who drank the waters, the Romans soaked in them. The excavations have uncovered a massive complex filed with calderium, tepidarium and frigidarium. There are plans underway to open a new spa in Bath, though, but it is massively over budget and well past its targeted completion date. The locals get testy when one asks about it, as it has been touted in the press as an important project for Bath. Most agree, but they hate to see the overruns.

I spent yesterday researching at Lambeth Palace Library. It has been somewhat productive, but I find that I'm easily distracted when in such a large and ancient library. Lambeth Palace is the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, but I don't think he's home. Or maybe he's hiding from me.