England: The Roman Baths

Apart from the Cotswolds there was one attraction in Bath I had longed to see. It had received wonderful 'reviews' from many a friend and was filled with history. It was the Roman baths.

We took the bus into Bath and walked about six blocks to the square that included the famous Bath Abbey and the baths themselves.

Bath was a Roman fortification and the baths were a place of relaxation and socialization for the soldiers and others of the outpost. After purchasing our ticket, we opened up onto this terrace overlooking the waters.

The wide bank of windows allows all standing within the building to have an excellent view.

There are numerous statues surround the balcony which covers three sides of the building. The fourth, on the right above, is part of the museum.

The statues, we learned were reproductions but they were excellent ones, showing a good deal of age, yet well maintained.

The tour is a long one with excellent audio and interesting mini-films along the way that show how the various artifacts on display may have been used during the period.

I'd allow three hours. And it is handicap accessible for the most part.

There were some terrific audio visual effects too. This wall is what is original.

It morphed into this, showing reconstruction based on archaeological findings.

Then this, showing what the original colors would have been.

There were numerous scale models...

...and ancient stone pieces, reconstructed from fragments.

The waters for the baths runs through the building on the lower level...

...and out into the bath itself.

From there we are actually on the terrace and couldn't resist a photo op.

A robed guide moved among guests, answering questions.

His ensemble was well made -- and on a chilly day, probably most welcome!

At the far ends of the terrace level were inset shelves with pottery rescued from the ruins.

And, from here one could enter the male and female baths. The one we saw was loaded with coins!

Archaeology continues to be in progress here, as in this space.

As a "fabulous parting gift" we were all given a taste of the mineral water from the baths. It wasn't bad (it would have been better chilled) but seemed salty and you could definitely taste the minerals.

The admission price for this one is hefty but it was worth every cent. I learned plenty and found it all fascinating.

(The downsides -- a lot of people means sometimes it's hard to see some of the things clearly. Be patient!)

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