Georgian on My Mind: Beautiful Bath

BATH, ENGLAND -- March 22-23, 2006

After meandering through Oxford's covered market amid hamhocks, fresh fish, and flower stands, I caught an early bus to Bath. I knew vaguely of Bath before deciding to make this a stop on my 6-day tour of England. Mostly I remembered the stories from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and envisioned plump old ladies with too much time on their hands scurrying around with the latest gossip. Silly, maybe, but that's what came of my English Literature education.

Actually, Bath is most well-known for the thermal baths which date back into Roman antiquity. It is famous for the gorgeous Georgian architecture of its buildings. And famous for Jane Austen, who lived here, and who crafted her long-famous novels (which Hollywood has recently discovered) here -- "Sense and Sensibility," "Emma," and most recently "Pride and Prejudice.

The bus rolled through patchy pastures, where sheep congregated on the grassy knolls and lazed about in the spotty sunshine.

Arriving two hours later, I set off on foot to explore to my heart's content before meeting up with CouchSurfing friend Christoph, currently a student of the University of Bath. The hefty pack strapped to my back made it difficult to lose track of time completely, but I wandered for hours, engrossed both in the grandeur of this city as a whole, and in the fine details that make it both visually appealing and emotion-evoking.

I crossed the Avon River by way of the covered Poultney Bridge, reminiscent of Ponte Vecchio, the famous covered bridge in Florence which crosses the Arno. I followed cobblestone streets decked with rows of Georgian-style rowhouses and shops, crafter from the buttery-yellow stone known locally as "Bath stone."

I wanted a view of Bath from a high perch and thus began ambling my way up and across winding streets and alleyways, in search of the perfect view. On my climb to the top of the town, I happened upon a graveyard, where apparently a fashion exhibition was underway. Odd juxtaposition, but it was a little unexpected treasure nonetheless.The buildings were faxcinating -- windowboxes and basement-floor gardens, lion doorknockers gilded in gold, and chimneys! So many chimneys! I meandered through the Royal Crescent and a small Botanical Garden, where I was pleasantly surprised by the sprinkling of crocuses and daffodils making an appearance.(to be continued)

~Melanie --Posted by Melanie to The World Beckons. And She Moves. at 10/11/2006 02:05:00 AM