Day 14 - Ah Bath

Slept in this morning which was great as we were tired from our busy day yesterday.  We went to a quaint restaurant called Sally Lunn's for breakfast which was about five steps from our hotel.  It's known for it's famous Sally Lunn bun - sort of a cross between brioche and a dinner roll, but about the size of a small plate. They serve the buns with a multitude of sweet and savoury toppings. Today we tried our buns topped with lemon curd and clotted cream and another with scrambled eggs. They were simply delicious with a light airy texture and a crisp outside.

We finished up our breakfast and then were invited to view their museum which was in the bottom of their basement.  Like many other establishments in Bath, the Sally Lunn Restaurant is built upon Roman ruins.  Excavations of their basement have resulted in revealing many archeological layers dating back to the Roman times. You cna actually see how the basement has risen over time as they have each historical layer noted from the Romans, Tudors, all the way up to the "modern" level from the 19th century. They also have their fair share of pottery shards, Roman coins, and cooking implements.  We left Sally Lunn's and made our way to the Roman Baths.  This was so cool to see as these Roman Baths, Temple and other buildings date back to the 1st century!  The Romans wanted to impose their style on the conquered lands, but also to incorporate the natural hot springs found at Aquae Sulis, or Bath Spa as it was later called. So incredible to be in a place that's been used for almost 2,000 years.

View of the main Roman Bath from the Terrace built in Georgian times. In Roman times there was actually a roof ten feet above the terrace at over 20 feet high. Parts of the roof arches still survive and can be seen in the back of the picture.

Statue of a prominent Roman woman in Bath from the first century 

Original Roman floor part of the Bath complex

Hot Spring water spilling into the pool and channel system built by the Romans

They've closed the Baths to actual bathing since 1974 when it was discovered that the chemicals used to treat the water was actually eating away the stone. The decision was made to preserve the site as much as possible for future generations.  The tour took us all the way down to the source of the hot spring, and we saw aqua ducts, drains, a cold plunge pool, and steam baths.  They had Roman statues columns and other architectural elements from the site on display.  There was just so much to see and learn about.  

We even tried a glass of the mineral water as it's suppose to have miraculous healing powers.  You could taste the minerals as the concentration of them was quite high (2,232 parts) as opposed to say a glass of Evian water (15 parts).  It contains magnesium, calcium, iron, folate, selica and a host of other minerals that I had never heard of. It;s not the greatest taste in the world, but well worth the experience.

Chris (Mummy) standing on the original floor of the bath. The blocks in front of the pillars are where the original columns supporting the roof where. They added the pillars when the terrace was built in Georgian times.

One of the many statues on the Terrace

Gorgon head which used to adorn the pediment on the front of the main Roman temple

Our tour was over and we had some time to kill before our Champagne Tea at the Pump Room, so we just wandered around the lovely cobble stoned streets of Bath with it's great little shops and plazas full of people listening to the musicians playing.  Bath is certainly a popular destination with the tourists as it's the middle of September and there's still a lot of people on the street. 

We finished looking around and made our way to the famous Pump Room.  This Georgian Ballroom is currently being used as a restaurant - it's a gorgeous room with a huge crystal chandelier, a baby grand at the front, and lots of tables covered in crisp white linens.  Our champagne tea started off with a glass of bubbly and a plate of fancy tea sandwiches.  This was followed by a pot of Pump House Blend Tea and a three tiered cake plate bearing scones with clotted cream and jam, fancy cakes and macarons.  It was such a lovely way to spend our afternoon as lingered to hear the piano being played with songs like Claire de Lune and other classical pieces. 

The Pump Room

The King's Fountain which dispenses spa water for drinking.

We finished up our day by going to the Abbey which sits next to the Roman Baths and the Pump Room.  This Cathedral with it's towering arches and stained glass windows was very impressive. We spent some time reading all the grave markers lining the walls and floor dating back through the ages.  We finished up for the day and headed back to the Hotel, where we had a glass of wine for me and a G&T (gin and tonic) for Chelsea .  Tomorrow we're going to explore the Royal Crescent and the Circus (famous Bath Landmarks) and also the Jane Austen Centre.