Thanksgiving in Bath

First day in Bath in front of the Abbey

We hope that as you read this you are coming off of a great Thanksgiving weekend where you ate a lot of Turkey, watched a lot of football and spent time with family and friends.  Katie and I had a bit of a different Thanksgiving weekend this year but it was a great one.  

As I type this, Katie and I are on a train after a weekend that was clearly the highlight of our experience thus far.  We are heading home after spending three days in the city of Bath, located in western England.  Bath is most famous for being the site of the only natural hot springs in the UK as well as proof of early Roman occupation in the first century.  In 43 AD, after the Roman’s occupied Britain, they began turning these hot springs into a Roman Bath House where they would travel from all around to soak in the hot springs.  The city was known as Aquae Sulius, which actually was the name of the B & B where we stayed this weekend.  After Rome fell in the 5^th century, the baths covered up with silt and mud until it was rediscovered over a thousand years later.  In the 1500’s English queens would travel from London to soak in the mineral spas because they believed it would lead to increased fertility and cure their gout.  It was then that the town became known simply as Bath and turned into the popular spa town that it is today.  Over the past decade Bath has also become very well known for their large Christmas markets which line the streets from late November through mid December.

Christmas markets on Black Friday : )

Ok, nerdy history lesson over.  Katie and I arrived in Bath on Friday afternoon and were picked up at the train station by the owner of our Bed and Breakfast.  After a very brief stop at our B & B we headed for the city centre.  As we walked the streets of this ancient town, we quickly learned why it’s so popular and why it was so difficult to find accommodation for the opening weekend of the Christmas markets.  It is SO hard to describe Bath, but if you think about those Christmas villages that people collect and put out around the holidays you may be able to imagine what it was like.  You know the villages with the lit up houses, churches and shops, where the decorated streets are filled with shoppers and families and the smell of roasting chestnuts fills the air as groups of Christmas carolers around each corner sing festive songs that echo off of the 500-year-old buildings.   Yeah that’s right, those villages.  Now, I would be the first person to say that this sounds like a huge sensationalized exaggeration, but I assure you if you ask anyone who has ever been to Bath around the holidays, they would paint the same picture.

 

The Roman Baths

We decided to start out by visiting the famous Roman Baths and enjoyed the museum and free audio tour that came with admission.  As you can see, we were surrounded by history and you couldn’t help but think about all of the Roman rulers and English Royalty who actually swam in these waters.  Until 1979 the public could actually swim in the waters, but someone accidentally swallowed some of the water and ended up dying.  The water from the spring itself it actually fresh natural spring water, but you have to remember that this water has been pumped into this same pool since around 50 AD so it’s this particular pool itself that is unsanitary.  After this tragedy, the pool closed and the city actually drilled new holes down to the natural spring and diverted it one block up the street where a modern day spa was opened called Thermea Spa (more on this in a minute).  

After Katie and I (and Alf & Rainbow) finished at the bath, we headed into the Pump Room which was a beautiful ball room where Royalty and high society would sip tea after taking a swim in the spa waters.  

Never thought I would drink Bath water

It is here where you can also drink the water straight from the spring itself.  The water has about 43 different minerals in it including arsenic, bromide, calcium, lithium, etc., some of which are actually proven to treat rheumatism, gout, and angina among other things.  We both had a sample but could only tolerate a few sips because it tasted HORRIBLE.   The water itself is naturally about 116 degrees Fahrenheit and is actually rainwater that fell over 10,000 years ago.  So, although it was pretty gross at least we can say we drank 10,000-year-old water and lived to tell about it. 

After the pump room we headed to the Thermae Spa, which was definitely the highlight of the weekend.  Katie and I purchased the twilight package, which comes with dinner and allows you to swim in the 2 different hot spring pools and sit in the various steam rooms.  Upon entry, you are given a robe, slippers and a towel as you enter the changing rooms.  We put on our “swimming costumes” (which is what the Brits call swimming suits) and were off for a swim.  Seeing as it was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside, we quickly found the indoor lower level pool where we jumped in the 90-degree water to warm up.  After a short swim we headed up to the top floor where we had dinner in a very nice restaurant overlooking the city.   What made dinner so unique is that everyone eating was only wearing a robe, which definitely stood out amongst wine glasses and candle-lit tables.  From there, we made our way to the steam rooms where you have your choice of 4 different pods, each with its own scent (jasmine, pine, eucalyptus-mint, and lavender).  

We couldn't take pictures but this is where we spent Friday night

We then ended our spa time in the outdoor, rooftop pool where you could look down at the entire city of Bath as you swim in warm water in the cold night air…ahhh heaven.  To make things even more perfect, we were in the water for about two minutes before it started snowing.  Not a bad way to experience our first night in Bath and our first snowfall of the year.  After the spa, we strolled along the Christmas markets, sipped mulled wine and had dinner at a riverside pub.  Needless to say it was a pretty amazing first day.

Katie trying on a 16th century corset
and dress at the Fashion Museum

Saturday was spent basically walking around the city, checking out the markets and taking it all in.  There were markets from all over the world and food stands on every corner selling soup, mulled wine, cider, brats and anything else you can imagine.  We even stepped into the Bath Fashion Museum (Katie’s idea) where there was an exhibit featuring some of the most famous dresses that Princess Dianna was photographed in as well as a general history of the world’s fashion.   After another long day and a late night dinner, we found our way back to our B & B for a good nights sleep.  We started today with a full English breakfast and are now heading home.  What a weekend. 

The River Avon with snowy villages behind it

This weekend marks the first of many long weekends that we hope to spend out traveling throughout England and the rest of Europe.  It was a good reminder of why we came here; to experience different cultures and to enjoy experiences and moments together that we will take with us forever.  Looking back it’s hard to believe that we fit so much into such a short amount of time this weekend.  I think that may be foreshadowing into the challenge we will have for this entire year.  At the end of the day, if we had to spend our first holiday weekend away from family and friends, at least we could spend it together and in a way that was unique to us…one of the many things that WE were thankful for this Thanksgiving.  

Strange But True

I finally found Katie's Christmas present : )  This was in the front window
of a very high end shop called Minerva Chocolates...classy.