Bath’s Roman Baths
Amidst the bustle of the modern English town of Bath, the Roman Baths sit, surrounded by buildings, a testament to the city’s history. Their murky green waters no longer drain perfectly or play host to the rich and famous of Society come to refresh and renew themselves. The halls that once hosted scholars and soldiers now play host to daily hordes of tourist tramping through them.
And yet the baths still work. Which is an amazing testament to the ingenuity and beautiful architecture of Rome. The skill that Roman builders had without the aid of such modern tools as AutoCad or Vectorworks is truly amazing. They knew more about building because of their hands-on experience than many schooled architects know today. A visit to any Roman building cannot fail to impress even the casual visitor.
Today, the Baths are home to tourists and archeologists and no longer host anyone in a bathing suit. The underground steams still pump water through the systems though, delighting me and other tourists with the ingenuity and heating the rooms with steam so thick it sent all of my hairs a-curling. I came out looking slightly poodle-like and flushed around the edges. Grand parties, though, are NOT a bygone for this once popular establishment. Concert series and private parties still make use of the grand parlor and rooms with almost as much frequency as Jane Austin movies. To be in Bath is truly an experience of old and new worlds colliding.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:22 am
[…] Ok, so you’re traveling. Congratulations! Now what do you do? You know you want to see the ruins of Bath, the town of Shakespeare’s Birth and the Loch Ness monster, but how to make it happen? Do you strike out on your own or take a local tour company’s trip? How can you get the most bang for your buck? […]