Thursday, August 23, 2012

Day 2 Fun in Bath



 This morning dawned overcast and a bit showery.  It was still warm though.  We decided to spend our day wandering the streets of Bath, looking for trouble.  Actually we found this young couple in the town square singing and playing his guitar, tambourine strapped to his foot.  Crowds were gathered, sitting and standing  around the square.







 Across the street was this little guy sitting in front of the ice cream store, plopped on whipped cream atop 2 scoops of ice cream all on a standing cone.  Really cute!


 On the opposite side of the square stood the majestic Abbey of Bath.  Not quite a cathedral, but one heck of an abbey!  The stone sculptures, ironwork and windows were beautiful.  How did the artisans of old complete and assemble these incredible works?

Five hundred feet from the Abbey are the Roman Baths.  When the Romans came to conquer, they found the area full of hot mineral springs, perfect for healing sore and damaged bodies from clashes in battle.  Much hard work and planning was put into building the bath houses and other buildings that used the hot water from the springs.  Elaborate systems were built to pump and move the healing waters throughout the city and it quickly became the most sought after health spa in the civilized world.  Complete with beautiful sculptures and artwork.



Water is still in the pools today, but is only cleaned every few months.  Not enough to keep it clean enough for human use.


Tonight on our way home we saw 4 hot air balloons lifting into the sky from the city and floating down the valley past our "home".  A beautiful sight.   

This is the beautiful view from our little cottage townhouse.  Actually it looks much like the valley that we live in in Oregon.  Very green because of all the rain!  We have enjoyed another wonderful day.  Making our dinner at home tonight, pasta and a salad, and going to bed.  Sweet dreams and on to another day tomorrow!

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