Bath Buns are Great

We began our day by taking a train to Bath. Once we set our stuff at the hostel, we went in search of the Sally Lunn House.

            Here we ordered traditional Sally Lunn buns about this size of the plate they were on, toasted with a variety of toppings. We also got tea. My bun was toasted with cinnamon butter, and it was easily one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Sadly, I couldn’t buy any of the cinnamon butter, so after exploring the kitchen, we left.

            Our next destination was the site of a Roman bath house. The main pool was full of water from Bath’s underground steam pools. In addition, we were able to traverse a series of old baths, such as the tepidarium, or warm room, the frigidarium (cold room) and the hot room. There was a museum as well, housing rubble and pieces of the temples, including the head of a statue of Sulis Minerva, the patron goddess of the bath. There were also many artifacts in the museum, such as curse tablets. These contained the offense, suspects, and what the writer wished upon them. Some of them seemed out of proportion, for instance, one man prayed that whoever had stolen one of his cloaks “might lose their mind and eyes”. I also made wishes by throwing coins into the water, and even drank some of the water that is said to cure any horrible disease. It was not very good, but I’ll take it over flu medicine any day.

            We finished at the baths and went across the street to the Bath Abbey, where a large group was rehearsing for a concert. We wandered around, admiring the large stained glass windows, and reading the markers on the myriad of grave markers adorning the walls and floor. The ceiling was intricately carved, featuring angels, and painted crests. Along one wall was a collection of modern decorated pages of Bible verses, and beside them, an abstract patchwork design of that same verse.

            Once we left the church, we wandered around the city, after gazing in horror at the man draping pigeons on himself and passersby. For free.

            We walked around Queen Street, and saw a bunch of Georgian architecture. Then, we traversed some of the shopping district, before looking for someplace to eat.

            We found a bar called the Saracen’s Head, and got chips (fries) and a bread platter, before going back to the hostel.