Bath, the Roman City of Aquae Sulis

The city of Bath made a convenient home base for four nights.  We easily toured nearby bucket-list sites, like Stonehenge, Salisbury, Wells, Glastonbury and the Cotswolds.

I dare say the only problem would be that if you didn't plan for day tours in advance as we did, then you may never motivate yourself to leave Bath for a day once you've settled in.

From the moment Julie and I arrived by train from Liverpool, we were entranced by the city's flowers and architecture, despite pulling our rolling suitcases behind us over cobblestone streets to reach the Francis Hotel, our home during our stay.

This M Gallery inn is housed in an 18th Century Georgian building that retains a posh, historical ambiance that nicely merges with 21st Century practicalities at very reasonable rates.

Our room had pretty nice views of Bath, which itself is a World Heritage Site.

We liked that in the bathroom there's a large photo mural of the Roman Baths, which is where the city gets its name.

The healing waters of the area were known long before the Romans arrived to exploit tin reserves.

Celtic Druids worshipped nature.  One of the many homeopathic cures apparently was bathing in the natural springs found there.

The Romans loved their public baths, a comfort of home which they brought to lands they conquered, so when they heard about these naturally-hot, healing springs, they of course chose that spot to found the city of Aquae Sulis.  Sulis was the name of the local goddess of the springs.

Romans tended to go along with many local traditions, including the use of familiar words.

The Romans constructed theaters, roads, walls, civic buildings and other aspects of infrastructure. The intent was to go beyond simple utilitarian value in attempts to awe the natives with their advanced knowledge, technology and industriousness.

This would hopefully encourage the natives to follow Roman directives.  Such is definitely true for the magnificent formal baths.

When the Roman Empire fell, the baths also fell into disrepair.  Often those who took possession of the infrastructure didn't know how the Romans had maintained the advanced technologies.

Many wonders of the Roman world came to ruin in the Dark Ages.

Romans syncretized Minerva with Celtic goddess Sulis

Julie and I took advantage of our only full day spent inside the city of Bath to visit the Roman Baths.  It's an impressive site and well worth visiting.

With the price of admission there's a complimentary live guided tour, during which we learned about the Roman process of bathing.

The Romans had different levels and protocols for bathing, depending on exactly how much the patrons could afford.  Then as now, you get what you pay for.

After about an hour, we were turned loose with audio devices to conduct self-guided tours.  We had arrived just as they opened and went at a pretty fast clip to see the exhibits before we left for a late lunch.

We exited not because we couldn't have spent more time looking around but because we were hungry, so if you go, allow yourself at least a half day like we did.

That afternoon, we set a goal of seeing Royal Victorian Gardens, which happened to be about as far from the Roman Baths as we could get, and while the park itself wasn't that terrific, it gave us the opportunity to walk through the streets of this historic city.

In Bath as in many cities, there are some talented singers and street musicians performing for tips.

That day and other times during our stay, we particularly enjoyed walking by the river, and we established the appropriately named Bridge Coffee as a daily stop for cappuccino and often a baked item with a serene view of the River Avon.

You have probably heard the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."  In the old Roman outpost of Aquae Sulis, we found a cafe in a piazza across from the theater where we had pizza and drinks for dinner on two occasions.  Zizzi's flat bread-style pie was delicious, and one was easily enough for us to split.

I usually like to have local beers when traveling, but in the case of our favorite restaurant in Bath, that meant Peroni, the same brand of beer I drank in Rome during our last visit.

I did try a local cider, Cornish Orchard, but it was a little too sweet for me, reminiscent of Nehi Strawberry Soda that I haven't had since I was a kid.  Julie, of course, stayed with Pinot Griggio.

We also dined one night in our hotel lounge, ordering from the bar menu.  It seemed the perfect place for that most British pre-dinner drink, Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic.

My fish and chips were great, washed down with Freedom Pale Ale.

I think Julie liked her chicken on sourdough sandwich, although she mainly remembered my chips --- what we call French fries --- which of course always taste better from someone else's plate.

On an unrelated topic, I should mention that Bath also houses a beautiful, historic church, Bath Abbey.

Julie and I attended an evening service there.  Choral and organ music in such a place is always uplifting to us.

Bath proved to be a great place to spend four nights.

I can see someone staying here in conjunction with a cruise, despite the fact that it is not exactly a point on a straight line from Heathrow to Southampton.  It's more like two sides of an Isosceles triangle.

Still, it would be worth the effort, especially if you've spent a lot of time in London already.

Entrance Lobby for the Roman Baths

Wall Mural with sketch outline of the city of Bath from our hotel room's wall.