What the British Call a Holiday

Hello, Everyone! I am on holiday! They don't call it a vacation here, it is called a holiday. So if you are on vacation, you are on holiday. I think it makes the whole ordeal sound very fanciful. My school has half term break, so Jamie and I decided to seize the time off to explore other corners of England.

Before I tell you about my travels, I'd like to give a shout-out to my Aunt Liz. I've heard that I am in trouble for not updating my blog recently. So Liz, this post is especially for you. :)

Alrighty, "holiday" began on Friday night. I had two formal observations of me this week at school, so I was pretty stressed out and in desperate need of a great escape. When Friday rolled around, I had everything to do not to throw lesson plans high up in the air and prance down the corridor. Jamie came over Friday evening and we set to packing. We did watch a chick-flick, as it was Valentine's weekend and we needed our dose of romantic comedy. :)

Early Saturday morning we rushed to the train station for our trip to Bath. Bath is well-known for its Roman architecture. It is the home to the Roman Baths. We stayed in Bath for a day and a half. In that time, we covered all of the must-sees in the city as well as Stonehenge!

Above and Below: Massive Bath Cathedral

Above: A Bath side-street. All of the buildings are made of this gold stone. The entire city is very ornate and decorated with lavish trimmings. The city’s economy thrives off of tourism, so Bath is well-kept and preserved for those eager to visit.

Bath is located, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. It’s like a little paradise.

Above and Below: Pulteney Bridge and the Weir

This place above is called the “Circus.” No, it wasn’t teaming with clowns and circus animals. In fact, it was really really quiet. We were told that is was full of shops, but it was more or less residential. Still very pretty. Below is a picture of the very gorgeous Royal Crescent.

Here we come to my favorite part! The Roman Baths! When the Romans invaded England, they wanted to create a place that reminded them of home. Romans would come here to this “spa” to relax and find healing. They believed that there were healing powers in the naturally warm waters. Although these baths had been covered over years later, they were uncovered by archeologists. Amazing discovery, ey?

There were different baths for different purposes. The pictures of the baths I’ve posted I thought were the most elaborate. However, I have tons of pics of the “frigidariom, the “sacred spa,” and the “healing spas.”

This fountain is a natural spring from the baths. Guests to the Roman Baths are welcomed to taste the spring water…

Not sure how sanitary, but I tried it anyways… It tastes like (drumroll please) …….WATER! Fancy that!

After Bath, we traveled to Oxford. I can’t say much about Oxford because I didn’t get to see it. I injured my eyes and was essentially blinded immediately following our visit to the Roman Baths. I went to the optometrist and was told that I had burned off the top layer of my eyes. Instructed not to wear contacts for a week (and not having any glasses) I’m leaving my travels with Jamie to head back to London, where I will pick up my glasses. I’ll take a bus at London Victoria to Liverpool and meet Jamie there. No worries, it could have been a lot worse. At least today I can see somewhat and I am not is so much pain. Apparently, Oxford is beautiful though. J

Hope you all enjoyed Valentine’s Day weekend!