Goodbye for now

A little side ways-- I was standing on a bench and leaning over the rail-- safety first...

Bath is probably one of my favorite places in the world now, and I have only been here less than 72 hours. The architecture, the art, the people, are all wonderful. It is an amazing get-a-way, whether you want to see the unique Roman baths, or watch a rugby game. It is a city, a small city, that has an intimate feeling unlike any other city I have been to. Built on several hills, it can be difficult to walk at times, especially if carrying luggage, but the views and the experience is worth it. For my final day I went to the Victoria Gallery, then walked to the Building of Bath Museum for a meeting. Afterwards, I went to the No. 1 Royal Crescent Museum, which gives you a unique insight into life in the Georgian period. I then walked aimlessly around the city before going to Timothy Richards studio. Timothy Richards, and members of his team, are amazing architectural plasterers. After spending nearly two hours at the studio, I learned about their techniques and business, and had some great insight about design and what it means. Overall, all of my experiences in Bath have really solidified my interest in conservation, architecture history and craftsmanship-- something that I will hopefully carry into my future schooling and career. As I wait for my train back to London, I cannot wait to come back to this historical city, see more of its sites, and reconnect with the amazing and helpful individuals I have met here. This has been a great experience, but my trip isn't over yet! I still have time to take the knowledge I have gained here and apply it to my future adventures in London and Rome!

 

Now that I have lost many of you, I will skip ahead to pictures that I have taken today as I wandered around this amazing city.

No. 1 Royal Crescent Timothy Richards plaster model.

 

 

Of course I found an elephant...

 

 

Such a fun day and filled with amazing experiences! I learned so much about the city of Bath, and design and architecture in general. I was even given a hefty book list by the curator of the Building of Bath Collection. I cannot wait to learn more, see more, and actually put this knowledge to work. I hope you all enjoyed my posts of my experience in Bath, keep checking for more England adventures!

 

 



Bath

 

 

On Thursday I walked around the city, saw some sites and shadowed at an architecture firm that focuses on conservation, overall an amazing day! Before my shadowing from 10-5pm, I went to the Roman Baths and then the Bath Abbey. The baths are a huge tourist site, with a museum attached and throughout, but it is still a great site to see. The included audio guide is also really helpful to explain some of the hundreds of artifacts found on the site. You can also walk around the actual baths, see the roman engineering, and drink the water from the spring (not the green algae infested baths). Afterword, I went into the Abbey, it was also so beautiful. The interior and exterior of the Abbey is simply amazing, and my favorite aspect, I can take pictures. Later, I walked around the city, took a huge amount of pictures (581 to be exact), and ate an amazing dinner and nutella crepe. Another fun and exciting day, but sadly only one day left to enjoy Bath before going back home to London.

 

 

The spring that you can catch a drink from. It is very warm, and taste a little off, but it was an experience.

 

An American flag in the Abbey.

 

 

 

And of course, I needed to give an update about my outfits, since I have been neglecting to do so. This is a new dress I purchased at Topshop in London this week. (I already got some sort of stain on it while eating my delicious dinner... typical).  I paired it with the faux leather sleeve drapey jacket that I purchased in Rome last year-- mixing my two abroad experiences! The color reminds me of Wendy from Peter Pan, so of course I had to buy it. I normally don't wear dresses, but after purchasing this, I think I may start wearing them more.

 

 

Awesome dinner at a pub, my favorite chicken and potatoes!

 

Today, as my last day in Bath, I have several meetings to attend, and then I plan to visit the No. 1 Royal Crescent museum and the Victoria Art Gallery before heading back to London later tonight. I am super excited to see more of Bath, and sad to have to leave so soon.

 

 

 



Bournemouth, Salisbury, Stonehenge & Bath

Yesterday was another busy, site-filled, adventure. I began my morning by visiting Bournemouth (briefly) to do an impact assessment of one of the churches in the city. I then rushed to Salisbury in order to get to Stonehenge (many pictures below). After my one hour visit to Stonehenge, I caught a train to Bath, the most beautiful place in England, where I definitely want to live for the rest of my life. Stonehenge is a place I had always wanted to see. The site itself is literally just the stones, nothing else, and it is in the middle of rural nowhere. Therefore, it is beautiful, if you go on a nice day. I wish I had a little more time to enjoy viewing the stones, and see the new visitor center. I am probably going back in order to meet with the curator, fingers crossed! I really love anything historic, and Stonehenge really hit the spot. It is a beautiful, mysterious site, and I would definitely recommend taking the time to visit. Bath, another amazing and recommended site, will be my home for only two days, but I have fallen in love. Its Roman Baths and Georgian architecture has really captured my heart. It feels more authentic and European than London does to me, most likely because of the architecture and the resemblance to Florence (Ponte Vecchio vs. Pulteney Bridge) and the fact that there is a strong Roman connection. I really love Bath, and would highly recommend taking a day to visit. My post tomorrow will talk about some things I did, as well as the 581 pictures I took in one day of this beautiful city. Look below for some pictures from Stonehenge and Bath.

 

 

By the time I got to Bath, around 8pm, it was really rainy (you can see some of my umbrella in the picture above). But even in the rain, it is still a beautiful city!

 



 

Most of London Day 3

 

The last hectic day of the weekend. We started by seeing the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, which was a huge (and long) ceremony, but really cool still. Then we went to the London Bridge, the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. London Bridge is nothing special, it looks like any other bridge that you have been to, but the Tower Bridge is really awesome. After that we went to see Olympic Park, which was really cool to visit, but you couldn't go in anything. The Aquatic Center is open for use, but even to just go in and walk around, you have to pay. The Olympic Park is very far away, but it is definitely something you would should visit if you are really into the Olympics, or want to go to the shopping mall (Westfield) that is right near the park.

Another busy day filled with several miles of walking, which after three days, is exhausting. I would definitely recommend seeing the changing of the guards and the Tower Bridge, and if you have time, I would see the interior of Westminster Abbey. We also tried to get into the Harry Potter studio tour, but were unable to get a reservations, even after the tour made us buy our tickets... If there was a way to just book a time and date while buying tickets, the process would be so much easier, and save you money. But anyway, those were my three busy days with my brother and his friend while they continue backpacking through Europe. Now I am on my way to do an impact assessment of a church in Bournemouth, and then to Bath! I am super excited, and will definitely take some pictures and post them here.