Walking down the cobble stone streets of Bath,I am transported immediately to 1827 Regency,England.I imagine I am wearing an elegant, flowing Empire waist dress(made in the finest dupioni Italian silk in perhaps ecru or champagne )and I am sneaking away to meet my paramour on a clandestine riverboat down the River Avon, because I am supposed to be marrying my boring rich cousin.( He's probably hunting somewhere in the nearby woods or smoking a pipe in his drawing room).Such was the life of many a young girl in Cromwell's England , since women weren't allowed to work or inherit their father's property.
When I was Bath I sampled afternoon tea at Hands Tea House,(7a York Street,just a few minutes from Bath Abbey)and had my typical Earl Grey tea and vegan brownie.Bath in August was gorgeous with fluffy white clouds and blue skies (think baroque rococo paintings Fragonard or Boucheron)and abundant sunshine. People everywhere socializing and lolligagging on the verdant green.I discovered the famous Assembly Rooms where in Jane Austen's novels they held the very elegant balls where debutantes would do the rounds in order to find a husband.
Next time,will plan a trip back where I will go to Therma Hot Springs Sessions start at just £22 and there is a roof top pool,that sounds like fun. (I better go before it starts raining again.Yikes !)Also, a Jane Austen Walking Tour is de riguer which starts at the Bath Abbey on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.(only £5). I am planning my next trip already. Will have to go back to spend a few days, because being a Jane Austen fan I can't get enough of this Georgian city.
Bath,England, is a unique city; its hot springs, Roman Baths, splendid Abbey and Georgian stone crescents have attracted visitors for centuries. Bath,one of England's most beautiful places to visit. Bath is the only thermal hot spring in the UK. Set in rolling Somerset countryside, just over 100 miles west of London, it is a beautiful and unforgettable place to visit. Designated a World Heritage Site, Bath was the first city in England to receive this prestige and proudly stands on the slopes of the River Avon. On my tour of Bath, I took in the Bath Abbey, which saw the coronation of the first British King in 973AD. I marvelled at the famous Pulteney Bridge, modelled on the Florentine Ponte Vecchio. Both are consdiered to be one of the most romantic bridges in Europe.
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MORE ON JANE AUSTEN IN BATH
Some Interesting Links:
The Assembly Rooms
http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/
The Jane Austen Centre
http://www.janeausten.co.uk
Thermae Bath Spa
http://www.thermaebathspa.com
