“Riddle: what’s larger, a Roman Bath or the English Channel?”

I’ve been quite delayed in posting an entry this week. Here I am, just home from Dover and Canterbury, and I’ve yet to write about last weekend! But this first week of classes has been a tired blur of lectures, seminars, reading, library trips, bookstore purchases…and caring for a fresher who had a few too many glasses of “apple juice.” All in all, not much different from an ordinary first week of classes (until the weekends come!).

Last Saturday (9 October) was one of the more memorable days of my life so far. We arrived in Brighton around eleven and headed straight to the Royal Pavillion. This is the palace of King George IV, infamous for his love of eating, drinking, and throwing lavish parties (sounds like my kind of guy). What is unique about the Royal Pavillion is not only it’s location in Brighton, but its Indian-style architecture on the outside and Chinese-style decoration on the inside. It was fantastically luxurious. George had a fine eye for detail and spared no expense in making sure everything dripped in gold, velvet, and fiercely cool dragon and snake sculptures. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but I bought a sweet guidebook containing far better photos than I would have been able to take, which you can look at when I get back. 🙂

*Keep in mind in any of my posts, you can click a photo to view it larger..*

Main entrance to the Royal Pavillion. This does NOT do it justice.

The rest of Brighton seemed like a typical coastal town. Loads of pubs, clubs, and shops, fairly commercial. But all of a sudden…

…drum roll please…

I saw the ocean for the very first time! Now, before you chastise me for either 1) Referring to the English Channel as the ocean, or 2) Having to go all the way to Europe to see an ocean, bite your tongue and share in my joy. Despite the ho-hums of the California girls about the pebble-as-opposed-to-sand beach, I was in heaven. Dividing up into small groups for some free time, we headed out to the very end of the pier and enjoyed “pizza-and-a-pint” (or if you’re me, pizza-and-a-glass-of-wine) at a pub overlooking the sea. It was such a memorable experience. We even named the seagull that kept trying to get at our food. We’ll never forget you, Horace. 🙂

Drinks by the sea.

The lovely, if annoying, Horace Pinkersmith of Brighton.

A visit to the ocean would not be complete without putting our feet in the water. I keep getting asked if it was cold; to be honest, I don’t remember because I was so happy to just be doing it in the first place. The pebbles (some of which I swiped and now live in my room with me) and the foamy waves were just beautiful. We couldn’t have asked for a better day or more perfect weather. There’s not much else to say, just that Brighton was a city I will never forget.

Putting feet in the ocean for the first time

You don’t realize how large the United States is until you’re in a country the size of just one state. No matter how many times I return to England, the number of different climates, landmarks, styles of architecture, and people you can see here will never cease to amaze me. After a fast-paced day in Brighton and a short sleep, we woke up bright and early to head to Bath and Stonehenge (10 October). We were all extra excited about this trip because we had planned it on our own, as opposed to the outings organized by ISA (our study abroad program). We took the train to Bath and headed immediately to the town centre to see the abbey. Oh my, was it beautiful. There was even a service going on, so we didn’t get to go in right away, but just the quick glance we had at it made us look forward to the afternoon. Bath is situated in a valley surrounded by seven hills, and when the abbey bells ring, you can hear it from so many different directions. I wish you could capture whole moments in pictures, but looking at photos can never do justice to walking around a place.

We paid, without question, the entry fee to the Roman Baths. This was the oldest and most historical place I have ever been. It is such a hallowed feeling, to walk on the stones that Romans walked, relaxed, and socialized on as early as 76 A.D. We read about places like this in history books every year of school, but until you’re there it’s hard to respect the work that went into building, excavating, and preserving something like the baths. We spent a good two hours walking through the baths, and a museum of artifacts, all the while listening to an audio tour.* The water in the baths still flows from the same hot spring it did almost two thousand years ago.

*Audio tours are something I had not experienced until England. I’m sure we have them in the states, but I think they are awesome. Instead of organized group tours, many places here give you a phone-like device that allows you to key in numbers at specific points along the tour and hear the information at your own pace. It’s lovely because you don’t feel rushed and you can always hear!

The center, main bath was so beautiful. I can’t believe everything that happened there (and the fact that I was there too!). That’s all that can be said!

Largest, main bath

Smaller bath

Spot where the water from the underground hot spring flows into the baths

After some lunch of traditional English pasties (pronounced: passed-ease), it was visiting hours to Bath Abbey. It was so gorgeous. The detail of the stained glass was amazing, and just the idea that it is still an open, functioning church used for services was very cool. It felt a bit odd taking photographs inside a church but you quickly forget because you’re so excited that you can! The most interesting thing about the abbey was that people are buried within the walls and floor, with intricate plaques marking the spots where their remains are located. Not only was the organ huge and beautiful, but the organist was playing the whole time we were there, and it sounded amazing.

Entrance to Bath Abbey

Ceiling of Bath Abbey

Looking down the aisle (towards the altar) at Bath Abbey

Fabulous organ

Then, the tourist pilgrimage…Stonehenge. I’ll admit, I did go into this expecting it to just be “a bunch of rocks,” but once the handy-dandy audio tour is thrown into the mix, it turns out to be pretty cool. The history behind the area the the myths and mysteries about how Stonehenge came to be are really interesting. Not only are the heavy rocks carved and impossibly stacked, but the design also corresponds with the seasons. The light shines through certain arches and onto others depending on the month and time of year. Although they think only 40% of the original Stonehenge remains, the fact that this much of it has remained since 2400 B.C. is shocking!

Me...and Stonehenge...and a random guy's arm.

Artsy Stonehenge.

Once back in Bath, Larissa and I broke off and trekked up one of the hills to experience The Circus. No, this is not a big top with three rings. Actually, it’s an almost continuous circle of beautiful, expensive houses. The courtyard in the center has some of the biggest trees I’ve ever seen. The Circus was erected between 1754 and 1769. It was well worth the walk.

Standing in The Circus. Can you imagine having your address here?

To wind down the day, Larissa and I walked a few blocks from the Circus to Royal Victoria park. Queen Victoria was Britain’s longest-ruling monarch with 63 years in power, as well as being a sort of favorite of the populace. If Queen Elizabeth II (the current queen) rules for 5 more years, she will surpass Queen Victoria in this honor! The park was beautiful, especially the massive monument to Victoria and her family.

Entrance to the park

Then, it was back to the train station and home. I saw more history in one weekend than I have in my entire life! I promise to share about Dover and Canterbury soon. Until then…

Street sign in Bath, unedited

~ by Laura Jacob on 16 October, 2010.