The Roman baths (bath)

We went to the site of the original Roman baths (circa 1st century AD) in britain today. For whatever reason, I thought that it would be like Stonehenge, in that it was in the middle of nowhere and that it wouldn't be very large. It actually ended up being a pretty sizable city, but it was indeed in the middle of the countryside. I think our tour guide summed it up very acutely when he said:

Great place to come and visit for a few weeks; not the best place to come and live

It was very picturesque though (pictures coming soon), and the original baths, built around the natural hot spring that was regarded as sacred, were pretty sweet. It's interesting that, as time goes on and cities build upwards, that the actual complex is actually under street level today and is still only partially excavated.

Some thoughts:

1. The whole city was made out of stone, with only a few exceptions. This made it really hard to tell what was built when, since it all looks the same. It was an interesting effect.
2. The city is in a valley of sorts, so that you get a great view of the whole thing as you're coming in and leaving the city.
   
3. The romans were badass...the sheer size and ingenuity of the baths complex and the fact that it was a place of pilgrimage for people (and that they were even able to travel that far!) in the empire suggests a complexity that is hard to imagine was attained more than two millennia ago. Their influences on us today aren't always readily apparent but they surely are widespread.

Side note: butler has a sizable number of people...over 100+ from schools across britain came for the trip and we filled 3.5 coaches. Also, after overnight trips to Edinburgh and back, and a 2.5 hour trip to bath I have decided that I hate coaches.