Baths, Georgians, and 3 Guys

 As I last mentioned, we finished our 5 day cycle in Bath where I rode in with the yellow jersey to cheering crowds -

Geo could have captured at least a few people in the photo....That must have been the only flat spot in the Cotswold.  So we crossed the River Avon and entered Bath-

Nevertheless, we had heard that there were well known spas in Bath and so looked into 'taking the waters' in this discounted place, but the waters didn't look that inviting-

Well, ok these were the ancient Roman baths which were indeed impressive, if not exactly inviting.  (We gathered that the baths looked much better in Roman times when the natural spring baths were covered by a roof which prevented algae, etc.).  The size and scope of the ancient baths were amazing and the accompanying museum a great and very informative tour.  

In addition to the ancient baths, Bath is also famous for its classical Georgian (1700s) architecture-

The Geogian style is characterized by its classical windows, white brick facade, simplicity and most importantly its symmetry.  The most famous of the Georgian structures in Bath is the spectacular crescent-

The town is dominated by this simple and symmetrical style, though not everyone seemed to get the memo-

I don't recall pink being listed in the authorized color scheme.   

As our walking tour guide explained, the great Georgian revival of Bath was engendered ;primarily by 3 men of Bath in the earlier 1700s.  As a result the City has built a nice monument to them +2-

Today, of course, the City is infiltrated by the ubiquitous American coffee-drinking tourist/cyclist-

The British, of course, really do gardens well-

Not to mention, classical doorways-

And, of course, the spectacular medieval cathedral (part of an abbey in Bath, built about 1490)-

The flying buttresses were really impressive here.  

A great day touring the beautiful and fascinating city of Bath.  Popular for good reason. 

  One more post to wrap up our visit to Oxford, Bath and the Cotswold.