Monday's Memories: The Pump Room

Everything seems so old in Bath, and it has been occupied for so long, I was surprised to see the building below.  I was very ignorant of the YMCA's origination, though, because apparently it was founded in London in 1844.  It definitely belonged here looking stately and dignified, quite a different look from the YMCA's I've visited.

 This was one of my favorite signs in England;

it always made me think of Elizabeth Bennet saying,

"I'm extremely diverted," which then conjured up images of laughing cars in my mind.

 See how the buildings were built to accommodate the hills?

We're walking towards Bath Abbey.  It was a beautiful and impressive place.  There were lots of people and lots of traffic.  I think that has always been the case in Bath, precisely why Jane Austen didn't care for this place.

Bath Abbey

 

We didn't take the time for a tour of the Roman Baths that give the city its name but took a quick look around.  Probably what stands out most to me about our afternoon in the city was thinking about a statement KJ made:  "These have been here since before the time of Christ."  Old, old, old.

Connected to the baths is the Pump Room.  I was most eager to visit here and drink some of the famous water.  It's the location of many a scene in a Jane Austen novel.

We paid a couple of pence to drink from the King's Spring.  It tasted warm and very mineral-y.  I was unable to finish my glass.

 I loved the chandeliers. 

 Just the place for some Romans to hang out together

 KJ had me take a picture of this quilt.

We were reading Charles Dickens' A Child's History of England, and he thought this would help us keep the kings and queens straight and in their proper houses.

More beautiful ceilings and chandeliers

If we were a little swankier, perhaps we would have tried to make reservations at the Pump Room's restaurant.  We're not very swanky, though.  We traveled on to get a view of the River Avon and ate paninis in the square.  It was some of our best time together, though, so no regrets there.