I finally got some sleep last night. Thanks to the decreased population density of seagulls here. By the way, I learned yesterday that seagulls (yes SEAGULLS) are a protected species in England. Uggh.
After sleeping, I had a lovely breakfast with the other residents of this rooming house, a German couple and an Italian woman here on business. It was quite cold and gloomy when I left the boarding house about quarter to 10. I thought it might be a miserable time, but I went out anyway. First I went to the visitor's center to make reservations for Stonehenge tomorrow and to get a ticket on the bus around town today. My feet being somewhat tired still, I thought it might be nice especially since there is a stop right by my rooming house. So I went on the tour to almost the end, stopped at the number 1 Royal Crescent, one of the most famous architectural features of Bath. It is a crescent-shaped Palladian style series of row houses that were the "season" (winter ball season) residences of the rich and aristocratic in Bath during the 18th century. This particular one has been restored to the period. It was fascinating. I learned such tidbits as: the reason dishes often have a silver (or gold) line around the edge is because it was a useful ornamentation when candles were very expensive and light was very limited. The silver reflected the candlelight and you could see your plate or teacup! Also there were many mirrors used in decoration for similar reasons. I aslo learned that Bath was the premier gambling location of the Georgian era. People would gamble after dinner in the drawing rooms or studies, etc. Women even gambled quite frequently. The docent said that it out-vegased vegas in its day. When Victoria came to the throne, however, it was all stopped. She said that the Victorians were actually much worse than the Georgians, they were just better at hiding it! In the basement of the house was the kitchen. In the kitchen was a fireplace and turning spits in front of it. But how were the spits turned? There was a contraption almost identical to a hampster wheel suspended from the ceiling and very high. Dogs, yes DOGS, were put there and made to run to keep the spit going. It was apparently almost universally done in Bath homes. Imagine Erasmus in one of those things (since it was made for dogs of his size). The information there said that if the dog wouldn't run, to train them, they put a hot coal on the wheel so the dog had to run to keep away from it. Not sure exactly how that worked, but I was feeling sorry for Rassie just thinking about it. The docent there said that this was a step up because it was children they used before dogs. Also there were similar contraptions throughout England for dogs to cause a wheel to spin to churn butter, etc.
While I was in number 1 Royal Crescent, it rained profusely, but when I got out it was much nicer. I hopped back on the bus, listened to the rest of the information, hopped onto the accompanying tour (part of the price) a little further afield into the countryside and went to Prior Park Gardens. That was an absolutely magnificent experience. I felt a bit like a Regency English lady since I was wearing a long dress-- okay of t-shirt material and smocked at the top, but still-- because that is actually one of the warmer outfits I have. As I got off the bus, the skies cleared and it was rather warm. The park workers were falling over themselves to help me since there weren't any other customers since it had been raining most of the day. I walked through the wooded forest areas of the park and often couldn't see any sign that I wasn't back 200 years. The garden is done in the natural style (which is entirely calculated and not at all natural) so that there is a great view down to a manufactured lake from the house. The house itself is now a school, but the lawn down to the lake still has grazing cattle. Over the lake itself is a Palladian bridge, one of 4 in the world. It was rather beautiful. On the lake, again, many swans and signets were chasing the ducks. Beyond you could see a panorama of Bath from certain angles, others had weeping willows and other beautiful trees. It was idyllic. I thought that if Dad had been born a man of leisure in England during the time period, he might have created exactly such a garden. There were, after all, hydrangeas blooming!
I decided to walk back down the mountain to Bath instead of taking the bus. It was an excellent choice. The sun was still shining through the clouds and the exit from the gardens took you through a little village and along a walled street past a 16th century church. It was amazing and I am not sure I took enough pictures even though I took tons. It was incredibly romantic to walk along this walled path with nothing but cottages that were 2o0 or more years old. I saw two cars and a motorcycle the whole time, and they were parked. Otherwise I passed two men walking together and later a woman with a baby in a stroller, but, other than that, had the place to myself. So cool. I took a stroll today through the English countryside.
Back in Bath, now 2:30, absolutely famished, I went to the Regency Tea Rooms at the Jane Austen museum. There I had the "Tea with Darcy" which consisted of cucumber and cheese sandwiches, a scone with clotted cream and jam like nothing I'd ever eaten before and lemon drizzle cake. An excellent lunch substitute. And the tea I had was so amazingly excellent, a blend of chinese teas that was popular in Austen's time. If I could get that tea I would never drink anything else. It was really smooth.
Then I decided, having already done the part of the day Dad would have liked best and Mom would have enjoyed (the gardens), to do the part Mom would like best and Dad would enjoy. I went to the Fashion Museum. The museum is located in the Assembly Rooms, the rooms where all the balls were held in Regency Bath and where there was a Tea Room, described in Austen's Northanger Abbey, and where the people would gather other than at the Pump Room (which Tabea and I are going to tomorrow). The Assembly rooms were being decorated for an event this evening in Christmas decorations, apparently to somehow gather support for some sort of Christmas events. I think some quite notable people were supposed to be coming. At any rate, they let me peak into the rooms and I have never seen grander rooms ever. It's what I wanted the ballroom at the White House to look like. First, the Ballroom is HUGE, second, there are gorgeous chandeliers and a beautiful carved white stucco ceiling. Otherwise the ornamentation was plain but for some big fireplaces-- several on both sides of the room and on either end. The tour bus information said that the balls began at 7 with the minuet wherein only one couple at a time danced. That lasted for 2 hours. Then there was other dancing from 9-11:30 when everyone would go to bed, only to get up at 6 am to "take the waters" (i.e. bathe in the natural spring waters).
Back to the fashion museum in the basement of the Assembly Rooms. The museum is actually a bit lacking in display, only a few things from each era, but some really interesting things nonetheless. The best display was of some 30 sets of gloves from 400-200 years old. The gloves were unbelievably embroidered and there is no way to tell men's gloves from women's except for their size. Quite interesting. Other than that, they had an American (yes!?!) woman's wedding dress from 1900 and many of the things she had in the wedding, including all the bills. It must have been quite a nice affair because it was $425 for the 100 guest dinner and $30 for the flowers. Would that weddings cost that now! But of course it does show how the elaborate weddings of this era are not unique. The receipts indicated that elaborate weddings were happening at least in 1900. The other piece of interest I wanted to include from the Fashion Museum was regarding a handbag they had from the 1800s. It was embroidered with beetle wings from India. Apparently it was quite fashionable to embroider with beetle wings! They were beautiful. . . Ah fashion.
After that I came home, exhausted and am writing you. Tabea comes in about 5 hours and I want to shower and rest a bit before I walk to the train to meet her. Also I think I might go get a steak at the Pump Room because they have a ribeye for 15 pounds and I am starving and haven't had red meat in a while. I think I need to do it for scientific purposes as well in order to compare it with Nebraska beef, New York beef and French beef to put it on that scale. I hope it comes rather towards the Nebraska side and not the French side, but for scientific purposes, I will have to eat it either way!
The skies are clearing again, which is good. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day, of course, it was supposed to rain all day today too and there were some nice spells. We'll see. Hopefully it isn't too miserable at Stonehenge tomorrow.
I might have more to report this evening, but this is it for now.
Wendy
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