Ancient curses,Georgian villas,Jane Austen and tasty buns,the English city of Bath gives you a lot to chew onOf all the empty seats in the world,the woman with the whooping cough had to occupy the one opposite ours. We were on an early morning train to Bath in England,eager to get near its famed hot spring and having just rid myself of flu germs,the last thing I wanted was to be bathed in hers. If we were Romans visiting 2,000 years ago we would have inscribed a curse on a strip of pewter and tossed it into the hot water at Baths famous location,praying to the Goddess of healing,Sulis-Minerva,to pre-empt disease.The only thing we could do really was jump off the train in relief when it pulled into the Bath Spa station.We crossed the new shopping mall and within less than four minutes we were standing in the heart of Bath,outside the entrance to the Roman temple and spa complex. While the city centre still throbs because of what the Romans built nearly 2,000 years ago,all around it are the layers of the centuries. We sought out the 20th century by diving into a cafe for some coffee and cake. The doors opened at 9.30 am, I grabbed the free audio guide for its section with Bill Brysons observations and was eventually disappointed that he didnt make any wise-cracks. Unlike many Roman towns that came up around a fort,Bath developed because of its religious and ritualistic significance thanks to the hot spring.Today,we understand the science behind the hot water but you really have to envy the powerful grip it mustve had on Roman imagination a dark green pool of steaming water curing all kinds of aches and pains. Thats why they erected a large temple and a very sophisticated spa complex around the hot spring,which continues to spout nearly a million litres every day at a toasty 46 degrees Celsius. The most entertaining section of the complex is the little museum which houses the Roman objects that were found in the spring. The Romans wished for all sorts of favours and blessings but the more colourful amongst them,threw in a fair number of curses as well. Inscribed in Latin,these were later found at the bottom of the pool for the entertainment of future generations. One guy complained,Dacimedes has lost two gloves. He asks that the person who has stolen them should lose his minds and his eyes in the temple where she appoints. From the Roman baths,we hopped across to the Bath Abbey,which is much younger at about 500 years. We did a quick walk,gawking up at the pillars that merge with the ceiling by bursting into what looks like Chinese palm fans. Its really quite beautiful but having woken up at 5.30 am that morning,visions of a soft bed kept floating in as well. We decided to pack in one more thing before we retired and sought out the Pulteney Bridge. This is only one in four bridges in the world with shops on either side of it. It makes a pretty picture but being on the bridge itself felt like being on any other road in Bath. Underwhelmed,we decided it was time to retire to our Georgian villa B&B. On Sunday morning,we left the Roman bit of Bath behind to discover its Georgian end. This is the bit with the grand,honey coloured buildings and where Jane Austens characters flitted and flirted. At that end of Bath,you can quickly forget the Roman spa and realise how much Bath has constantly reinvented itself. After the Romans left,the Middle Ages saw the spa complex go to ruins,till it was revived again in the 18th century and became the place to see and be seen for fashionable England. Jane Austen lived there briefly and rather unhappily and you can pick up fragments of her life around town as well as at the Jane Austen Centre. We just walked and walked checking out the beautiful Royal Crescent a massive semi-circular building and the neighbouring Circus a great big circular residential block. Baths Georgian architecture imitated the Italian Palladian style with its strict use of symmetry. We kept our last stop of the evening for the oldest house in Bath,home to the Sally Lunn restaurant. The story goes that Sally Lunn was a refugee from France who came to England nearly 300 years ago. She is credited with creating one of the most delicious buns I have ever tasted. Ever. When you tear off a piece,its like tearing off bits of cotton candy. Utterly and completely satisfied,we boarded the 8.30 pm train back to London with a bag full of buns,making it the oddest bit of shopping we have ever done.Collapsing in my seat,I pulled out my list of Things to do in Bath and found that 48 hours later,I could check them all off. FAST FACTSBest time to visitSummer but if you want to avoid the tourist rush you can go in winter.How to get there:There are plenty of trains to Bath Spa station from London's Paddington station. The train ride is an hour and a half. Tickets can be booked at www.thetrainline.com. You can even do a day trip just to see the Roman baths.Where to Stay:Bath is a really small town and you can get to all its attractions on foot. For weary feet,there are cheap taxis. It also means you dont really have to stay in the middle of town near the Roman baths. The hotel tariffs can be quite high. We stayed at the Grove Lodge a B&B off the London road which is a 20 minute level walk from the Roman baths. www.grovelodgebath.co.uk
