Sounds like my type of wonder drink… you, too? Well, we should venture to Bath. But, first I should admit that you won’t really glow. Sorry.
Like its name would suggest, Bath was once a hopping spa town where folks came to sit in its 116 degree (Fahrenheit) baths which were believed to heal the sick and weary. You might find a wealthy elite society lady alongside a lepper, an arthritic elder, and a common local — all came for different reasons, but bathed in the same mineral-rich water. Wealthy and ailing people would travel from all around to visit the baths in search of that miracle cure. Even today, folks will pay the equivalent of $1 for a glass of this mighty but smelly brew.
The truth is that this water bubbles (literally) to the surface after a 10,000 year journey below. That’s right… the water that we drank on Saturday fell as rain 10,000 years ago. And over the last 10,000 years, it’s been traveling below the surface picking up loose minerals before reappaearing above. And, we learned that it’s slightly radioactive — perhaps this is the reason for its curing powers? And maybe, just maybe, you really will glow!
Bath is also known for its beautiful stone buildings–all made from the local Bath stone (A similiar story to VT’s Hokie stone).
In addition to strolling about the town, we also enjoyed our first High Tea complete with scones, cucumber sandwiches and plenty of tea. What’s a real scone? They’re much better here than our American reproductions…they’re quite like a soft, buttery, slightly sweet American biscuit. You eat them with clotted cream (butter) and jam (jelly). Yum!
See photos from our weekend in Bath…