My Weekend in Bath

Left: PJ and I having dinner at a noodle bar named Wagamama

I have had a truly phenomenal weekend. The United Kingdom has several "Bank Holidays" which are three day weekends and no one truly understands why we have them but we do. Upon realizing that we had a three day weekend I decided that I wanted to go to Spain. To make a long story short-- I did not really come up with the idea until three days ago and it was such short notice that a trip to Spain would have been too expensive. So I decided to make the most of the weekend even though I could not travel abroad.

On Friday, my friend (and now soror) PJ came into town. PJ is actually a friend of my friend and former roommate Ellyn. They attended Barnard together. PJ is from the Bahamas and we met several years ago when Ellyn, our friend Marene and I went to the Bahamas in 2000. We had an amazing time. That vacation is one of many memories that will remain close to my heart. Even though PJ and I did not stay in contact over the years, I have never forgotten her tremendous hospitality and was looking forward to catching up. So on Friday, PJ and I decided to go to the theater and the dinner. We saw Porgy and Bess which was phenomenal and had dinner at a noodle bar named Wagamama. It was a lovely evening and we had the opportunity to catch up everything that had been happening in our lives over the last seven years.

Saturday morning, my cousin Lesley, her friend Aziza and I took a three hour bus trip to Bath. Even though I was terribly disappointed that I had to miss my dance classes, I was looking forward to the trip because it was my first time traveling outside of London since my arrival. To be honest, I did not know much about Bath other than the fact that there there is"a Bath" there and it had something to do with "the Romans." When we arrived at the destination, Bath was truly more beautiful than I could put into words. And "The Roman Bath" was simply extraordinary. The architecture and the history was breathtaking.

I do not want to bore you with too many details (although being that I was a history major, I did take extensive notes on the tour) but in Bath, the Romans built an extensive temple and bathing complex now known as the "Roman Bath" or "The Great Bath." This is the only bath in the United Kingdom that flows with natural warm water. It is believed that the water is from rain which fell in 4 A.D.and the rain has percolated over several centuries years thus making the water which come from the earth in the Roman Bath warm. History reveals that the Roman Baths were bulit in 43 AD in honor of a goddness named Sulis Minerva. Many Romans would come to the bath when they needed healing and would provide an offering to the goddess. The Bath was rediscovered in the 18th century. Bath (the town) has seen many wars over the years but the Roman Bath has generally stayed intact. I could go on and on but again, I don't want to bore you. Bath is simply amazing and if you ever make it to London you should take some time to travel there. Also located in Bath is Jane Austin's home unfortunately, we were not able to take a tour because you arrived too late. While it took three hours to get to and back from Bath, it was definitely worth the trip.

On the way back, I had an extensive conversation with my cousin about family matters. It was very interesting. I am still making sens of all that was shared between us but all I have to say is that things are not always what they seem and it is ever so important that we remember this especially as it relates to complicated family matters. I met Lesley for the first time 4 years ago when I visited London with my dad for Lesley's sisters wedding. Since they we have stayed in touch and this trip provided a wonderful opportunity to cement our relationship. This weekend was truly wonderful. And God is revealing some things. He is in the business of revealing and unveiling and we have to be prepared for those things that he is trying to uncover. I am sure that I am loosing you but be blessed.