South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Bath: England’s beautiful cover girl
Aswe’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe aweeklydoseof travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one ofmy favorite memories from one ofmy favorite English cities— a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.
Paul runs the Star Inn, the most characteristic pub in the historic spa townof Bath (two hours west of London). He keeps a tin of complimentary snuff tobacco on a ledge for customers. I try some, enjoying the sensation of amonkey dancing inmy nose. Paul says English coal miners have long used snuff because cigarettes were too dangerous in the mines, and they needed their tobacco fix. Hewants meto take the tin as a gift. Onmyway out, while keeping one eye on a drunk guy fromWales squeezing bymeholding two big pints of the local brew over my head, I put the tin back on the ledge and assure Paul that I’ll enjoy it the next time I stop by.
Walking home through the Englishmist, I think about howthis very old townhas become one of the most touristy places in Britain. Since ancient Roman times, when the townwas calledAquae Sulis, its hotmineralwater has attracted society’s elite.
Abreakthrough came in 1687, when QueenMary, fighting infertility, bathed here. Within 10 months she gave birth first to a son . . . and then to a new age of popularity for Bath. The townboomed as a spa resort. Local architect JohnWoodwas inspired
by the Italian architect Palladio to build a “new Rome.” The townbloomed in theNeoclassical style, and streetswere lined not with scrawny sidewalks but with wide “parades,” wherewomen in stylishly wide dresses could spread their fashionable tails. Bath became theHollywood of Britain.
Today, the former trendsetter of Georgian England hasmore “government listed” or protected buildings per capita than any town in England. It’s a triumph of theNeoclassical style of the Georgian era, with buildings as elegant as the society they once housed.
In the morning atmy posh hotel, which fills
one of a rowof Georgian townhouses, I chat with the doorman, marveling at the uniform elegance of the buildings. He takes measide and says, “The Georgianswere all about facades. Both architecturally and as people . . . itwas just facades.” He thenwalksmeto the back garden, where the uniformity of the front givesway to a higgledy-piggledy mess. “The people back thenwere just the same,” he says, “All fur, but no knickers.”
The entire city, built of the creamywarm limestone called “Bath stone,” beams in its cover-girl complexion. With the theme of facades inmind as I stroll through town, I see classical columns that supported only Georgian egos and false windows built in the name of balance. Two centuries ago, richwomenwore feathered hats atop three-foot hairdos and the very rich stretched their doors and ground floors to accommodate this high fashion.
To get behind another of those classy facades, I drop by the Georgian house atNo. 1Royal Crescent. It’s amuseum that gives an intimate peek into the lavish lifestyles of the 18th century. I learn that highclasswomen shaved their eyebrows and carefully pasted on trimmed strips of furry mouse skin in their places. The kitchen, with all the latest Georgian gizmos, included ameat spit thatwas powered— I kid you not— by a dog on a treadmill.
Another highlight is a stroll through four centuries of clothing trends in the FashionMuseum. Following the evolution of style one decade at a time, fromthe first Elizabeth in the 16th century to the second Elizabeth today, comes with some fun trivia. I’ve always wondered what the line, “Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni,” from“Yankee Doodle” means. I learn the answer here.
For a taste of pompous aristocracy, I pop into the PumpRoomfor tea and scones with live classical music. I sip the curative Bathwater fromthe elegant fountain. It tastes awful.
If ever a city enjoyed looking in the mirror, Bath’s the one. But I’m left thinking that it’s not all narcissism. There’s a beauty in this town that goes deeper than its facades. And if youmanage to sniff out those offbeat experiences, you may even enjoy that sensation of monkeys dancing in your nose.
Rick Steves(www.rick steves.com) writesEuropean travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@rick steves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.