Bath Time!

from The London Review 2023

Who Are The London Reviewers

By Sammi Davis

After several days in the big city of London, my introverted self was craving just a little bit of quiet time. Yes, I loved London and I could have found a number of new activities to do on the Thursday of our trip, but what I needed was a pleasant little trip over to Bath.

I knew of the town because of Jane Austen. She lived in Bath for a small period of time and her novels Persuasion (my personal favorite) and Northanger Abbey are both set there. I, of course, also knew the town from the Roman bathhouses that were built upon the natural hot springs and were said to have healing capabilities.

I was lucky enough to have another Janeite on the trip, so on Thursday Selena and I ventured to Bath, and the experience was truly unforgettable. The following is a recap of our agenda of our day in beautiful Bath.

1: Jane Austen Centre

I love anything that has to do with my queen Jane Austen, so being in an establishment that was all about her and her life and her novels was my slice of heaven. The best part was the Regency Room above the main exhibition hall where Selena and I ordered a ‘Tea with Mr. Darcy.’ The tower of treats included finger sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits with jams. It was an absolutely divine dining experience, and I was thrilled to have my first official afternoon tea in Bath.

was hesitant to go on the walking tour because of the hefty entrance fee, but having done it, I can say it was well worth it. The self guided tour allowed visitors to move freely throughout the exhibit and take in the impressive irrigation techniques and read about how this building that now stood in ruins was once a healing, social experience. Dr. Klayder had advised us to make sure to take a drink of the water, just to say that we had. But to my utter disappointment, the water fountain at the end of the tour that had the bath water was closed.

3: Dinner at Brewdog

After a long day, Selena and I chose a punk pub named Brewdog for dinner. I ordered a plate of buffalo chicken wings, a lemonade, and truffle fries to split with Selena. The chicken wings were perhaps the best I have ever had. They were flavorful and coated in sauce, yet still crispy. The lemonade, however, was disappointing. It turns out British lemonade is different from American lemonade. England constitutes lemonade as a cold, clear, fizzy drink with lemon flavoring. It tasted like a watered down Sprite. Overall, I’d give this dining experience a 8/10.

4: Teacup Shopping

This segment of the trip was… unsuccessful. Selena looked in nearly every shop for a dainty teacup, but none were found in Bath. You’d think a nation known for tea would keep their souvenir shops fully stocked for us tourists. But what they lacked in teacups, they made up for in tea pots! As seen in the final picture, some shops created the most outlandish and odd shaped teapots I had ever seen! If they didn’t cost 80 pounds and I could guarantee they wouldn’t shatter on the plane ride home, I definitely would have snagged one. The pictures will be satisfactory, until I become filthy rich and can afford to ship one to the United States. My favorites in the picture are white stove with bread and a miniature kettle or the pink vanity up top.

My Apple Watch had 23,482 steps/ 10.55 miles on Wednesday! This was because of the tube strike, I had to walk from the Natural History Museum to Wagamama with Ladazhia for dinner, which was a three mile walk.

Two Truths And A Lie

1. I had the best cupcakes of my life from Tesco’s on this trip.

2. My dad tracked my location and screen shotted when I was at somewhere cool he wanted to ask me about.

3. I flew first class to guarantee sleep.

See Page 97 for Answer Key

Selena is a first year student at KU studying Psychology and Social Welfare. She enjoys reading, arts and crafts, dancing, and baking. Her favorite part of London was visiting Bath. In Bath she got to see the Jane Austen Centre and have high tea, as well as see the infamous Roman Baths.