Roman Baths.

Today we returned from a trip to Bath, England. Bath is a little rural town to the west of London. Friday morning we departed for Bath. On the train ride there I saw a bunch of English Countryside. It was very interesting that only about 15 minutes after we left Paddington Station in London, it was simply farmland. Sometimes when you're inside a city for so long, you forget that there is an outside world. I was listening to a mix CD that had a myriad of English bands such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Sex Pistols. The music made me feel so great as I traveled into the great beyond.

We arrived in the quaint city of Bath, England at around 12. Right when we stepped out the train station we were greeted by beautiful sights. High up on a hill, there is a church and a collage of houses that intertwine. It is hard to describe but it looked amazing. We found the hostel very easily and moved on to explore the city. It was refreshing to be in city that was small enough to find things without any trouble. From the hostel, the next stop was the Roman Baths. The Baths were built by the Romans in A.D. 43. This continuously blew my mind as I walked through the exhibits. Over the years, the structure of the building surrounding the Baths has changed as power has changed hands. However, a large portion of the Temple of Suvis Minerva has remained unexcavated. The Bath was bigger than most swimming pools and runs of the same filtering system that the Romans used. Unfortunately, over the years the water has become polluted and people are not allowed to get into the baths.

The Romans believed that the God, Suvis Minerva, heated the baths for the people of higher society. Unfortunately, that is not the reason the Baths are heated. There is actually a fault line running underneath the baths that heats the water. One of the baths actually still bubbles. The whole experience of walking through a temple really got me thinking about what people in the future will be saying when they look at our artifacts and architecture in museums. It seems like such a foreign concept that the Romans believed in Dietes and the powers of sacrificing lambs and goats. However, it really makes sense that the unexplained would be chalked up to some higher being; especially for those in the higher classes that were in power.

Mike and I decided to walk up to the top of the hill to get good views of the city. The hill was literally at 45 degrees and our legs were burning. When we got to the top of the hill, it felt like we had reached the peak of a mountain. Looking out over Bath, I was ecstatic. Mike and I discussed how happy we were that we had pushed ourselves to study abroad and how it almost seemed absurd that others wouldn't take up the opportunity. There is so much to see in this world and we are paying the same amount of money in tuition to be working in Parliament, living in London, and traveling throughout Europe. Before coming to Europe, my life was very normal. I had a girlfriend for all of college, I had the same roommates for two years, and I was extremely comfortable in Boston. When I left, I was a bit apprehensive of what it would do that comfort zone. I am normally adaptable to most situations and I feel like that description still stands. However, there are many things I have realized in a very short amount of time. I can only imagine what I feel like when I return to the states.

Today I walked around Oxford Circus while listening to music. I realized that there are so many various types of people inhabiting London. This is probably one of the most diverse cities in the world and it sometimes feels surreal to be living here. On the subject of roommates, I cannot believe how lucky I am to have such a solid group of guys in this program. Normally when you put 11 guys together there will be at least 3 or 4 that I wouldn't like. However, all the guys in this program are pretty great and I am excited that I will have another group of friends after this program is over. We are already discussing plans of reunions and hangouts of the summer. This program really is all it is cracked up to be.

-Signing off.