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2001- INFORMATION PAGE << infopage 2001 (Bath); 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2007; 2008 >> MARCH 2001 - ONE OF OUR MEMBERS, MALVINA APARICIO, PAID A VISIT TO BATH I had been told back in 1969 that 'Bath had nothing to show except of course the roman bath which is a bunch of old stones' and 'the city, built in that classical style, rather boring'. The person who thus spoke was an American university student, a classmate of mine in Oxford. I had to choose between Bath and some other place, and remembering that I had already seen roman remains in Chester, and of course in Paris, and decided for the other destiny. The arrival in Bath, going down from the hills into the valley were the city is built, was already a marvelous sight. The very style of the city, those lines of pillars, archways with long vistas, elegant frontispieces create such harmony that I felt my spirit was being harmonized under its influence, and I experienced a quiet joy in going about the place. The Roman Bath is being re-built largely with the material that was found lying about and the manner of exhibition has the proverbial English perfection in this kind of museum. The Pump-Room is kept as beautiful and pleasant as in Jane Austen's days, I guess. It's the place that most keeps her memory in the sense that there's a restaurant with tasty sound English food, and I made up my mind to have my meals there and when I was about it, a pianist came in and started playing classical pieces Although there were many people dining, it was relaxed and the waiters very efficient and pleasant. A little notice card on the table let you know that no mobile phones were allowed there...I kept my eye on the Fountain, which is really a joke, because you pay (if you so wish) fifty cents to taste the 'healthy' water from it, and when you receive the glass from the attendant you realize...it's warm!!!! Nobody thinks that actually THAT'S the point with Bath, it's the ONLY thermal source in England, but these jokers do not take the trouble, as in other places, to cool it! So, after you've paid your 50 cents you do not want to look like a fool, so you must SIP it at least, I kept watching the people's (unpleasant) surprise, they ALL drink not to look a fool. From the roof of the bath you contemplate the gothic abbey against the blue sky from the perspective of the roman statue of an ephebe, the beautiful contrast of styles which are at the same time reminders of the long rich history of the city: Bath seems to have been there and, judging from the works in progress , will be there for a long time to come yet so as to witness to the vitality and wisdom of the people that inhabit it. I met an old gentleman relaxing on a bench in front of a tapestry inside the museum and he wanted to know where I was from. We struck up a conversation and he told me all about the tapestry which started with the legend of Bath, a prince who later became a saint, then on with the legendary king Edgar (which I immediately associated with Shakespeare's King Lear in spite of chronological differences) and so on to our own day, all connected somehow or other with the development of Bath as such. This tapestry, most attractive, was given to the city last year to commemorate its anniversary. So, you see, Bath story goes on & on... MALVINA APARICIO << infopage 2001 (Bath); 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2007; 2008 >> |
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The Jane Austen Society of Buenos Aires
Prof. Nadine Aguilar |
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