Last Saturday marked the first adventure for Oxford Brookes exchange students – a day in the beautiful city of Bath.

After a two-hour bus ride, I was again amazed at the stunning architecture and the visible history as we entered the city. The tour guide led us around the corner into the centre of it all – Roman Baths on our left, Bath Abbey soaring above us and the main shopping strip in front of us. Our ears were blessed (or cursed) with the sound of bizarre buskers ranging from amazing voices belting out opera to badly sung renditions of Monty Python’s ‘Lumberjack Song’.

After a quick explanation of the main attractions, the city was ours to explore. Mainly because we wanted to escape the chilling winds, we entered the closest thing to us – Bath Abbey. Once finding out a couple of us were Australian, one of the ladies at the desk proudly told us there was a memorial for Arthur Phillip. My fellow Australian and I blankly looked at each other until the lady said patronizingly, ‘The first governor of Australia?’.

‘Oh yes, of course, the name was familiar…’, we mumbled. Awkward when someone from England knows more about your own country’s history than you do.

The awkwardness was soon forgotten though as we entered the Abbey. I’m not in the slightest religious, but there is definitely something about these structures that brings out a certain feeling in your bones. Whether it’s the high arching ceilings, the organ playing or the beautiful stained glass windows, I can understand the overcoming feeling of spirituality that is experienced by some. The sense that there is something beyond ourselves.

We decided that these views weren’t enough for us and paid the £6 to undertake the 212 step climb up the tower of the Abbey. The first 50 steps were okay; I had climbed narrow steps like these before. But then the slight dizziness set in and I began to become aware of just how high up I was. Not to worry – I’ll just treat the steps more like a ladder and all will be okay.

And of course it was okay. We reached the half way point – the top of the Abbey’s ceiling. Stunning views of Bath surrounded us and we weren’t even at the top yet. We entered the ringing chamber and learnt about how the bells are rung now, and how they used to be.

We sat behind the Abbey’s clock and were transported into the shoes of the person who had to sit in the cold and fumes for twelve hours to ensure the candle lighting the clock did not go out.

We looked down an old ventilation hole in the roof, seeing the Abbey from a whole new angle.

Already amazed and fascinated by the history of the Abbey, we began our way up the rest of the even steeper stairs, reaching the bells just in time to hear them let the city know it was half past eleven. We continued up and up until we reached the top of the tower and were greeted by even more stunning views of Bath. Our fingers nearly froze trying to capture the moment, but all worth it for the photos.

We made the journey down (arguably even scarier than the way up – just lean back, they said) and decided what to do next. Considering we were in Bath, we thought we should probably explore the very essence of the city – the Roman Baths.

The next two hours were spent doing as the Romans do, though none of us were too keen to enter the murky green water. Guided by audio pieces around our neck, we learnt about the ‘healing powers’ of the hot springs that attracted people to this city. We even tasted the magical mineral water, that left a lovely taste of metal in our mouths.

Glad to get back to the warm coach, the afternoon was spent touring around Bath and learning about the history of the city. The tour guide took us to a great vantage point to soak in more views of the city – I never knew a city could be so attractive and of course, a photo never really does quite capture it.

Entering Bath again, the tour guide took us to the Circus, which was pretty much built as a street of summer houses for rich people to stay in when they spend the summer at exclusive parties in Bath. A little wall was built at the top to hide away the “unsightly” servants who lived in the attic.

After the walking tour, a cafe was sought out to escape the cold and drink tea before jumping back on the bus back to Oxford. A splash about in Bath, while maybe not as restful as relaxing in a real bath, was definitely an enjoyable time!