Light rain and scent of spices

England in a nutshell 

My Erasmus experience in England that I would like to share with you is around two years old and what I remember of it is, probably, influenced by how the country is commonly perceived, i.e. a country characterized by a bad weather and oriental food. Even though I experienced magnificient sunny days, tried local english food, appreciated the old english architecture and carely observed England's singular relationship with nature, what I really felt as being the essence of England is that; a combination of light rain in a splendid grey day and the smell of spices, the english version of the danish "hygge". 

From Terme di Tivoli to Thermae of Bath

The city of my Erasmus experience, Bath, is mostly known for its roman ancient Thermae: a beatiful archeological spot very well integrated into the english style of the city. The turistic attraction shows the roman ancient custom of bathing first in hot water and, afterwards, in a very cold water: during my visit the low temperature created a spectacular effect near the natural hot water of the ancient bathtub. It is probably wrong the common thought according to which we appreciate more what we discover far from home but I had to leave an italian city renowned for its thermae, Terme di Tivoli, to know better this ancient roman custom. There you can enjoy other roman curiosities in the museum and.. try the curious drinking hot water!

Salisbury and the Magna Charta

When I was in England I had the opportunity to visit the city of Salisbury and its Cathedral, which holds the precious Magna Charta making this land a historical crib of the ideal of justice. The trips were organised by the Association of students at the University of Bath which made it easy to visit, for affording prices, the most beautiful places of England. The city is an english jewel, especially in spring, when the thriving nature embellishes the old-style buildings, its rivers, the magnificient light stone and architecture of the Cathedral. 

Another step you cannot miss is the visit at the Stonehenge and the combination of mysticism and science the place emanates. The ancient stones are well placed far from the city and the long walk to reach them prepares you for the visit. 

Castles, grey skies and the Welsh sea

If you are a lover of very old castles you should visit then the Castle of Cardiff, the wonderful capital of Wales. The ancient building hides a historical spot of the Second World War, used for the citizens of the city to avoid the bombardments. 

The place is highly evocative and the exhibition of the museum contains not only artworks but also historical reperts which makes you navigate in the history, from fantastic dragons to more recent historical reperts.

My trip ended with a walk on the coast of Wales, which allowed us to enjoy the sea view and discover other parts of the city, out of the center. 

The Campus and the city of Bath

I would like to conclude this brief description of my experience in Bath with the thing that I liked the most: the campus of the university. As an international student, I spent much of my time at the university and my esperience was very positive: it is a welcoming, green and beautifully organised campus. The library is very cosy, and you can easily find yourself among the shelves, reading on the floor without being disturbed. During the springtime, the cherry trees bloom give some colour to the place and the lawn around the little lake is the best place where you can spend your sunny hours of May. 

The architecture of the campus is very modern but in the same time there are also some old-style buildings, which can be found in the surrounding green areas. It is also very comfortable place because you don't have to go far to find a supermarket, the gym, or to take the bus for the city center. 

The city of Bath is very beautiful too: it is a cosy and vibrant city, very bright and clean, full of nice places that you can visit and original shops, that never gets too close to that heavy image of a capitalist and globalized city that we know very well.