Doing the ‘touristy’ things: a day trip to Bath

One of the main things that my international friends aim to do in their year here is visit as much of the UK and Europe as possible. For many of them it may well be their only chance to see some of the great historic sites in the UK and when you’re living in Southampton you are not far away from many of them. Of course you are quite far away from some others but hey, that’s an excuse for a road trip! For me it’s a chance to show off my excellent tour guiding skills, for instance “Do you know what that’s called? A flying buttress! Have you even heard of a better named thing?”

Yesterday we went to Bath, which is just a short train journey away from Southampton Central and is a great place to visit for a day out, due to the excellent mix of really good shopping and British history.

I actually hadn’t visited the Roman Baths there since I was a child, and so didn’t really remember much of it at all, and my partner who studied there for four years had never been because when you live in a place, you don’t really do the ‘touristy’ things.

It turns out the Roman Baths were actually really interesting, being essentially part of a huge temple to the goddess Sulis Minerva, who they believed resided within the hot springs. The best part for me was not the ancient religion, but the ancient technology; the Romans actually had under-floor heating, and the systems for transporting the water throughout the baths are really impressive.

The Baths, with the Abbey in the background 

Talk about a hot spring, you can see the steam rising from the water of the sacred pool

After the Baths we visited Bath Abbey, which history dates back to around the 10th century – although it’s been through a lot of changes since then. Even if you are not religious, Abbey’s and Cathedrals across the UK really are something special worth visiting, just because of the sense of awe they inspire through their grand scale and intricate design. I’m not a religious person, but even so I light a candle for family members that I have lost as a way of remembering them. While we were there we were even treated to the choir rehearsing for a performance that evening.

In most Cathedrals and Abbeys you can light a candle – a chance to remember lost loved ones.

It’s a beautiful thing to see. 

Quick stop for ice cream 

One of the best things to see in Bath is the real estate; we walked up to the Royal Circle and decided which house we were going to have. These houses are on the border of a beautiful park which we wandered through for over an hour, because the best touristy things to do are the ones that are free!

It really would be quite nice to live here, though it’s really rather expensive! 

The Easter break is a great chance to get out and about in the UK, weather permitting of course. From Southampton you are so close to some of the major tourist destinations and as a student you will usually be entitled to discounts for the main attractions.

No matter what your plans are for Easter, remember to take some breaks from work and treat yourself to doing something fun, particularly the postgraduates who are only here for the year!

Emma

Being a twin

Last week when my sister, Kat, said “This will be last time you go back to Southampton”, it suddenly dawned on me that I only had six weeks of proper university life left. It often takes someone else to put things into perspective and she certainly did!

Of course, Kat has already been through the exact emotions I’m feeling right now. She also chose to come to the University of Southampton, graduating last summer on a swelteringly hot day, which made Highfield Campus’s many green spaces the perfect place to celebrate her achievements. It was such a lovely day and having just booked a place at this year’s graduation myself, I will be hoping for equally good weather!

A lovely summer day for my sister’s graduation. 

When I tell people my sister graduated the year before I will, people automatically assume that she is the older sibling. However, I am actually the older sibling, beating her by ten minutes. Yes, ten whole minutes!

This meant we came to Southampton in the same year (on the same day in fact) and have been able to be a part of each other’s student lives. We both attended the same Freshers' Welcome Party and Ball in 2011 and, were it not for my sister having to start her graduate job immediately after finishing term, we were both going to go to last year’s amazing Graduation Ball.

The beginning of our lives at University! 

I’ve found that people are always fascinated when they find out I’m a twin. Their first question is always “Are you identical?” which I respond to by letting them know that we’re different genders! Rather worryingly, I’ve had people who knew who both of us were and still asked if we were identical!

People then tend to ask about twin-telepathy and whether we can somehow communicate silently between ourselves or whether we know what the other one is thinking. Whilst that would have some amazing advantages (including a very cheap phone bill), sadly we do not have this ability…or at least we don’t know how to unlock it yet!

Twin-telepathy? No. Twin love? Yes! 

However, we do often say things at the same time, which I think is a result of having identical upbringings and hence similar thought processes. Although, saying that, we did vastly different subjects at university, as Kat read History, which is a world away from the equations and derivations of Physics that I study.

 Despite our different academic passions, we do both share similar motivations and aspirations. Last week when I went to visit her, it was because she was helping to prepare me for my upcoming interview. Having a head start on me in the world of work and also receiving training on how to interview people meant she was the perfect source of information to make sure I was fully prepared. We did several exercises to help me improve how I structure and communicate my interview answers and I walked away feeling very confident indeed!

In addition to this it was lovely to see her again; I’m still not used to her not being around the corner in Southampton! We are meeting up again this week to have early birthday celebrations (I mentioned in a previous blog how my family like to move celebrations), before I go back to Southampton and embark on my final term, before graduating in the summer just as my twin did last year!

James