bath

  My favorite thing was going to the Roman baths (Aqua Sullis), I'm a sucker for sacred antiquities. It's just nice to learn about things that mean/meant a lot to people. They feel warm somehow. 

The town square was nice, too, it was all compact and small, surrounded by a church and some cafes and the entryway to the baths. I mostly liked it because this young woman was standing in the middle singing arias with this beautiful fluttery voice. I've never really cared for operatic music, most likely because I haven't had much experience with it, but I loved this. It's thought provoking, this idea of taking something outside of its original place. Normally, concert music lives in a concert hall, dimly lit to focus in on the performers. Right? Instead, she was surrounded by tall old buildings and pigeons (dun dun dun), and the juxtaposition of it all was a little breathtaking. My favorite thing was looking around at the people who'd stopped to sit on the benches and listen - most of them were well-bundled, elderly, and by themselves. Looking at their faces made me think that maybe listening to this woman's music made them feel less lonely (if they even were lonely...some of them looked lonely). If I were a famous musician, like Sam or Justin Vernon or something, I think I'd go to random and obscure places like parks, or tube tunnels, or the quaint little town squares, and just play. Such a soulful way to share.