Partly as a celebration for completing two of three classes and partly to check a few more items off my England bucket list, I took a break from studying for finals mid-week and took a two-day trip to Bath.
First stop in Bath: the Jane Austen Centre. The acclaimed writer spent a lot of time in Bath and set a few of her works there, so the town has plenty to offer literature lovers. The centre, adjacent to one of the places she once lived, offers a brief history of her life and lots of information about life during that time period. It was really interesting, and I liked that all of the employees dressed in period clothing.
Practicing my signature with a quill and ink.
The afternoon was pretty stormy, so I spent the rest of it on my first shopping excursion of the trip (clothes are much more expensive in England, especially because of currency conversion). Among other things, I happily discovered Cath Kidston, England’s Lilly Pulitzer equivalent.
The next morning, I went to Stonehenge. I’m glad I went — the trip was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Also, the weather was sunny and beautiful, a nice change from the usual cool and stormy weather.
Stonehenge, in all of its mysterious glory.
After I got back into Bath, I went to the city’s namesake. Ancient Romans (who had a pretty large presence in the U.K., it turns out) built a massive bathhouse in the city. They were pretty sophisticated, figuring out how to create heated floors and such. Their idea of bathing was a lot like a modern-day spa experience, so I definitely think I could’ve been an ancient Roman.
Doesn’t it look great? That green water, though …
After that, I just walked around the (small) city until my train journey home begun, which was fairly eventful: I sat next to a chatty activist who’s the oldest survivor of HIV in the U.K., and a British woman asked me if I’m a Manchester native. (The latter’s definitely a first.) It was nice to have a relaxing break before starting on another essay!