Bath, Stonehenge, and Winchester

Today was pouring rain, only it didn’t let up. My flimsy umbrella has probably met its end after today’s winds and rain sent it popping inside out more times than I bothered to count. In spite of it though, we did manage to visit some pretty amazing sites, and travel by a coach bus, which is much nicer, you might imagine, than the various train systems.

Our first stop of the day was Bath, but we didn’t arrive there until half past eleven. There was a good chunk of time eaten up getting all the coach tours ready to go and then also traveling about two hours. Once there, we piled out into the miserable weather and maneuvered to the door, our umbrellas held sideways. We were going to visit the ancient Roman baths, which were largely in tact and still fueled by the hot spring that emitted steam when it hit the cold air. The tour itself was highly touristic (if that’s a word) and we walked around looking at the exhibits and information with these cheesy 10-inch phones to our ears. Each station was corresponded by a number, where you listened to some information about what you were looking at. I was most impressed by the displays that reconstructed digitally how it the carvings and structures used to look.

A group of us stopped a sandwich shop for lunch, which proved to be pretty difficult as everyone was looking for a place to eat inside at approximately the same time. Lindsey and I ended up eating across the street where we could find a table and then ordered hot chocolates to justify us staying in there and keeping warm.

Once we were back on the bus, it took us about an hour to get to Stonehenge. That was pretty awesome to see in person, though I must admit I thought it would be a bit bigger, either wider or taller. The wind and rain were so bitter at this point though, we just snapped some pictures before splashing our way back to the coach bus.

The last stop we made was in Winchester, particularly the Winchester cathedral. There was a problem with taking a tour, so most of us forwent going inside because it was pricey for the brief amount of time we had. Instead, I took pictures of the outside and around the building, before walking back to the bus. We town was cute and we strolled into a few shops as time permitted. Once back on the bus, we drove again until we hit London. Most of us got on the tube and went straight back to the hotel, but Brittany and I stopped at the Tesco grocery store to grab a bite. I decided that after such a long, blustery day (filled with coughing fits, I might add, but a growing strength in my voice) it would be best to spend the evening relaxing at the hotel.

While the Roman baths and Stonehenge weren’t the draw for me on this trip, they were certainly a great experience that I will remember.

After I post this, I will settle into my bed and hopefully manage to finish Danny, Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl. For tomorrow, we are headed to the Roald Dahl museum!

Hope this finds you well. A few more days until Denmark!!.. and one week until I’m home!!

With Joy,

Bethany