Stonehenge and a Quick Bath: A Sunny Day at Last

Really Really sunny. It was totally worth getting up at 6:30 to be in the sun as long as possible.


The sky is so blue! and also, some rocks!

Stonehenge: just a short fence away.

Stonehenge was both smaller than expected and surprisingly close to the road. Also, it is unsurprisingly touristy. You know the story here, mysterious stones. Were they made by the druids, aliens the devil or someone else? The audio tour refused to take a stand on this matter despite featuring some notable bronze-making sound effects. There are other things around Stonehenge including the remains of other henges (a henge is a flat area surrounded by a ditch or bank making a circular stage in the center) and some burial mounds. Stonehenge has been the cite of numerous similar constructions to the one today and was originally made of wood, What else is there to say? It was Stonehenge and it was awesome. I did not buy the gift-shop Stonehenge rocks socks. We walked around Stonehenge for an hour doing the audio tour and enjoying the sun. Unfortunately for someone, we left Stonehenge missing one person from the coaches. When they say back by 11 they really mean it here. We sent the whole hour to Bath thinking about the poor person left behind at Stonehenge. Maybe they'll end up with a sleeping at Stonehenge story.

Tourists line up and descend on Stonehenge

Heel Stone. I liked it because it is tilted and you could see up close

Then, it was back on the bus and ready for Bath time and the highlight of Bath were the Roman Baths. The first shrine at these hot springs was built by the Celts to the Goddess Sulis whom the Romans later identified with Minerva. In the 18th century visitors drank the water in the fashionable Grand Pump Rooms. The Baths were pretty crowded, no thanks to the two bus loads of Sussex students and as we audio-toured our way through them I became increasingly pushy about seeing things (as a short person, I feel entitled to assert my right to actually see things from the front :) ). The Baths were totally worth dodging around small running children and pushing past slow moving couples to see and included the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and a museum filled with Roman finds from the area. Highlights of the Roman Baths defiantly included seeing the temple pediment and the hypocausts which were used to heat the baths.

Bath Abbey on he left, the Roman Baths on the right.

Roman Baths. The Statues were added in the 19th century to make i more Roman.

I just liked this little elephant head

hypocausts
Pediment

After the Baths we headed off for lunch at a crowded pub complete with yelling football fans. It was such a nice day (and so crowded inside) we ended up sitting outside. Then, as usual, we ended up wandering and eventually finding the River Avon. It seems like every town we visit had a river and we manage to find it. But the river was really pretty and had some nice views of building in Bath. While walking by the river we met our guides from Sussex who recommended that we check out the Royal Crescent. So we were off despite not really knowing what the Royal Crescent was. Turns out, the Royal Crescent is a road of Georgian houses designed by John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774. It has been home to various notable people and featured in a number of films and TV shows. Also, its curved which is cool.

river

Royal Crescent

Somehow we lost two but gained another between Stonehenge and the Royal Crescent.

After the Royal Crescent we walked by the Jane Austen Center where they have costumed guides and peeked in the gift shop. Out of consideration for the one guy in our group of four and our lack of time we didn't take the tour. I may have to go back to this. Instead we had a quick (30 minute) tea time. We found the cutest little cafe with such cute tea pots and delicious drinks (lemongrass and ginger tea for me!). Tea was a great end to a long and busy day in Stonehenge and Bath.