Traveling in Somerset

Stonehenge and Bath Snapshots

Today was exciting for several reasons. One, it was finally cold enough to warrant a jacket. I had been quite anticipating the immediate need of cold weather clothes, only to find out that I could have brought a pair of shorts (although I think my suitcase might have burst). Two, I am not ill! After having a dreadful migraine all afternoon, I woke this morning very tired but pain free! And three, I traveled to see Stonehenge and Bath! It was, all in all, a very good day.

I'm going to skim over my headache yesterday, save for one rather amusing anecdote. I initially avoided taking medicine and tried to sleep away the headache. And then later I took some medicine that had caffeine in it, which meant I was up very late trying desperately to go to sleep. One thing I tried to get myself to sleep was listening to a book on tape, namely Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Somehow, my drive to sleep and listening to the book switched tracks in my mind and my semi-conscious thought took up the idea that it was absolutely necessary that I finish (in my dream?) what Harry Potter must finish in order to end his second year successfully. It was quite strange. And I laughed in the morning.

I find it amusing that human beings seem to go through cycles. As children, most of us fall asleep immediately upon entering a moving vehicle. And then we grow up and become annoying and overexcited children who cannot keep still on road trips. And then you hit college where you learn to pass out at any given moment to reclaim the sleep you've sacrificed for more important things, like talking about absolutely nothing for hours on end.

We took a coach to Stonehenge and it was a very quiet ride. As a result, it was somewhat surreal waking up and looking out the front of the coach window and seeing Stonehenge a couple of yards off the side of the highway. I don't know what I had imagined. Perhaps a mile-long trek to prove oneself worthy of approaching the site, but definitely not a parking lot, souvenir and snack shop, and a tunnel that goes under the highway to get to Stonehenge. In all honesty, however, the whole thing was not nearly as commercialized as it could have been and for that I was grateful. We received these audio tour guides which were rather dull and repetitive, and sometimes even included lame sound effects (like the sound of pickaxes or swooshy spooky music). It was interesting listening to the many different theories they have about Stonehenge's purpose, although also annoying to hear "but we really don't know anything for sure" so often repeated. I had been advised (thank you, Kristen) to bring my jacket to Stonehenge and was therefore one of the few people not cold.

We then took the coach on another hour ride to Bath. It was quiet, again. Bath was absolutely beautiful, and has such a fascinating history. It has the only natural hot springs in Britain and was therefore used by the Romans to build a bath, dedicated to the goddess Minerva. It always amazes me how extremely talented they were to build such architecture that still remains and functions to this day. The baths still operate on the same drains built by the Romans over 2000 years ago. Britain was one of the first of the Roman Empire's posts to be abandoned towards the end of its rule and it wasn't until the 18th century before Bath was reinstated as a fashionable vacation spot. During the Regency period, Bath was a favorite vacation and retirement city for the very well-to-do and was second only to London for its fashion and shopping. Jane Austen was one of its most famous residents, though certainly not at the time.

In Bath we were given free time for about four hours. First we ate lunch at La Croissante, which coincidentally sold paninis and did not speak French. But whatever, it was cheap! Afterwards, we trekked up the hill to the Jane Austen Centre. Jane Austen lived in Bath, rather unwillingly, for ten years of her life. The Centre was built to replicate the townhouse she lived in, as well as pay homage to the commercial enterprise that is anything she touched. Her home in Chawton Cottage, where many of her books were written and most were published, is the more scholarly "centre," whereas this one was focused more on the movie adaptations and the fan base. They had several costumes that had been used in the movies, as well as a letter from Emma Thompson about adapting Sense and Sensibility. For an Austen fan like myself, it was quite enjoyable. Although it might have only inspired me to go to Chawton Cottage (the real museum) than settled any desire.

We walked around Bath for quite some time and I took much too many pictures of the architecture. And then we visited the Baths. They were fascinating. It was quite chilling to walk on stones that had been placed there over 2000 years ago by a civilization that so permeates our thought. Perhaps that makes me a nerd, but that's no surprise, is it?

Needless to say, the bus ride home was quiet too.