Friday, January 14, 2011

Stonehenge and Bath


Today, we took a coach ride to Stonehenge and the city of Bath, a historical city, which was once the home of Jane Austen and the burial site of her father. Stonehenge was absolutely gorgeous and it was awesome to see it close up as I have watched soooo many documentaries and History channel exclusives on it! 


It was awfully windy and rainy, but that didn't stop me!



There are sheep all around the ropes of Stonehenge. They are really adorable and must be used to the attention from people because they're really tame :) 


This is the Abbey in Bath. It's made up of over 60% glass! 


An original Roman Bath. After the Romans, the baths were covered for thousands of years. In the 1700's, people's basements were being flooded and they couldn't find the source of why it was happening, so they excavated the site and found the ancient baths where, for centuries, people had come to bath, heal, and rejuvinate themselves. 


Me and the baths. We were able to taste the water, which contains 43 minerals, but it smelt like rotten eggs and iron! Supposedly it is very good for a person and is said to even have healing powers! 


The water is the same water that has flown since the foundation of the baths. The water actually is built up in the stone for hundreds of years and finally builds enough pressure to burst into a stream; leading to the baths.




The AMAZING! skyscraper veggie burger that I had a Cafe Retro in Bath! Fresh mozzerella, mushrooms, onions, lettuce, tomato, and tangy pesto all on a toasted piece of bread! delicious!


A bridge over the river that contains adorable small shops; including a quaint little coffee shop that has the best coffee I've had thus far in the U.K.!


Some algae growing on the iron rail on the bridge


This is for my friend Mal :) I freaked out when I saw that this shop was named after you :) Miss ya!


Opposite side of the bridge; the small shops that are located on the bridge; including the delicious coffee shop :) 


Bath is full of small alleys with independent designers and shops. It's a shopper's paradise and for that exact reason; I could go back a million times! I absolutely fell in love with this little city!



Inside the Bath abbey


There are graves all alone the floor inside the abbey!


Monument plaques cover the walls


The tomb of James Montagu; former bishop of Bath and Wales



His original epitaph


Outside of the Abbey in Bath

We loaded the coach at 7:45am which was quite a feat for the 24 college students that attended the journey! It was about an 1.5 hr. journey to Stonehenge and about 1 hour journey after that to the ancient city of Bath. Both sites were absolutely extraordinary! Bath reminds me of something like Duluth or Bayfield, WI with quaint little speciality shops in little alleys and designers just starting out. I got a darling little leather clutch in the shape of a postcard/letter from a newly formed pair of designer friends. There shop is absolutely adorable! I could have spent hours in there chatting, but we were on a time schedule. I may have to take the train back to Bath one of these weekends. We saw the homes where Jane Austen lived and the valley where many small country towns are located. It was a gorgeous drive and well-worth the time on the coach! Hope all is well in Minnesota:)Love you all!

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