Bath and Stonehenge

 

This past weekend I went to Bath, UK as well as the world-famous Stonehenge.  Click here to view the web album.

Simply put, Bath is a beautiful city.  In case you didn't know, Bath is 4 hours south of Manchester by bus.  Fortunately, the weather was perfect and sunny in Bath on Saturday, while the weather on Sunday went as follows: Sunny, Rain, Sunny, Rain, Sunny; All in the same day!  I was able to see everything I wanted to see in Bath, as I had done some reason the day before.  We started off the day by walking around and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery and architecture.  The Pulteney Bridge (right) was the first stop, and it was the first of many places that I couldn't stop taking pictures of.  We then walked around the main area of town, which included the famous Roman Baths (top left), as well as the cathedral known as the Bath Abbey (top right).  These were my two favorite parts of Bath, which comes at no surprise that they are also the most popular places to visit in Bath.  There is actually more than one bath, and the one I am pictured with is The Great Bath, which is the biggest and most photographed bath.  I knew I couldn't come to the Roman Baths without touching the water, and when I did I was shocked to feel that the water was very warm!  There are also other baths inside, but I spent the majority of the time outdoors walking around and talking pictures of the the Great Bath, as well as the Bath Abbey which you can see from inside the Great Bath since it is actually outdoors.  The Bath Abbey was marvelous.  It is much smaller and less detailed than the York Minster, but has a very similar style to the architecture and stained glass.  Although the Abbey said it has closed at half 5 (5:30), the door was open so we decided to walk in and see how far we could get.  It is amazing how far a little ambitious instinct will take you.  Apparently there was a proper choir practicing in the Abbey, and it was truly a jaw-dropping experience.  Some may call that lucky, but I like to think of luck as being what happens when preparation meets opportunity, and I just went with it.  Other attractions in Bath that we saw were the Royal Crescent (huge building in the shape of almost a semi-circle), The Circus (not clowns, but rather 3 big buildings wrapped around a rotary/roundabout separated by little streets), and eating a famous Sally Lunn Bun (a sweet bread, about the size of a large cereal bowl).  Sally Lunn buns are usually eaten with toppings such as cinnamon butter or raspberry topping, but I had mine plain, and it was still delicious.

As for Stonehenge, what can I say.  There are two approaches to Stonehenge: one is that they are just a pile of rocks, and the other being it is a marvel and wonder of the world.  I fit in the second category, as I was awestruck about the rocks.  While they had an audio thing to listen to facts about Stonehenge, I was too focused on taking as many pictures as I could.  I learned that they are positioned in a special way with the months, and I was also impressed about how they were able to lay the stones on top of each other.  While it may not be as exciting as a roller coaster ride, Stonehenge is a must-see attraction if you are in the UK.  And yes, in case you were wondering, I did feel the need to bust out a "Heisman pose" at Stonehenge.  Go Blue!