Bath & Avebury

This Saturday, I crawled wearily out of bed at the crack of 8 am to go see one of England's most celebrated western towns (Bath) and its neighboring stone formation (Avebury).  The drive by coach to Bath stretched on for about two hours, but I hardly noticed, distracted by the stunning backdrop of rolling emerald countryside and bright blue, cloudless skies.   As we descended into Bath amidst the quaint landscape and the gorgeous Palladian architecture, I unconsciously envisioned myself living there!  The Roman Baths served as our first stop upon arrival.  The group wandered through the portals to ancient Roman culture for about an hour and a half, all the while absorbing new information about Britain's role in the Roman Empire.

Bath became fashionable for wealthy Brits during the Victorian Era.  In fact, Jane Austen resided there for a number of years, having written both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey during her tenure in Bath.  The house in which she stayed still stands today, serving as private residence, denoted by a discreet black plaque.

Unfortunately, the time constraints tightly limited our group's time in Bath.  I would have liked to spend at least a few more hours there, as the city has enough history and charm to keep anybody occupied for an afternoon.  Missed attractions included a fashion museum doing an exhibit on Princess Diana's dresses, Bath Abbey, and a walking architecture tour.

We set straight off from Bath to Avebury, an ancient stone circle four times the size of Stonehenge.  Although larger than Stonehenge, Avebury's stones are much smaller and thus create a much less imposing impression upon the observer.  Although I certainly enjoyed experiencing Avebury, I would have much prefered to jump off of the bus for ten minutes in Avebury and spent an extra hour and a half in Bath.

To a foreigner such as myself, these day trips provide a good bit of perspective on London and English culture as a whole.  Not only do they allow me to flee the hustle and bustle of the city for a day, but they allow me a glimpse of what the rest of England looks like and feels like, if only through a bus window.  I hope to, during the rest of my stay in England, improve my understanding of England itself by taking day trips to smaller, more quintessentially British towns than London.