Bath, Stonehenge, and Winchester Cathedral

Overlooking Bath as we walked down from the hostel in the morning

Before starting off on my UK adventure, my friend, Kim, set me up with some of her friends in the UK, and this weekend I had the chance to travel with Catherine Laverick.  We met on Friday night in Bath where she had booked a hostel for us. On Saturday we walked around the beautiful city, enjoying the architecture of the Circus and Royal Crescent, touring beautiful Bath Abby, and  stopping now and then for tea and treats.  Of course the major attraction in Bath are the Roman Baths.  The Romans built the first baths on the site beginning in 60-70 A.D, but Celtic people had been using the natural hot springs even before that.  It was fascinating to see the ingenuity used in getting the water piped to different parts of the bath complex.  I loved thinking about the Romans who walked upon the very same stones I was walking on as they went in for a soak in the baths.

The Great Bath

The King's Bath at the Sacred Spring

In the evening, we went to a performance of "Mansfield Park", written by one of Bath's most well-known citizens, Jane Austen.  Such a fitting way to end the day!

The next morning we headed off to another of the most famous sites in the UK, Stonehenge.  It was a really foggy morning, so I was a bit worried that we would drive out there and see nothing, but it was a perfect day to view the stones!  

It was just as cool as I'd always imagined it would be!

Now, the Roman Baths were old, ancient, in fact, but Stonehenge is estimated to have been built around 3100 BC!   Amazing!!!  There are many theories about the origins of Stonehenge.  Were they  a burial monument?  Were they erected by aliens?  Did the Devil buy them from an Irish woman?  Maybe they were placed there just for show.  What do you think?

Catherine lives in the north of England, and I live in the Southeast, so we parted ways at Stonehenge and headed back toward our respective homes.  She suggested that I might want to stop off and see Winchester Cathedral on my way home, which I did.  I remember my mom playing the song, "Winchester Cathedral" on the stereo when I was a kid, so I was kind of curious about the place. Okay, I have no idea what that goofy song has to do with this lovely cathedral!  Jane Austen is buried inside, so exploring Winchester Cathedral as the perfect way to end my weekend that began in Bath. And to top it off, there was a farmer's market right outside!  Life is Good!