Bath and Stonehenge

Hi all!
Yes i know, it has been way way too long since I wrote a new post. I apologize. This last week and weekend have been very full and busy. But now I have a few minutes of down time that I can catch you all up.

The last week was rather typical with classes and internship (as well as other random events like seeing a play, seeing Bear Grylls, chillin in Hyde Park, etc.)

But this weekend was especially wonderful! Me and three other girls (Elizabeth, Lindsey, and Hannah) went to Bath and Stonehenge and it could not have been better. We had a relaxing train ride early Saturday morning, looking out over the English countryside and made it to Bath by 9am. We went on the free walking tour around the town and were able to see all the different baths, John Wood's "Circus" and the Royal Crescent (both famous for their moon-shaped buildings). Bath was first a site for the ancient Roman Baths, where they utilized boiling hot water that came from a spring underground. But after a major flood centuries later, the baths got covered up and people didn't know about them. They weren't discovered until the 17th century when archeologists found the remains of civilization. Bath then became THE resort and vacation spot for royalty and celebrities of England. Needless to say, the town has an elegant feel to it. After our tour, we had lunch at Sally Lunn's (located in the oldest house in Bath). The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was, like the town, quaint and elegant. I will definitely go back at some point in my life and eat there again! If you're even in Bath, you have to go and get Sally Lunn's Bunns.

We then toured the Roman Baths themselves and the museum was really well set up. It is truly amazing that this hot spring was channeled and used for medicinal purposes (and still is!). I'm sure the minerals are great for you. We were able to actually sit by the water that the most powerful people of Rome and England have sat beside for thousands of years. History at your feet. Literally.

After the baths we took a tour of Bath Abbey, the central point of the town. We were able to actually go inside the clock face! We also saw where the bells are rung and then made our way to the very top of the roof to see a breath-taking view of the whole town. Bath is beautiful. And to get it all in one look was pretty awesome. We then left and tried to get to the Jane Austen center before it closed, but we missed the last tour by just a few minutes. bummer. Because everything in Bath shuts down around 6, we had nothing to do that night and decided to go to "Bizarre Bath", a night entertainment tour of the city (that isn't historical at all, but more just like a show and stand up comedian all in one). We had some great laughs and enjoyed a different take on the town. Bath is a truly quaint little town with amazing history and beautiful architecture. It is just big enough to keep you busy all day, but small enough to really see all the best things without having to give up anything.

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Our second day, we woke up early and got on a bus for a full-day tour. We saw several cute Cotswold villages and a lot of great English countryside. Rolling hills, fluffy sheep, thatched roofed cottages. Yep, it was pretty great. Castle Combe, our first stop, was actually being used as a film set for Steven Spielberg's new movie "War Horse"! Unfortunately they had just finished the day before and we missed Spielberg. But I will be sure to see the movie when it comes out and be able to recognize some of the locations!
We also went to Avebury Circle, a much less well known henge of stones, but is 16x bigger than Stonehenge! The rocks were gigantic and it is truly a mystery how these ancient people were able to get them where they are (and stand on one side!). We were able to walk the whole perimeter of the circle and the town is controversially built within the circle. There is believed to be great power in these rocks. They do for sure have some sort of magnetic pull/elecrtical force because I held a copper rod in my hand and it was moving in circles depending on where I stood. I thought it was pretty cool, and i can't even imagine what people in those days would have considered this phenomenon. I also had a chance to sit in "The Devil's Chair", the oldest seat in recorded history.
We ended the day at Stonehenge and it was great to actually see these famous stones in person. They are set up in literally the middle of nowhere! There is farmland as far as you can see around it. Must be strange to be the farmer who keeps his cows in the field next to one of the most famous tourist sites in the world...It was rather cold and windy by the time we got there, but we still had a great time. Although they are just stones, it is pretty crazy to imagine HOW they got these stones here (the largest one weighing 45 TONS!). and why? why there? and what was it for? Guess we'll have to ask God when we get to Heaven.

Over all, it was a successful weekend trip and I loved every second of it! We were able to do everything we wanted, stayed in a great hostel, and I went with a great group of girls. The whole adventure was a true blessing. I cannot believe it is already Wednesday. We have another fun weekend ahead with our whole class going to Edinburgh, Scotland on Friday! Everyday is so full and so long, but then the weeks still fly by. But that's life isn't it?