Day Trip: Stonehenge and Bath

Yesterday was our big day trip to pay homage to two of England's greatest sights: Stonehenge and Bath! After an excruciatingly long bus ride, we finally made it to Stonehenge! We were allowed one hour, and audio-tour box, and unlimited picture-taking before Dr. Facinelli would take off without us on the bus. So we rounded the henge as quickly as we could!

The countryside!

First glimpse of Stonehenge!

It looks like I am presenting the "No Entry" sign...

Stonehenge and the surrounding countryside!

After a while, Stonehenge became... Well, some stones. It was wonderful to see, and definitely something a person needs to do at least once! But it's easy to see why Dr. Facinelli hides herself away in the gift shop after coming here for 9 years! But having learned about Stonehenge in my art history classes, I loved getting to see it in person. Apparently, they allow some "modern" Druids to hold festivals there during the solstices (even though the Druids did not build Stonehenge!)

We shoveled down our lunches under Dr. Facinelli's watchful gaze, and then sped off towards Bath. We had been running late all morning, and Dr. Facinelli was not keen on losing our reservation. A sleepy bus ride through some sleepy towns later, we arrived at the town of Bath!

The Cathedral

We made it right on time, and were allowed two hours for this venture. We were given our Bath tokens, and off we went! (We were instructed to not bathe in the Baths. That is not encouraged.)

Entrance to the Baths

Some "Romans" milling about in the Bath. One of our classmates asked them what they were up to. They were waiting for the priest, apparently.

First view of the main Bath!

In front of the statues lining the upper level

A smaller, private bath

The inner workings of the Baths! A pediment (reconstructed), the remains of a Minerva statue, coins from all over the world (and different time periods) rescued from the baths, and the nightly drain that helps shift the water out of the Baths.

Lounging by the bath!

After our tour was over, we all agreed that we felt as though we were in Greece or Rome, not England! The whole town had that ancient feel to it. We couldn't leave the Baths without one last opportunity to drink it all in... And by that cheesy phrase, I mean that we literally drank some of the water from the Baths! Not to worry, it was in a very civilized manner, and there were paper cups involved...

A hasty picture before we all took our Bath water shots!

We had the better part of an hour to just take in the rest of the cute town. Some of the girls went to their first pasty shop, and I munched on my own packed lunch while the pigeons dive-bombed us. Overall, though, we had a wonderful day! Beautiful weather, wonderful timing, and great sights to see! The four hour bus ride home in traffic, followed by our reading on the Tudors was less wonderful, but what can you do.

Saying goodbye to Bath!