Bath

We are in Bath. I saw the Zurich office in Swindon from the train, it was a nice little touch of 'home'. We got to tour the Roman Baths and the Bath Abbey, then went to the Jane Austen Center which was really interesting. We walked to the Bath Circus and took pictures in the dark. Bath is so much more interesting than I had expected, we could definitely have used more time here.

I am in complete awe to have stood at the Roman Baths, which were built in around 42AD. It is beyond my comprehension that people 2000 years ago built this and worshiped there. And the Bath Abbey was equally awe inspiring. We were fortunate to be there for a short prayer service, then got to look around at everything in this 500 year old abbey. Interesting, it was the site of the coronation of King Edgar, the first king of all England, I don't remember the exact year, but around 970AD.

The most interesting thing to me is that all of this history is just there, right in the middle of a lively town. Standing in one spot, I was facing the Roman Baths with the Bath Abbey on my left and a Ben and Jerry's behind me. Just a short distance to the right was the shopping area, a charming pedestrian mall lined with contemporary shops, some local and some names we all know, like The Gap. There are many carts selling interesting things, flowers, scarves, hats and who knows what. There were street performers of all types. One man was riding a unicycle and juggling large lit torches. This was as the afternoon turned somewhat dark, making it extra charming. There was a Celtic one man band with the most interesting instrument, clearly of his own design. There was a violinist on a tight rope, and on it went. I could have walked around much longer.

The Jane Austen Center was very interesting, it focussed especially on her time in Bath, and on the two books of hers that were set in Bath, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. We learned that she never got to see her name in print, the books published while she was alive just said 'by a lady' or something similar. Her brother arranged to have Northanger Abbey published after her death, and to publish it under her name. It was never published while she was alive. Given that , it is especially good to see her recognized and people coming to the museum

Time to end this post as the internet time is running short. We purchased an hour and shared it among the three of us.

Tomorrow we tour Stonehenge, Avebury and many other places, then leave for Wales in the evening. We will visit the Dylan Thomas center in Swansea, and the annual Dylan Thomas Festival will be under way. I look forward to going to Glamorgan, which is my great-grandmother's home. I only wish I knew exactly where she was from, but I will just have to appreciate all Glamorgan.