Stonehenge and Bath

This past weekend Jignesh, Brenda (a co-worker of Jignesh’s) and I took a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. While I am not usually a fan of organized tours, we chose to take this tour because it was reasonable in cost and allowed us to see two sites in the same day. I was afraid that we would have some crazy tourguide with un umbrella and microphone pack herding us around like cattle. Yes, we did have guide (Liz) with a knack for waking us up with a very loud microphone but we were spared the umbrella and portable pack. Aside from getting us through the entry gates (our entries were included in the tour price), the tour luckily (and surprisingly) turned out to be mostly a mode of transportation.

We boarded the coach bus early (a little too early!) Sunday morning and first headed to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is about and 2 hours outside of central London in the countryside. I was a little skeptical of Stonehenge and was prepared to see a bunch of old rocks. My opinion was quickly changed. Stonehenge was beautiuful and very impressive. The mysteries (How it was built? Who built it? Why was it built?) behind it make it even more remarkable.

After Stongehenge, we hopped on the bus and enjoyed a gorgeous ride to Bath. It was great to see the English countryside…it was very picturesque with thatched bungaloos and sheep grazing in open fields. Jignesh, who is not a nature guy, even commented on the beauty of the surroundings! Bath is a cute town of 80,000. It is home to the old Roman Baths and also known for its unique arcitecture. We began our visit to Bath with the Roman Baths. These baths are the only natural hotsprings in England and are where many of the wealthy use to spend their holidays. The Roman Baths have been turned into a musuem now and they are too dirty and toxic to enter (you are not even suppose to touch the water!). After the Roman Baths, we grabbed a quick bit to eat at a delicious bar/restaurant and then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around. On our way out of Bath, the bus passed by two structures designed by John Wood that look like the sun and moon respectively. I thought they were very interesting and unique. Overall, Bath was a charming city that I would love to return to and even spend the night.

The worst part of the trip was the ride home. Due to heavy rain and flooding , our 3 hour drive turned into 4! However, Selvin (the driver) delivered us safely to London after a long but great day!

Cheers!