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| Our second full day in London was spent with Frames Rickards Guided Bus Tours. Since we had decided not to rent a car and learn to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, we needed a way out of London. Our first daytrip was to Stonehenge and Bath. Along with a bus full of other tourists, our driver and tour guide escorted us through the English countryside. |
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Our first stop on this day was at Stonehenge. Unfortunately, this was an extremely cold, drizzly day. We got off the bus only long enough to walk around the rocks and take a picture of the neighboring sheep. I did buy a guidebook from the gift shop so I could read about the history of Stonehenge. Had the weather permitted, we would have been able to take a self-guided tour. The British tourism bureau provides hand-held, guided tour devices similar to older mobile phones. There was a numbered trail around the monument corresponding to programs in the phones. |
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| There is a lot of history with Stonehenge that dates back over 5000 years! Archeological proof supports the theories about the creation of this monument. According to my mom though, it looks like someone was going to build a castle and decided to stop after the foundation was in place. If it had not been so incredibly cold on this open plain, I may have investigated more. |
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| The next and final stop on this daytrip was the town of Bath. This is the home of famous novelist, Jane Austen. This is the most beautiful city I have ever seen! All the cobblestone street gently slope into a valley with beautiful, architectually delightful buildings filling the horizon. In the valley is the ancient Roman Bath House. |
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| This is a picture of the main bath at the Roman Bath House. Unfortunately, this is now a tourist trap and the pool is filled with algae. Previously, the likes of high society and royalty bathed in this exact spot! Today, plywood platforms lead tourists around this formerly magical spot. We were told that the Bath House would open for public use in 2002. |
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The left shows the brilliant engineering of the Romans 2000 years ago as they built the Bath House that is feed by naturally heated spring. This is an overflow spot. The middle is a view of the main bath from the ground floor.
On the right, notice the angels on the wall of the Abbey near the Roman Bath House. Some of the angels are climbing up and some of the angels are climbing down. |
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