We had another bright and early start today, or at least as bright as London ever gets. Today was the first day of Daylight Saving Time here, and the clock change definitely disoriented us. After gathering in the lobby for an explanation of our plans, we boarded our coach for the day trip to Bath. Along the way, we drove by Stonehenge, which is all anyone ever needs to do for this underwhelming tourist attraction. As we drove along the M3, our tour guide regaled us with stories about his youth, including how his grandfather became the inspiration for a character on a popular British sitcom. He also explained the gas price conversion to us, and they’re paying about $7 a gallon! We arrived in Bath a couple of hours after we left London. It’s a gorgeous place that used to be a popular spa town due to its distinctive Roman baths, which you can still visit. Many of the roads in Bath are pedestrian-only, making it an excellent place to walk around and shop. We saw the Jane Austen museum, where we had fun dressing up in Regency attire, and the Mary Shelly museum, where we were equal parts frightened and fascinated as we learned about the Frankenstein author and her “hideous progeny.” After a quick bite to eat in town and some gelato (where we learned that they no longer accept money printed in 2000), we hopped back on the bus and enjoyed a fish and chips dinner and interactive musical performance at the Hard Rock Cafe. Tomorrow we leave for Stratford (Shakespeare’s hometown).
-Shay and Nathaniel