Bath, England

This will be a short post today, without pics, because I am writing this early in the evening and I haven't downloaded my photos yet.  The reason for that is that I am heading out again this evening to take more pics.  The city was founded around some hot springs, thus the name Bath, and one of the attractions here are the Roman Baths, but there is a very cool bridge and a semi-circular weir which they light up at night!  So, since I hauled a tripod all this way for nighttime shots, and have yet to use it, I will be putting it to use tonight. This city is very beautiful; the architecture is spectacular, the river views are great, and the rolling hillsides make for some very nice vistas.

The train ride out here today was interesting.  I told the ticket agent where I had to go, when I had to return, and inquired about getting to Gatwick airport on Friday.  He took about 10 minutes checking various options for me, asking about the time schedules that worked for me and finally sold me 3 one way tickets for about 71 pounds, which was a considerable savings from the higher priced combinations he checked.  Kudos to him, although I was getting a bit anxious with the uncertainty of it all.  He really went above and beyond to get me what I needed and do it as cheaply as possible.  The train ride itself was uneventful, very smooth and quick with clean cars and comfortable seating.  I watched the scenery change from the London city to something resembling suburbia, then farms and rolling countryside.  The sun was out for the majority of the journey as well!

Today's lunch menu was a baguette with chicken salad and vegetables along with a bottle of water, eaten on a bench in the heart of Bath.  When that didn't quite fill the hole I ordered a sausage in a bun, similar to a bratwurst, and topped off the full meter.  For dinner I fulfilled my desire for a supper in an English pub.  I ordered Bangers and Mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and washed it down with a pint, all while watching a World Cup soccer game.  I truly feel like a proper English gentleman now.  Okay, proper and gentleman might be stretching it a bit, but you get the idea.  I will have pictures tomorrow.  Bye.