So, actually, I didn’t “touch” an ancient ruin, since I didn't fancy being thrown into an English slammer, but I did see one. Having no idea what to expect, I boarded a brightly painted purple bus full of Japanese tourists for an afternoon trip to Stonehenge. Turns out, about a thousand other people got the same idea. I have to say, I was slightly disappointed at the lack-of-atmosphere. Maybe more typical British weather would keep wide-eyed sightseers at bay. In the interest of political correctness, I shouldn’t really say anything about my fellow tourists, so, I will leave my comments to simply report that the stereotypical American tourist has finally met his match in the Japanese one.
Stonehenge is, of course, quite amazing in its own right. These rocks have been in place for quite a wee while. We aren’t really sure what the Celts had in mind when they created Stonehenge; they certainly couldn’t have had any idea that thousands of year’s later, swarms of people would be herded around a small path listening to an audio-guide around the exterior of their creation. The trip wasn’t a total dud, but it wasn’t anything especially spectacular - my time was mainly spent getting away from other people to try and quietly enjoy what I could. Still, I can say I’ve seen Stonehenge and, thanks to my Historic Scotland Membership, it was of no cost to me!
Upon returning to Bath I, again, walked around the city. The real highlight of today was my morning visit to the Jane Austen Centre, but more about that in a separate post. (Jane deserves all the special esteem I could possibly give her!) Tonight I’ve been chilling with some fellow Americans who are also staying in the hostel and we’re heading out to find some dinner; to bed early and up early for my train tomorrow. I should also mention another fun part of staying in Bath has been that my hostel is directly on top of a pub. Yeah. Let me say, drunken patrons spilling out into the streets provides one of the most amusing soundtracks to sleep I’ve ever heard!
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