It started to rain, but only a misting so I didn’t bother with my umbrella. I made my way to the Roman baths, which date back to 55 A.D. Imagine my delight when I discovered that the free audio guide included some entries of Bill Bryson, one of my favorite writers, discussing some of the sights! The baths were really beautiful and interesting, though crowded with tourists. In addition to the baths themselves there were exhibits like a model of what they would have looked like back in the day and explanations of different artifacts that have been found during excavations. One of my faves was a collection of gems that were originally in signet rings that came unglued and washed into the drains while bathers were bathing.
When I was done there, I made my way to the Jane Austen Center. I am not a huge Austen fan; I tried reading Pride and Prejudice when I was fourteen but couldn’t finish it. Her style is a bit verbose for my liking, though when her writings are condensed and adapted for screen, I do enjoy her stories. The center was enjoyable enough, and I was even able to dress up in regency style dress and pose with a wax figure of Jane.
I still had a bit of time, so I stopped by the Victoria Art Gallery that had a one room museum of some older works. Then I visited the oldest house in Bath, which is run as a bakery using a recipe from a French Huguenot who fled there in the 1600’s. I trained in to London, took the tube to Kelly ‘s station, realized I had told her the wrong time by an hour, and finished reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie while I waited. When she met me there, we walked to her apartment and rested a bit before going for pizza (authentic Italian that you eat with a knife and fork) and making our plans for the next day.