Day 5 - The Classical Tour

Bath - Salisbury cathedral - Stonehenge

Once again we were greeted, by our dormitory mistress, who swept us onto the bus with the same spiel from yesterday and who discharged us at Victoria Station into the care of, Saskia, a Spanish speaking, buxom, fading rose who spent all her time speaking to the four Spanish passengers and little time addressing the rest of the English speaking bus. She was flirtatious by nature and gave generous attention to the males in the company. She loved her voice, and spoke at great volume of her exploits and travels. The tour was obviously about her and not the places we were visiting. Perhaps a little harsh!

We sped along motorways until descending into Georgian splendor, heightened by the fortuitous festival of celebration. Many were in period costume, wandering through the squares and streets. We felt, as though we were "Lost in Austen"

The Cathedral greeted us with it's tall spires and as we approached The Roman Baths we were once again pleased to be able to walk past the waiting crowds. Bath was busier than anywhere we had been in London.


There was opera in the square - street theatre - and those in nineteenth Century costume who added a dynamic quality and richness to Bath

The Roman Baths
Really are a must. Rob and I had missed them on our last visit, only capturing a photo through a window. Today we explored them at a leisurely pace and were stunned at how much still existed from this Roman period. 97% of the original baths still and existed and these represent the most complete find in the whole world.


Time was running out, as I hustled and bustled Mary Ann (intent on coffee and lunch) to the esplanade, to view the Roman spillway of The Avon. The sun shone, the breeze was still and the water sparkled as we looked to the long boats berthed at the further bank. Unfortunately, no time to wander but perhaps just enough for a sandwich to be bought and a caramel slice to surreptitiously find its way into my fellow travelers bag. I fear she is starting to collect rations, for those days of sightseeing when there is too little time and too much to see waste it on such leisurely activities as dining.
It was a taste of Bath for Mary Ann, next time much longer stay is promised to explore the narrow lanes and old town of this city.



Saskia forgave all for eating on the bus as we drove to Salisbury to view the Cathedral. Follett's novel The Pillars of the Church was based on this cathedral which had a window for every day of the year,a pillar for each month, etc - faulty memory ! And for Greg it housed the oldest mechanical clock in British history. It had no hands, nor face but chimed on the hour and worked by a series of pulleys and cogs
We spent an hour and a half studying this church and reading the Magna Carta. As with many of these large Cathedrals given their cavernous nature there is no sense of Intimacy, nor chapels for quiet contemplation in which to reflect. We were particularly enthralled by the tombs which dated from the 12th Century.


And finally for prehistory, Stonehenge which raises more questions than there are answers

Why ? How ? When?
Remains virtually unanswered and yet it remains quite a humbling, and spiritual place to visit. Perhaps it is the warmth of the stone that draws us, or some faint ancestral voice but it remains in spite of all, a fascination sight that speaks to us still. And so, adhering to the path with audiotape in hand we encircled the stones.
I must say, it was here that the worst coffee was bought and tossed!
And surprisingly,another opportunity for shopping, for she who can't be named but has 8 grandchildren.