Day 2

Bath Abbey. I have even better pictures on another card but... you'll have to wait until I get back to America.
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I woke up at about 8:30 and headed down for coffee with my new friends. After getting directions to the city center, I headed out for a nice brisk walk. Holy friggin moly, the walk alone was incredible. It's this tiny path that cuts behind houses and right next to some land owned by the National Trust (ie beautiful country land that you can walk on). The path is downhill and you can see the city and all the Georgian architecture just chillin on the beautiful country slope. Bath is not allowed to run in the country's "Prettiest Village" contest because, it would win every year. I did get lost a little on the path. English directions crack me up. Every Brit I've asked directions to say things like "Oh, it's just around the corner and across the street". Translated that probably means "Walk 1 mile and then turn left at the second intersection". You think I'm joking but it's been that way for other travelers I've met as well. Anyway, you can't really get upset about getting lost here because it's so beautiful. Nearly all the buildings are in this creamy limestone and from around the same period. It makes for a charming, characteristic village and everywhere you look there's something interesting to see.

The Roman Baths on the left and the Abbey on the right. The building for the Roman Baths is a little anti-climatic... until you get inside.
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When I arrived at the city center, which is a good 20 min walk from the hostel. I saw a Starbucks. (Don't groan). So, if you can imagine, I went inside the Starbucks to get coffee and breakfast. First, let me say that they had this amazing greek yogurt with wildflower honey and nuts and dried fruit. I'm in love with it and I have to have it again. Second, I didn't know that there were different prices to eat in (more expensive) than to take away (cheaper). I just thought that they wanted to know if I wanted the coffee in a to go cup. Well, once I had my food and realized that I couldn't eat it there, I walked around the corner and sat on a wet bench opposite the roman baths and the abbey. It was the best breakfast ever!

So, if you can imagine, I went inside the Starbucks to get coffee and breakfast.

Seriously! If you can tell, on the floor where it looks like there are different colored stones, are actually tombstones. They also line the walls, making the Abbey a giant, compact, cemetary.
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Crud, I'm realizing I have a lot to say and not that much time to write about it.

I did go to the Abbey. Amazing and peaceful. You can just feel peace there and this amazing quietness. I followed the abbey's prayer walk and enjoyed the space and history. Like I said before, pictures soon coming!

Second, I went to the baths and could spend all day talking about them! Sadly, I have 5 min left on my time and had better do some other stuff too. I promise to buy more computer time and let you know the rest of the day!

UPDATE!

The Baths were really well preserved (the best preserved mineral spa in Northern England). They had reproductions of what the spa would have looked like in Roman times, which would have been a sight to see. Someone said it was kind of like a Turkish bath, so now I want to go to Turkey. They call drinking the water from the springs "Taking the waters", which you can do in the Pump Room (a big and beautiful restaurant, that was once a hall for parties). The water is warm and tastes metallic. A group of school children were ahead of me and they grimaced when they 'took the waters'.

I wondered around the shops and then went to the Fashion Museum. It was alright, but compared to the Abbey and the Baths, it wasn't that awe inspiring. I was pretty much to myself and came up on a room, which I think was for kids, with corsets and giant hoop skirts to try on. Of course, I had to do this, so I made my way into a corset and was buttoning up furiously when two Japanese tourists walked in. They gave me a quizzical look and asked what the room was. I just said, "I dunno, I think it's for kids but how cool is this! I have to try it!" They laughed and grabbed corsets to try on themselves. I have a picture of me in this gettup but unfortunately, there's something wrong with my SD card and none of the computers at this internet cafe will recognize it. I'm going to have to switch to a smaller SD card that I have and take some on there, so hopefully, when I'm in London, tomorrow, I can upload some pictures for you.

Next, I made my way back up to the Hostel. It's a long uphill trek and a couple of times, I was quite out of breath. I'd just sit down and take in the views of the city, though, and be refreshed. Jane and Brenda (my two Washington friends, were at the hostel when I returned. Brenda and I decided we wanted to eat at a pub, so we headed back down to Salisbury (just past Bath) and ate at Wetherspoons. I had the best Fish N Chips ever (I assume, because technically, it's my first) which I smothered in vinegar to get the British effect. Pared it with a Swedish Pear Cider that was really tasty.

We got back to the hostel at about 10pm and our room was dark. Neither Brenda and I were tired, so we stayed in the lounge until almost 12 and decided to try to sleep. I was to excited, though, so I stayed up and listened to some lady snore.