Bath and Avebury

 I enjoyed walking around the city of Bath! The buildings are distinct from other English cities because they are mostly in the Georgian style (I think). Other cities I have visited are very Victorian looking. I am no expert in architecture, but I noticed that in Bath there are many buildings made of light, sandy coloured stone with prominent pillars. No stripy timbered structures here. The effect really brightens things up! And I noticed several curved streets—most famously The Circus, but also Royal Crescent and Camden Crescent. I stopped in at the Jane Austen Centre, a museum with a focus on Austen's time in Bath. Actors dressed as her characters give a ten minute talk about her life and family and there are also artefacts to see. Then I walked to one of Jane Austen's residences in Bath and had a picnic lunch in Sydney Gardens. I loved browsing a yarn store called Wool that I happened to see out the window of the hostel I stayed at. Another highlight was Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath. 

Pump Room (image from Google)

The Roman Baths

Bath Abbey

The yarn shop Wool

A quiet street

The Jane Austen Centre

Circus VW

View from Camden Crescent

River Avon from Grand Parade

Jane Austen's House

Sydney Gardens (image from Google)

Sally Lunn's, the oldest house in Bath

Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights

Gillard's of Bath

Persephone Books

Topping & Company

Heart shaped pizza at Franco Manca's

On the way to Bath, I stopped in the village of Avebury in Wiltshire. There are standing stones there as old as Stonehenge. It was a very windy day, but thankfully not rainy or wet. The grass was long. I saw forget-me-nots, dandelions, nettles, tulips, daffodils, and lilacs. Bushes and trees are starting to get new growth, though most trees are still bare. It is a lovely spot, even though people do go overboard on the whole crystal powers thing. I really loved getting out of the particularly flat landscape around East Anglia and also, being out of any cities, walking on the soft earth instead of pavement.

Avebury from above (image from Google)

Stones at Avebury

Wishing Trees

Windy day in Avebury

Thanks for reading! Look for my next post on St Fagan's National Museum of History in Wales, Cardiff, Chepstow, and Tintern Abbey coming soon.