Bath

We arrived in Bath around 5:30, so after some regrouping time, everyone set out in search of food. JMU was playing Indiana, so a lot of people were trying to find somewhere to watch the game as well as eat. Of course there was an England football game on, so we weren't able to find anywhere playing it :( Six of us ended up at an Italian restaurant, where I was able to get a gluten free pizza with no cheese! It was quite delicious. After dinner, we headed to the nearby pub, the Pig and Fiddle. It was filled with 20-somethings, and had a really relaxed atmosphere, which we all really liked. At 10, there was a DJ, so it picked up a little bit. We stayed for a couple hours, then headed to Mr. D's, the burger joint just across from our hotel. Their potato wedges are out of this world!

In the morning, we had a walking tour of Bath. Again, it was really cold, but a little less windy. We went to all the big places in Bath, such as the Royal Crescent, Circus (the first circular street ever), the Pulteney Bridge, and finally the Abbey.

The Royal Crescent

Assembly Rooms

Broad Street, the narrowest street in Bath

Javert's suicide from the new Les Mis was filmed here

The Abbey

On our tour, we passed Sally Lunn's, the oldest building in Bath, and also home to delicious Sally Lunn buns. Eight of us sprinted over there after the tour to beat the crowds and had a DELICIOUS lunch! The bun is almost like a big cake; my sandwiches were made from just half of one.

We had a tour of the Roman Baths after lunch, so our whole group headed over there. Thankfully, the tour was primarily inside. I thought the baths were really cool, but the tour definitely dragged. It's incredible that there is such a hot spring of water in such a cold area, and that it still exists. The water has been used for healing since its beginning. I mostly just wanted to get through the tour so I could stand next to the warm water! The water is green, which is kinda gross; we were advised not to touch it!

We were free the rest of the day, so some of us went to a fudge place nearby, where I got a delicious candied apple! We just wandered around the shops and then headed back to the hotel until dinner.

For dinner we went to Revolution, which definitely had more of a bar feel than restaurant. This could also be because I'm pretty sure we were the only non-hen party group there. The food was AWESOME though, and they had pretty cheap pitchers which we split. It was Meagan's birthday, so we bought her some drinks :) We stayed there for a little bit, but it was pretty empty, so we decided to find somewhere else to go. It was still early, so we ended up striking out pretty much every where we went. We went back to the Pig and Fiddle for a little while, but I guess everyone was tired, so we only stayed for a little while before going back to the hotel. Before going home, we had to buy Meagan her own Mr. D's potato wedges though!

On Sunday, we left Bath for Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. It was bitterly cold still, so when we got to Stonehenge, we literally just walked around the perimeter, took some pictures, and got back on the bus. I was really surprised by how small the stones look in person. I expected big, imposing rocks, but they were a bit underwhelming. We had audio guides, but I couldn't even take my hands out of my pockets to listen to it. Definitely cool that it's mysterious, I just wish I could have seen it on a nicer day. Oh well, I've seen Stonehenge! It's weird, at this point in the trip, everything feels normal. Seeing Stonehenge doesn't feel as crazy as seeing Big Ben did 10 weeks ago. It's a weird feeling, getting used to seeing famous structures.

Rocks on rocks on rocks

We all piled on the bus and headed to Windsor Castle. This is the royal residence, and where the Queen calls her home. We were given audio guides, so we just wandered around the grounds and in the state apartments. It was cool to imagine all the royals standing where I stood. Everything was decorated so ornately and it was really beautiful (not to mention warm!). I'm not sure if the Queen was there; there wasn't really an indicator that I saw, like at Buckingham Palace. 

We had 2 hours in Windsor, then headed back to home sweet Madison House. We just hung out, and I got to Skype with my parents and Nan (my grandmother)! I wish I could be at home to visit with her, but it was definitely nice to hear her voice! Since it was Meagan's birthday, we watched Notting Hill, which was terrible. Definitely a relaxed, but great weekend! I just hope it starts warming up a little before we leave!