Bath Spa

Monday I decided to train over to Bath Spa. It's the only place in Britain that has hot springs, and was therefore very important to the Celtic people, and eventually Romans. The return ticket cost a whopping 15.80 pounds which translates to about 23 dollars or so. I brought Rob's bike along, because I figured I would get more bang for my buck if I rode around instead of walking. Unfortunately it is a real hassle to bring a bike on the train, especially if there is no bike rack. When I arrived at Bath I biked along the canal path which connects Bristol and Bath. Houseboats lined the cement wall which contained the canal, and old guys fished off of them, laughing at jokes that were spoken to fast for me to understand. Built into the canal was a giant fountain infested with seagulls. Nearby a giant house, or restaurant was built on top of an aqueduct. Usually I think of them as bridges so it was pretty crazy to look at. Along the canal was an ice-cream truck manned by an extremely bubbly American woman. She handed me a creamy chocolate ice cream and said "Yeah I've been here since 1981 but it sounds like I just got off the boat." Later on I went into the town centre which was pretty crazy. That's one thing I really like about English cities. In every one you will find a large centre where cars can't go, and cafes, restaurants, and tourist attractions thrive. In the Bath centre a pair of guitarists expertly rendered Queen and The Who. A rastafarian with a strange Oriental looking bongo drum entranced a crowd with smooth tones. And I descended into the underbelly of the cathedral to see the Vaults Museum. In it were housed some very cool 17th century goblets made of silver, a couple Anglo-Saxon crosses, and books that have survived for six centuries. After I trained back to Stroud, I stopped at Costa coffee and sat down to read Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. After a relaxing half hour I biked on home to have tea with my host family.