We caught the 8:00 train to Bath Spa, but the normally 90-minute journey took 2-1/2 hours because they were doing some work on the tracks and we had to take a bus from the Swindon train station--one of the disadvantages of traveling on a weekend apparently. We had to wait on the bus about ten minutes before we left Swindon, with the motor running, exhaust fumes filling the air, and the radio playing George Michael's Careless Whisper on the British equivalent of Casey Kasem's Top 40 show. Fortunately the noise of the bus drowned out the sound of the radio and we were in Bath about an hour later.

We just missed the 10:30 walking tour, but were able to catch the 11:00 Jane Austen one led by knowledgeable and entertaining Glyn. His "West Country" accent was immediately apparent, quite different from anything we had heard in London. Bath is a beautiful city, with its signature Georgian buildings in yellow limestone. We learned how Jane Austen disliked the city (as did Queen Victoria who apparently, on her only visit to the city at the age of eleven, overheard some disparaging remarks about her ankles and vowed never to visit the city again). But two of Jane's novels are set in Bath (Persuasion and Northanger Abbey) and the city has claimed her as their own, although she only lived there eight years. Glyn pointed out different places that were mentioned in these novels and gave us an idea of what life was like in Bath in the late 1700s to early 1800s. Although the hot springs were what drew people to the area, for their suspected healing properties, the 2,000-year-old Roman baths were not uncovered until the late nineteenth century. We caught the first half of the 2:00 walking tour where we learned about architect John Wood and about Beau Nash (until it started overlapping with the previous tour) and then visited the rather disappointing Jane Austen Centre. Finally we spent about two hours in the Roman baths, listening to audio guides and catching yet another, shorter tour by another lively docent. The rain throughout most of the afternoon did not dampen our spirits, but I must say that we were glad to catch an earlier train home, the sooner to rest our weary feet. It was a very pleasant but long day.

I'm excited to reread the novels of one of my favorite authors. I think I'll start with her last two, those set in Bath. But first I'll finish the books from my latest visit to the library.

Reading: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson