Salisbury, Excitement, Bath

This morning I got up early, had breakfast at the earliest possible time at my hotel (they all give free breakfast) and was off to the train. The trip to Salisbury went smoothly enough. I was seated next to a chemist who works on submarines in Plymouth. Interesting "chap."

As we were going along the train, I looked up and saw a beautiful castle pirched on the side of a hill overlooking the plain we were travelling on and out to the sea. I looked it up later and realized it was Arundel Castle. Someday I need to come back and see that. It was the most castle-y castle I've ever seen. Just exactly what you'd think of with turrets and everything.

There are butterfly bushes EVERYWHERE in this country and they range in size from VW bus to small house. It's unbelievable.

Went to Salisbury. There as I was walking to the Cathedral, which has a spire you really can see from everywhere, I got my first glimpse of the Avon river. It's beautiful. I would maybe call it a brook or something, but it is an important river here. Of course it's about 2 feet deep in most places and 6 feet wide. (It's actually deeper here in Bath, but in Salibury it is super wimpy.) There were swans meandering on the river and sheep grazing in the field nearby. It was the quintessential pastoral landscape, especially with the Spire in the background.

When I was a little girl, I saw a picture of a John Constable painting of Salisbury Cathedral. I was fascinated by it and always have thought it would be neat to see it. In the painting, the clouds look menacing, light here, dark there, with patches of blue sky. A cow drinks from the Avon river in the middle ground and a couple stroll along in the foreground. Some sheep are present. That was pretty much recreated in reality-- minus the cow-- today for me. It threatened to rain, rained for a moment, cleared up alternatively every five minutes. The trees are even larger than they were in Constables time, and I couldnt' get exactly the shot from the same angle he painted the picture, but I got rather close. I'll put it up later.

I am sorry but I can't put up pictures tonight either as I am just too tired.

I walked up to the cathedral then and for some reason had low blood sugar, perhaps because I was carrying my very heavy packpack -- I think it is 40 lbs-- the mile and a half from the train station. I stopped then in the cafe and ate lunch. I only felt slightly better so I walked halfheartedly through the inside of the cathedral-- it was magnificent, but for me it is the outsides that are always the most interesting. Also I had to walk with my backpack as there was no place to store luggage. I didn't have the willpower to climb the 300 steps to the spire, especially because I thought it might be really cloudy when I got to the top. I didn't spend more than a half hour in the Cathedral itself. The priest of the Cathedral did see me studying particularly closely a tomb of a bishop from the 11th Century and he struck up a conversation with me. He seemed like a nice fellow, wanted to know where I was from, etc.

I went to the Chapter house of the Cathedral, saw the medieval carvings, stumped the docent with a question I had about them, viewed the Magna Carta for about 10 seconds, and rather dispiritedly and footsore moved on.

I left the Cathedral and walked around town for a few minutes, considered getting a taxi back to the station, didn't want to spend the money, so walked back taking a few more really good pictures on the way. Bought a ticket to Bath about 8 minutes before the train was scheduled, got on the train and then. . .

They closed the tracks because there had been an accident.

So everyone got off the train, we sat for an hour while they got a bus. I met an Englishman whose wife was from a little town called Brock Nebraska. Now they live in Nice France. He was a lively and interesting fellow who very much reminded me of one of the guys in the class I taught at Rejoice.

The bus came; it was an hour ride; I saw some of the famous chalk carvings in the hillsides.

It was a two story bus, winding roads, I was exhausted because of stupid seagulls, and I got extremely carsick. I didnt' think I was going to make it, but at last we arrived, I caught the next train the rest of hte way to Bath, got a cab to my hotel in Bath and collapsed. . .

For about 20 minutes. But then I realized I need to take advantage of my time here and I was a little perked up from resting and it is much easier to go around without that ridiculously heavy backpack.

So this evening I walked around Bath.

It is now my very VERY favorite city in the WORLD. Dresden was before, but now it's Bath. Bath is located sort of in some old mountains. They are tall, but very rounded. Everywhere you look are Georgian buildings made of the same kind and color of stone. It is quarried near here I read once. The River Avon wanders through here too. Always, wherever you look, there is some elaborate church spire. There are parks and squares everywhere. Mostly they are done in a more "naturalistic" or "informal" style. So you get grand and sweeping vistas which were cleverly planned out.

I peeked at the Roman baths. It is astounding to think of this very place and all the people who have walked through here.

I am sorry this blog sounds like a weather report, but I am way too tired and footsore to do better at the moment. My reflections will come later I suppose. Right now I am going to take a nice bath (since I am in Bath) and then sleep.

Tomorrow I will probably try to rest my feet a bit. I might go to the modern baths and soak my poor feet. Certainly I am going to try to see some of the gardens and possibly the Abbey museum since we wont' have time when Tabea gets here. She arrives tomorrow night. But based on the plan I have for us on Friday and Saturday, we're going to need to sleep, so I'll have to put off talking to someone I know for the first time since Sunday afternoon until Friday. And you all know how easy that will be for me.

It just started raining. My bed is under a slanted roof with a window in it so the rain is pattering against it. It sounds like the beds in the tent camper did when I was a kid. I suppose I wouldn't have known what to think if you'd have told me the last time I was sleeping in the tent camper that I would be reminded of it by my guesthouse lodgings in Bath, UK 20 years later.

Okay, I am struggling to stay awake now so I'll sign off for now.

Hope all are well.
There will be much to report tomorrow.
W