A Romp in the Green World: Wheaton in England 2012: Independence Day in England: Day 3 of the Southern Excursion

Wednesday

Independence dawned rainy in Tintagel. At breakfast, we remembered that it was indeed the Fourth of July, and one of the women who ran the hostel said with a smile it “was the biggest mistake we ever made”. I’m not quite sure if I would agree with her on that, although I wouldn’t mind reinstating teatime in the afternoon.

After breakfast, we had a rather muddy hike back down to town with our luggage, but we bore it “with our characteristic maturity” and enjoyed the time in singing. Once we reached town, a few of us sang the national anthem while sitting under a gazebo waiting for the coach. We then boarded the coach for what Dr. Ryken assured us would be “a short two hour ride” to Glastonbury.

Glastonbury is the site of where the fabled Avalon would have stood, which is where King Arthur went to recover from his fatal wound and he would supposedly return to help England in its “bleakest hour”. Some other versions of the tale have Arthur dying at Avalon. We saw the abandoned Abbey that is in ruins. It was destroyed during the time of Henry VIII. He destroyed all monasteries and Abbeys as he switched the country from Catholicism to Protestantism. At the Abbey are the supposed graves of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. In all likelihood, the monks found the bodies and said they were the famous king and queen to bring in pilgrims and money. But it is more fun to say that it actually is their grave.

Chelsea Sarah on the King and Queen's Graves

The Rykens and the Owl

Glastonbury Abbey

Another shot of the Abbey

The ruined Abbey was beautiful. The grass was so green from the constant rain that it almost hurt your eyes. There was a bird trainer with an owl that many paid to hold, including Mrs. Ryken. Nearby in the distance up on the hill we could see the Torre, which is where the actual Island of Avalon is supposed to be.

After Glastonbury, we rode off towards Bath. Bath was where the Romans used the natural hot springs to build public baths to cleanse themselves in and for recreational purposes. Later in the eighteenth-century, many would go to Bath for the healing powers of the waters. It was very fashionable in Jane Austen’s time to reside or vacation there. Austen herself lived in Bath and set two of her novels there. Many of us were most excited about Bath for the Austen connections more so than anything else there.

Bath! Where the ending of Persuasion was filmed!

Upon arrival, I was amazed by the architecture of Bath. It is still in the neo-classical style from the eighteenth-century. One of the first streets I saw was where Anne and Captain Wentworth were united at the end of Persuasion. Indeed, while I was in Bath I felt like I was living in an Austen novel.

The first site we saw was the Roman Baths, and then we were free “to poke around”. The Baths were incredible. Most of them have been excavated and preserved to look as they did in Roman times. They had multiple baths: hot, cold, and others in between. At the end you could sample the water, known for it’s “healing powers”. It was disgusting. Warm, and it tasted like Iron. Hopefully, it made me healthier.

The Roman Baths

Afterwards, a group of us set off for our pilgrimage to Austen’s house. We had a rocky start when a woman at the Tourist information desk tried to tell us that Jane Austen never lived in Bath. (How can you work in Bath at a tourist desk and NOT KNOW THAT!??! We were slightly horrified). We eventually made our way to the Jane Austen Centre, where they were more helpful. Jane Austen actually lived in two houses in Bath. The one we saw is now a dental surgeon office. The other one is a private home. There was a man in regency dress outside the Centre we took pictures with while he sang to us “Happy Birthday” in honor of our country’s birth. When he found out I was from Kentucky he knew that both Johnny Depp and George Clooney were from there, which impressed me. Not everyone in the States knows that.

Austen's House!

Our friend outside the Jane Austen Centre

Our final stop in Bath was the Bath Abbey. It was beautiful and the stone inside was all white, which I had not seen in our previous Abbey stops. The University of Bath had just had their graduation there, so we saw many recent grads milling about taking pictures. Afterwards, we were driven up the hill to our youth hostel, which resembled an Italian villa. It was lovely and very nice. Downtown Bath was situated in the valley, and the rest of Bath bordered on steep hills.

Bath Abbey

To celebrate the holiday, we ventured farther up the hill in search of a body of water to throw tea in. All we could find is a big puddle on the University of Bath horse and soccer field. We made do, sang the national anthem, and threw the tea in. Then a few of us ventured a ways down the hill to a big open field that was uncut and gorgeous. It was mostly empty except for a few tourists and a man taking his evening walk there with his glass of wine. Standing there we could watch the sun set over the city of Bath filling the sky with pinks, oranges, and purples. It was my first Fourth of July without fireworks, but it was still beautiful.