England (Stonehenge, Bath) - February 2015

Week 8 - This is another exciting weekend planned for a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World – the Stonehenge; nonetheless surprises came just a day before the trip where we get to realized that our purchased for the tour tickets were duplicated thus paying an addition of £31.00 in total. Failing to contact the sales office at such odd hour, nonetheless both of us positively take this as a lesson learnt from a miscommunication and did not really want this incident to spoils any bit our mood for this trip. With the common way of our meet-up having no mobile phone connections, we agreed to meet each other in the front 3 coaches on a specific train service towards Salisbury at a specific time. Again we are fated to bounce into each other effortlessly and here begins our exciting weekend.

Arriving at the Salisbury station on time at 9.42am, we managed to catch the 10.00am bus and coincidently, the driver clearly divided those with e-ticket and those without into different lines hence enable us to easily sell off our additional ticket to those who are without a reservation. Unexpectedly a lady from US instantly agrees to buy over the ticket without any question and she even trusted us with the calculation of change since she is not familiar in recognizing the currencies in UK.

The bus took about 30 minutes to arrive at our first stop - the Stonehenge. We have our brunch in one of the restaurant having the delicious pasty in the hope that this simple meal could help us withstand somehow the cold weather out there. We have always the opinion that winter is not a good time to travel hence did not expect the site to be crowded but this proof us wrong. We decided to leave the monument as soon due to the cold winds that numb our senses but the delayed bus service continues to afflict us by more than 15 minutes having us standing in the cold wilderness.

Our next stopover is the Old Sarum - the mighty Iron Age hill fort where the first cathedral of Salisbury once stood and the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark. We can only see the slight remains of both the castle and the second cathedral in the plain. Subsequent to the visit, we were so fortunate to jump onto the bus that is passing by exactly on time when we arrived at the station. Passing through the city centre, the local market caught our attention and we get to buy some berries and tried a real damn spicy pork scratchings before moving on to visit the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral.

Another hour’s journey to Bath Spa, all we have in mind was nothing but our dinner! Since this is exactly the time of Chinese New Year, we intentionally search for a Chinese restaurant in Bath to be able to feel the season in this foreign land. Unfortunately the shark-fin soup (imitation) was not available on that day. (Meal of the day: Chinese Tea £3.60, 白饭 £2.95, 烧鸭 £9.95, 酸辣汤 £2.95, 叉烧 £8.95, 蚝油时菜 £7.95)

This was the very first time for me to stay in a shared dorm of six with a shared bathroom, and the experience was incredibly horrible and this gonna be my first and my last try. The hostel has had the water saving control where the water in the shower will only last for a few seconds where you will need to repress on the button before the water turned-off automatically. The temperature was not adjustable and I am almost scalded under the hot water. Knowing that it was a shared bathroom, some guys just didn’t know the function of the door and couldn't be more considerate to shut the door when they are on their business. We weren't able to rest until late night due to the noises from the street and early the next morning, we were both awakened by loud sounds as our roommates are preparing themselves for the day. Well acknowledging that we were both spoilt by the current luxury lifestyles we had, we no longer been able to tolerate the harsh condition of the stay. Guess age is also a main factor for backpacking and this is certainly no longer something for us at this stage of life. But I am still glad that at least l has tried and gets to experienced something new in my life before growing too old for all these.

Since we were both awakened before the pre-set time, we as well wash up and get ready for the day. We first attended the church service at 9.30am witnessing the spectacular internal architecture of the cathedral, where we were warmly welcomed by the church attendances. Dismissing ourselves earlier from then congregation at 10.00am, we continue to walk around the square and having our coffee while waiting for the walking tour to start at 10.30am. We have had a great guide (on his birthday) who leaded us to every important spots in the city accompanied by his detailed illustration of the past. It started to rain heavily half way during the tour but all of us continued with the journey and a kind lady even offered her umbrella to the guide. Luckily the simple complimentary breakfast in the hostel was sufficient to hold us until the end of the walking tour despite that the tour ran overtime.

The entrance to the Roman Bath was just in front of the Bath Abbey where we were actually sitting on a bench at that plaza for some relaxing talks the night before without realising it! The entrance fee of £14.00 allows us to visit the Terrace, Temple Pediment, Heated Room & Plunge Pools, the Great Bath and etc. Savouring the spa water which contains 43 minerals at one of the fountain was a great experience as the taste of it was so special but certainly not pleasant.

 

Exploring the city on our own is nothing but to stroll around the streets stopping at few of the shops. As there isn't much left for us to explore in this tiny town of Bath hence we were glad we booked the 5.40pm train and proceeded back to our respective area.

This mark another meaningful and wonderful weekend for me to spent with a great friend :)