Denham Car Boot Sale

I recovered from my trip to Bath fairly well, though I have come to the firm conclusion that Bath needs many more trips. Other adventures await, however, so Bath may have to wait a month or two for my return.

My next Big Adventure was on the day after my Bath Adventure. The Denham Car Boot Sale.

What in tarnation is a car boot sale?

OK, class. Remember, boot is the Brit word for trunk. As in, the trunk of your car.

Imagine, if you will, a vast field. For miles in every direction stretch row upon row of vehicles (ok, maybe not miles, but for a long way). Each car, truck, or van has spilled out its treasures upon the ground (or table) for the perusal of discerning shoppers. It's like the world's biggest yard sale.

I did pick up a couple bargains. A handbag for £1.50 (brand new, no less) and a couple of DVDs (one was Hello, Dolly!) for £2.50 each. Dead cheap. Mish bought so much stuff she had both Paul and me loaded down with bags.

We spent 3 hours at the sale and I think we got through about half of it. By that time we were dead tired and the merchants were rolling up shop. Or, I supposed in this case, rolling out shop.

In order to recover from our shopping spree, we popped in to one of Denham Village's two pubs. Denham Village takes the cake for charm and peacefulness. It is the former home of Sir John Mills (as in Haley Mills's dad), among other famous people. It's streets are tree lined, houses quaint, vines running over buildings and stone walls with wild abandon. It's posh, but it doesn't feel posh. It feels homey and lived in.

The pub, in keeping with the poshness, does not serve the usual pub grub one finds in lower class places. Oh, no. No greasy burgers or fish and chips in this place. Everything is organic and of the best quality. Instead of bangers and mash it's "leek and pork sausages with onion and wine gravy on a bed of mashed potatoes". Well, however fancy it is, I can say it's very delicious. Paul, Michelle, and I enjoy a leisurely lunch in the sunshine in the back garden. I must say, there's nothing quite like an afternoon of sun, good food, good friends, and conversation.

Sunday was Easter. Naturally, one must have a nice Easter dinner. So, yours truly made roasted potatoes and parsnips, a turkey joint with stuffy and bacon, and veg (Mish made several trips into the kitchen, drawn by the scent of baking turkey.). Paul was put in charge of dessert, so we had marscapone ice cream. YUM.

Monday was a chance to recover from the rest of the weekend. By Tuesday when I returned to work, I felt as if I'd had quite the vacation. Three cheers for England and loads of bank holiday weekends!

Coming up... another bank holiday weekend! Unfortunately, since I just went to Bath, I can't stretch the budget to another out of town trip so soon! However, stay tuned for tea with the queen (Ok, not the queen, just Neashon and Ray! But they are far better than the queen any day! Just don't tell Her Majesty.), a possible perusing of an art gallery, and maybe even a trip into Central London.

Also, toward the end of May, keep your eyes peeled for my trip to York! And that, my friends, ain't NEW York... it's OLD York! Romans, Vikings, and spooky dungeons included! Hold on to your hats, boys and girls, it's gonna be a wild ride!

Chasing Jane, Chapter 11: Goodbye to Bath

After my delicious lunch at Sally Lunn's I decide I must do a bit of shopping before I leave Bath for home. Many of the little shops have called to me during the day, but I've given in to none (Save for the Jane Austen Centre. Who can blame me?), intent upon my quest.

My first stop is around the corner back at the Roman Baths. They have a lovely assortment of bath products (fancy that): fig and grape bubble bath, rose scented bath truffles, bars of coloured soap in various scents, lavender bath oil. Ah, my favourite things! I choose a bottle of fig and grape bubble bath (imported from Italy, of course) for myself and a bath truffle to take home to Mish who was gravely disappointed she could not join me on the adventure.

After making my purchases I head to the Pump Room to sample the waters. If it was good enough for the cream of Georgian high society, I guess I can give it a go. The waters pour out of a fancy fountain and are served in glasses by a smart looking waiter in a gold vest. The waters are every bit as nasty as one might think, though as one lady pointed out, it wouldn't be so bad cold. She's right, but the combination of high mineral content and warm water makes my stomach most displeased, so I take only the smallest of sips and let the poor bedeviled waiter return it to whence it came.

Next on my agenda is chocolate (isn't it always, with me), so I set out to find a chocolatiere. Fortunately for me, a very nice little chocolate shop called Minerva's House of Chocolate resides directly across the street from the Roman Baths. The only difficult thing is selecting the chocolates! I choose a milk chocolate strawberry cream, a milk chocolate violet cream, a dark chocolate marzipan and orange, and a milk chocolate praline shaped like the head of the aforementioned Minerva. Weird.

I tuck my precious purchases in my bag. They shall be a treat for the train ride home.

Stepping back out into the street my eyes spy another of my favourite kind of shops. A place filled with things I collect. No, not a teashop, but a Christmas shop! Filled with every kind of Christmas tree ornament in every colour of the rainbow, I can't resist purchasing a Christmas fairy to perch on my tree come Christmas and remind me of my grand adventure (the first, I daresay, of many).

I pop in and out of a few more shops, browsing my way through town before deciding it's time to return to the train station and home. I make my way slowly toward the station, steps flagging from exhaustion. I can't imagine why. I've only been walking about seven hours.

On the train I drop gratefully in my seat, glad to be out of the sun and heat, away from the crowds and chaos. Thrilled to finally be able to sit in a comfortable seat and rest a bit.

As the train pulls out of Bath, my eyes roam the hills covered in buildings of creamy stone, and I suddenly feel sad and a little... homesick. I love Bath. Despite the crowds and the heat of the day and the exhaustion of cramming an entire city into one day of sightseeing, Bath is one of the most beautiful and amazing cities I have ever seen. No wonder Jane Austen loved it.

Despite the poverty the Austen family sank toward the end of their stay in Bath, and the melancholy Jane herself felt, she must have experienced just a bit of a pang at leaving this gorgeous city she had once loved so much. You can't experience Bath and not take a bit of it away with you, and leave a bit of you with it. Oh, I'll be back. Never fear that. I will be back.

Settling in my seat, I pull out a chocolate. As the violet cream filling melts sweet and tangy over my tongue, I open to the first page of Persuasion....

The End

Chasing Jane, Chapter Ten: Bathing With Romans

I join the queue snaking outside the Roman Baths. Thankfully, it's in the shade of the building. Despite the length of the queue, the wait isn't really that long. Perhaps about 20 minutes.

The baths are, in a word, amazing. While most of what you see is a recreation of the baths based on archaeological finds and other baths throughout the Roman Empire, the baths themselves, even the very water, is original. The pavement around the pool is original, as well, and there are bits and pieces of mosaic still clinging to the walls. You can almost hear the slap, slap of the Roman soldier's sandals against the flagstones, the rattle of dice and the murmur of voices.

The baths, in Roman times, were not simply for taking a dunk, scrubbing up a bit, and hopping out, they were for socializing, as well. Patrons would have lounged around the pool on cushions playing games of chance and chatting about... well, whatever stuff the Romans chatted about. More than likely the same things we chat about today: the weather, how our favourite gladiator did in the ring yesterday, the stupidity of politicians, and the latest gossip on Marcus Leviticus and his new main squeeze. Norman, ordinary, every day stuff.

The Baths of Aquae Sulis, however, were a little different to most baths. There was a temple here, once upon a time, and the Romans came to pray for recovery from wounds or sickness and to soak in waters they believed had the power to heal.

The baths also have a catacomb of hallways and caverns turned into a museum, showing off actual artifacts and original pools once used in various healing practices. The museum is packed elbow to armpit with every over excited school child on bank holiday and tourist determined to get the most out of each and every pence.

I start to feel just a bit panicky. The old claustrophobia is kicking in. It's better than it was. It had better be. Living in London doesn't allow for such ridiculous phobias. But I still feel the old panic rising. So I seek out a quiet, dark cavern. Cool in the heat of the afternoon and away from the warmth of the hot springs pouring into the baths. It's peaceful here. Quiet and calm. Strangely enough, during Roman times this would have been the busiest of all the rooms in the baths. It was the furnace room and it would have been boiling hot and constantly churning with slaves stoking the fires.

After a mere 30 minutes in the baths, I've had enough and rush out into the fresh air. I decide, quite firmly, that I shall return to Bath and view the Roman Baths first, when the day is cool and the crazy tourist still abed. We shall leave the pointed fact that I am a tourist out of the equation. That is completely beside the point.

By this time I am ravenous, and as anyone who knows me will attest, I get slightly... grumpy when hungry.

With food uppermost on my mind, I head back to the wonder that is Sally Lunn's. Those buns have been calling me! I sit at that very table

nearest to you in the photo and order a sandwich on a Sally Lunn bun.

When it comes, it's heaven on a plate! The bun is soft and light and sort of, creamy. Lightly toasted with a small bit of mayo and topped with hot grilled chicken and melted cheese with a green salad on the side. Served with fizzy lemonade. Naturally.

I shamelessly eavesdrop on the women sitting at the table next to me while I devour my lunch. One is English and one is from Germany and they are gossiping about people I don't know, but it's fun to listen to their accents and their attitudes, so different from American ways of thinking.

Finished with my repast, I leave my coins on the table and head back outside to continue my adventure. I realize with some regret that I am becoming quite tired and feel the need to return home soon. But I've a few more places to check out before I go....

Chasing Jane, Chapter Nine: The Upper Rooms and Beyond

I arrive, a little on the sticky side, at the Assembly Rooms. Sticky, because the sun is high in the sky and the day is not longer warm, but downright hot.

The Assembly Rooms are what were once called the Upper Rooms. No doubt because they are up near the top of the hillside that comprises Bath.

The building is original, though with extensive renovation and repair as it suffered damage during WWII. There are three main rooms inside that were used during the Georgian period; one each for playing cards, taking tea, and dancing. These rooms are still used today for the occasional wedding, concert or art show. New rooms have been added over the years. There is now a tea room/cafe, two gift shops, and the Museum of Costume.

As I step inside, I immediately feel cooler and more relaxed. The ceiling arches high above me and a handsome young gentleman asks me if I would like to visit the museum, or just view the Assembly Rooms. "Just the Assembly Rooms, please," I tell him. He waves the way.

To the left of the hall lies the ballroom with it's soaring ceilings covered in magnificent cove work, it's gorgeous crystal chandeliers, and it's cool blue walls. It's a large room, but I can't begin to imagine how they packed in over 1000 people! It must have been elbow to armpit!

Unfortunately, picture taking is not allowed inside the rooms, nor do they sell picture post cards of the room in the gifts shops. It's a grave disappointment.

I step next into the tearoom. It is a round room with a sort of domed ceiling. It's quite small, and while I recall reading about them sitting down to tea, I can't imagine where they did it! It's such a small room, I'm sure it could hold no more than 20 seated!

They have saved the very best for last. The card room is about 1/3 the size of the ballroom. The walls are gold in color and the floor is highly polished wood. A breathtaking crystal chandelier, sparkling in the sunlight, hangs from the high ceiling, and there is a balcony ornately decorated where the musicians would have sat to play soft tunes for the players. A more genteel version of today's high powered stereos. I close my eyes for a moment and imagine this room set up with small tables and chairs, and lords and ladies in their fancy evening dress playing at whist or strolling about looking important.

I exit the Assembly Rooms and head back down the hill. The narrator takes me by a couple of other small stops showing me some houses of import and the main shopping drag. But my energy is flagging and I'm hot and sticky and rather glad that finally the tour has come to an end. Though I also feel a bit sad, as well. As though I am saying goodbye to an old friend.

As I pass the entrance to the Roman Baths, I realize that the line is rather extensive. I decide that rather than going to lunch, I will view the baths first. Probably not the best decision I've ever made....

Chasing Jane, Chapter Eight: Up The Gravel Walk

The gravel crunches under my feet and the sun is warm against my back as I stroll slowly, almost meditatively, up the path called the Gravel Walk. Once upon a time, many couples strolled this walk to indulge in conversation of a suitably romantic nature.


The reading from Persuasion continues, a passage in which Ann and Captain Wentworth are, in their round about sort of way, discussing the past and the present and how much they still wish to be together. It's terribly romantic, but I have a feeling that if I were Ann, I'd have given into temptation and snapped at the poor Captain to get on with it! My goodness, all this beating about the bush. But I must admit to getting a bit teary eyed and sappy and rather wishing I'd a gallant captain on my arm. Or rather, I suppose, I'd be on HIS arm, not the other way around. Whatever. In any case, I am enjoying the ridiculous amount of sentiment that is feeding the romantic in my nature.


About midway up the path is the entrance to a Georgian style garden. When the house was purchased a few years back, there was a Victorian garden in place. I admit that while I prefer Georgian architecture, I quite like Victorian gardens. Victorian gardens take a great deal of effort to maintain the appearance of having taken no effort at all. Masses of flowers willy nilly with no apparent plan in place. Georgian gardens are very regimental, simply, and elegant. Rather like Georgian houses. And while I find it most pleasing in architecture, it's rather boring in a garden. I, personally, would have left the garden Victorian, but someone had the brilliant idea to return it to how it would have been at the height of Georgian fashion. It was a good idea as it gives me a glimpse into that area garden-wise. Though I still prefer a little more color and craziness.

I leave the garden and continue up the Gravel Walk until it finally ends at The Crescent. I'm fairly certain it has a name other than The Crescent, but I'm too busy admiring it and trying to decide which one I shall park my Aston Martin in front of to pay attention to such unimportant drivel.

The Crescent was the home to the poshest of the posh in Jane Austen's time. Only the very best of society (and the very richest) could afford to live on The Crescent. The park you see in front of it was once all open farmland. You can still see the wall that was built up to keep the sheep and cows away from the fine ladies and gentlemen who promenaded there every evening. The wall was designed in such a way that it can not be seen from the Crescent itself, but gives the illusion that your front door opens right into the great outdoors, rather than on a cobbled street, well safe of cows, sheep, and the occasional sun baked tourist.


Today, The Crescent is still the poshest of posh places to live in Bath, though not all the town houses are privately owned anymore. The middle few are given over now to one of Bath's most exclusive hotels, charging upwards of £300 per night! The very end house... No. 1 Crescent... is now a museum decorated as it would have been during Jane Austen's time. It is closed, however, so I move on to the next stop on my tour. The Upper Rooms await....

Chasing Jane, Chapter Seven: Putting Bath On The Map

After Laura Place, I wind my way through town back toward where I started. Along the way I am introduced to various buildings of importance during Georgian England.

One such place is the Royal Mineral Water Hospital. During Jane Austen's time, it was more or less a boarding house of sorts, though they called it a hospital. Those sick too poor to pay for lodgings in Bath could stay at the Hospital for as long as needed to drink the waters in hopes of being healed.

English patients paid £1 and Scottish patients £2. This wasn't to cover the cost of their stay, as the Hospital was supported by other means, the money was to pay for their return trip home. One way or the other.

The Royal Mineral Water Hospital is still a hospital today. Only the healing work that goes on inside is much more successful. Today's Hospital is renowned for it's work with rheumatic diseases.

Just beyond the hospital, basking in the sun, is the house of Beau Nash, Master of Ceremonies for Bath during Jane Austen's time. He was the man most responsible for putting Bath on the map. His home is a glorious example of Georgian architecture in creamy Bath stone.

Immediately to the left of Beau Nash's home is the Theatre Royal. The cream of Bath society would often attend the theatre in the evenings to watch whatever play was being performed. Plays are still performed at the Theatre Royal. Many of them premier in Bath before being moved to London's West End.

The narrator informs me we are about to talk a stroll up the Gravel Walk, written about by Jane in the novel Persuasion. He leads me back up the hill. The day is getting quite warm, so I pause to shrug off my jacket and stuff it in my bag. A quick look around and I realize my hope of Bath remaining a peaceful, sleepy town have been sadly dashed. The streets aren't just teeming with tourists, they're crammed, squished, squeezed and packed. Ook.

Feeling somewhat better with my jacket off and a cool breeze teasing at my hair, I continue up the hill, past Queen's Square with its Egyptian Obelisk. Just past the Jane Austen Centre, I turn left and cross the street. Strangely enough, it is also jammed with tourist, these in cars and not particularly careful about who they run over.

A short way down the street is a set of wide stairs to my right. The narrator assures me they lead to the Gravel Walk. As he begins to read a section from Persuasion, I slowly walk up the steps and place my right foot onto the gravel path....

Chasing Jane, Chapter Six: Over the River Avon

Not far from Sally Lunn's lies the site of the Lower Rooms. Anyone who's read anything about Georgian England knows about the Lower Rooms. The Lower Rooms were one of THE places to see and be seen. There was dancing and tea and card playing. A "slow" night was 1000 people in attendance.

The Lower Rooms were, I assume, called that because they were in the lower part of the town near the river. The building no longer stands, a pub having taken its place after the original building was destroyed. I feel some disappointment about this. I'm sure it must have been magnificent!

There is a railing along one side of the road. The narrator tells me to follow this railing until I come to the bridge crossing the river Avon. Before I get to the bridge, however, I take a look back and this is what I see... a gorgeous park in the Georgian style and beyond it, the city of Bath glowing in the sun. Breathtaking.

I continue along the river, noting the barges drifting lazily. When I come back, I'm definitely going to have to take a barge tour. That's all there is to it!

Finally I arrive at the bridge. Apparently, it is unique in that the town planners allowed shops to be built on the bridge itself. Trinket shops, chocolate bars, flower stalls, clothing stores, and cafes line either side of the bridge. It doesn't even feel like a bridge. More like a Georgian strip mall with buses running up the middle. I have to admit to a slight feeling of claustrophobia. According my narrator, it was worse in Jane Austen's day. Hard to imagine.

I survive the bridge and arrive at Laura Place. Laura Place was

the Georgian equivalent of the West Hills of Portland. The creme de la creme of high society lived there. It was the place Jane Austen herself most desired to live. I can certainly see why.

The street is wide and lined with trees, a fountain

gracing the centre. The stately Georgian townhouses creating a sense of elegance and civility. Oh, yes, indeed. I can see them clearly, those ladies with their bonnets and silk skirts swishing along the pavement (sidewalk). The gentlemen raising their hats and bowing over their silver knobbed canes in greeting. No wonder Jane Austen wished so much to live here.

But Jane Austen never lived in Laura place. Her family could not afford it, her father being a retired minister with the yearly income of £600.

Instead, they lived in Alexander Place, just around the corner. Still a nice place, but not quite as upper class as Laura Place. They lived there 3 1/2 years, spending money left and right until they realized their savings were beginning to dwindle. Then they moved to a flat closer in to the city centre and much less expensive.

It's sort of sad, really, the thought that Jane Austen so wished to live in this magnificent place and yet her writings never brought her the financial rewards during her lifetime to afford such a place for herself and her family. Instead she was eventually reduced to living in abject poverty in the very worst part of town along with her mother and sister.

What would she have thought if she'd known what her little stories would one day become? How much the world would love her tales of hope and romance. The world of Georgian England may have been a more gentile place than today's world, but for women without a man willing and able to see to their comfort, it was a dark and terrible place.

I feel unbelievably grateful that I live in an age where a woman's comfort is not dependant on the charity of her relations or even complete strangers, but where a woman can decide for herself what sort of life she wants and can create such a life for herself.

With a sigh I turn from Laura Place and cross back over the River Avon, following the route Jane and her sister, Cassandra, walked many times. Though Jane and Cassandra probably never walked these streets in trainers! I wince a bit as I stumble over a cobblestone. I don't know how they managed without them!

As I reenter the city centre, I am beginning to realize that my earlier vision of a quiet, peaceful afternoon was a little optimistic. Hordes of camera toting tourists are cramming the streets. I don't know where on earth all these people came from. They certainly didn't get off the train with me. Bracing myself, I wade into the insanity that is Bath on a Bank Holiday afternoon....

Chasing Jane, Chapter Five: Lunn's Buns

My next stop on the tour is the former home of Sally Lunn and the oldest building in Bath. The house itself was built in the 1400s, but Sally Lunn did not take up residence until 1609.

Sally Lunn was a young French refugee who brought her knowledge of French baking to Bath. She began making a rich, round bread using a secret recipe known only to herself.

Nearly 100 years after her death, the handwritten recipe was found in the back of a cupboard and the house where Sally Lunn lived, began making Sally Lunn buns. They were hugely popular in Georgian England. Many attempts were made to copy the bun (unsuccessfully), leading to the advent of the Bath bun.

Jane Austen wrote about Bath buns while visiting her Aunt in Bath. Apparently, her aunt was so stingy with meals, Jane often went hungry. She would sneak Bath buns after meals to fill her empty stomach!

Today, Sally Lunn's is still open for business, still churning out the buns that made it famous using the same recipe Sally Lunn used in 1609! The recipe itself is still a secret and passed from owner to owner along with the deed to the house.

I decided I must try these buns at some point in the day, but for now I've places to go, things to see....

Chasing Jane, Chapter Four: The Pump Room

So the tour begins: In the Footsteps of Jane Austen. The tour lasts, according to my MP3 player, approximately 1 1/2 hours. It will take me to all the places Jane Austen wrote about, enjoyed personally, or were simply important during her time. Well, then, here I go.

First stop is back where I started at Bath Abbey, so I retrace my steps, noting with only mild interest that there are a few more pedestrians in the streets. Never mind, I've loads of time and there's no line at the Roman Baths, so I can stop by later.

I begin in the courtyard of Bath Abbey, parking myself on a bench I close my eyes against the glare of the morning sun and listen to the narrator. He describes a bit of the history of Bath and how Beau Nash brought it into fashion and John Wood the Elder designed all the beautiful Georgian buildings. Thank you, Mr. Wood! I do so love Georgian architecture.

As the narrator winds down, I gather myself together, ready for him to lead me on the next bit of my journey. He leads me out of the courtyard, through the archway, and into Bath Street. From there I follow his directions to the Pump Room.

Surely you have read about the Pump Room? It's where all the fancy ladies and gentlemen went to sip a glass of water from the springs. Mostly because it was fashionable, but also for their health.

The original Pump Room no longer stands, but the picture on the left is of the replacement building that was erected in the same spot around Jane Austen's time. It's closed now, and something more suited to the 21st century has taken it's place.

The Thermae Bath Spa was erected on the site of the old Pump Room and open to the public in 2006. Now visitors to Bath can soak in waters pumped in from the hot springs. They can also enjoy many other delights unknown in Jane Austen's time; mud wraps, massages, facials, saunas and the like.

The air around the Spa is heavy with the scent of the water of Bath. Loaded with minerals, the aroma sticks in the nostrils, the damp permeating the lungs. Strangely it leaves me with a feeling of energy and peace, all at the same time.

I breathe in deeply, smile a bit dreamily, and imagine what the fancy lords and ladies of Georgian England would have thought of this modern use of their precious Pump Room. Shocking.

I almost giggle....

Chasing Jane, Chapter 3: Teaparty for One

Leaving the Tourist Centre, I decide that my first stop should be the Jane Austen Centre. Not only is it essentially the museum of Jane Austen for Bath, but it also has a tea room, and tea sounds just lovely.

Thus I begin my journey through town, following two different maps and trying to make heads or tails of a map that lists only about half the street names and streets which are only marked half the time anyway. Believe me. It gets confusing.

All is not lost, however, as I have an excellent sense of direction and after a few fits and starts I manage to find myself halfway up a hill just past Queen's Square. In front of me stands a modest townhouse of, naturally, Georgian style. On the steps a smiling young woman dressed as though she'd just stepped out of Pride and Prejudice offers me a brochure. I was fairly certain I'd landed in the right spot.

The Regency Tea Room is at the tip top floor of the Jane Austen Centre. It's a lovely room with sky blue walls, toile curtains, and windows looking over the quiet street. A small fireplace graces one wall and soft music from the Jane Austen films gives the room a sense of peacefulness and graciousness. I must say I was a bit disappointed at the china. It was plain white and entirely uninspired.

The atmosphere was lovely, however, and made up for the boring china. I decided on a cream tea, as it was a little early in the day for a full on afternoon tea. A cream tea is called so because the scones are always served with clotted cream. I was served a lovely pot of Assam tea along with milk and lumps (not cubes) of sugar. There were two scones, one plain and one fruit, with clotted cream and berry jam. The scones were gorgeous, flaky and buttery tasting. So delicious! And the clotted cream was heaven. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat another scone without clotted cream

After my tea, feeling refreshed and a little on the full side, I wander down to the museum for a tour. The tour started with a 20 minute talk by one of the guides. He took us through the time line of Jane Austen's life and writing. He talked a bit about her family, her financial circumstances, why she spent 5 years in Bath, and so on. It was very interesting and quite moving. A little sad, as well. For even though Jane Austen always gave her heroines a happily ever after, she herself never got such an ending.

After the talk we were allowed into the museum itself. Normally the museum holds historical items from the period when Jane was in Bath, as well as some personal items of her family. Her own personal items are in the Jane Austen Museum back in her hometown.

Currently, the museum is housing costumes from the Jane Austen movies. They are quite interesting to see, and there is a brief movie about the making of the costumes, but I find it dull and move on.

I then take a detour into the gift shop and purchase two lovely books. They were special collector's editions of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. These are the two Jane Austens novels that were set, at least partially, in Bath. It seems somehow fitting to purchase these novels in Bath, the place that inspired them.

The time has come to begin my tour... In The Footsteps Of Jane Austen. I step out the front door into the bright sunshine, take a deep breath of fresh air, and pull out my MP3 player. With a smile on my face, I press "play"....

Chasing Jane, Chapter Two: I Arrive In Bath

It's 6:20 am on a Friday morning. The first Friday since I started working that I don't have to go into work. It's Good Friday and I have the day off.

Any sane person would still be abed, enjoying the opportunity to sleep in. Many's the time I've been accuse of being less than perfectly sane. So it is with great alacrity that I hop out of bed as my alarm starts chirping at me. 6:20 am. It's time to begin my Adventure in Bath!

I leave the house at about 7:15 and catch the bus to the train station in West Drayton. The online journey planner told me the bus would take 20 minutes to reach West Drayton. It takes 5.

Thrilled with the quickness with which I have reached the train station, I nevertheless find myself waiting until 8:06 to catch the train. No real time saved. No matter, I perch on the nearest bench and read a novel whilst waiting for the train. It's early yet and still chilly, but the sun is bright in the sky and the day promises to be gorgeous and warm.

The train journey takes nearly two hours, but it's a beautiful journey through the English countryside of rolling green hills dotted with cute little farmhouses. I have plenty of time to read and ruminate as the train is nearly empty and quite peaceful for most of the journey. It's only near journey's end that the train suddenly, and unfortunately, becomes heavily populated with what the British call "chavs". Better known to us Americans as "White Trailer Trash". Granted, I have no idea if they live in trailers, and not all were white, but you get the idea.

But all that is put aside as I get off the train at Bath with a few other fellow travels. Thankfully, the chavs are going on further down the line. Only such peaceful travellers as the middle-aged crossword lady get off the train at Bath with me.

I practically dance through town, following the signs to the visitor's centre, such is my excitement. The day is yet young and there is so much to see!

The Visitor's Centre lies within the shadow of Bath Abbey. I immediately purchase a map to minimize my chances of getting lost and head directly for the Jane Austen Centre. Through the Abbey Square I go, map clutched in hand, past the guy playing guitar and singing for the few tourists out and about. Bath is quiet this early in the day, and naively, I believe it will stay that way....

Chasing Jane, Chapter One: History of Bath

Bath has a history far older than that of Jane Austen's tales, and to understand why Bath became what is was in Jane Austen's time, we must first understand what it was back then. Bath is built on sides of an ancient, and now extinct, volcano. And in this extinct volcano are hot springs. Hot springs believe to have healing properties.

Nobody quite knows who it was that first jumped in and decided the water was fine, though legend has it that is was the father of King Lear. Supposedly it cured him of leprosy. Probably he just wanted a good bubble bath. In any case, the ancient people of Britton knew of these hot springs and used them in rituals to their sun god, Sul, and for healing of various ailments.

Then the Romans barged in and started mucking about. Now, the Romans were in to bathing in a serious way. The ruins of their bath houses can be found all over Europe. And they were quite chuffed to find a natural hot spring in an easily fortified location that ALSO had healing properties. Oh, yay! So, they built a temple to their goddess, Minerva (renaming her Minerva-Sulin so as to please the locals), started a town, and named the town Aquae Sulis - the Waters of Sul.

After the Romans left, the walls and temple fell into disrepair. Not to fear, my friends! In charged the Saxons in the 6th century and took over everything and pretty much life, and the baths, returned to normal. Or normalish, anyway. Bath was a flourishing, if small, community. And some kings were crowned there and everyone was happy for awhile. But mostly the town struggled along in obscurity making a living off the waters.

In the 17th century, Queen Ann came to drink the waters and the place (by now having been called Bath for a few centuries) took on a genteel shimmer and gained some standing among the upper classes, but it was still a small, sleepy town whose only claim to fame was the waters that, supposedly, healed the sick.

In the 18th century, everything changed. Beau Nash became the Master of Ceremonies for the town and decided to ramp up the town's image. He had John Wood, the famous architect, design nearly all the buildings in bath. Street lamps were put in. Assemblies were scheduled. Plays put on. And anyone who was anyone (and even some who weren't) flocked to Bath for the "season".

This was the time in which Jane Austen visited, and lived in, Bath. At the height of its gentility. She set two of her novels in bath; Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

During the Industrial Revolution, Bath lost some of it's importance, though it remained popular with tourists and those seeking cures from the waters. During this time, the old Roman Baths were rediscovered and excavations begun, but it was an archaeological site not open to the public.

Fast forward to the 21st century. The Roman Baths have finally been opened to the public. The old pump room restored to it's former glory. In 2006 the Thermae Bath Spa opened it's doors and Bath returned to, perhaps, it's original use... a place of relaxation and rejuvenation. Though, so far, no one has gone back to building any pagan temples. Bath is more popular than ever, especially with the resurgence of popularity for one of it's previous inhabitants... Miss Jane Austen.

You never know, there could be balls and games of whist just around the corner....

Don't faint... I think it's the sun!

It occurs to me that is has been some time since I last posted. Granted, not much has happened. Then again lots of things have happened. But mostly just ordinary everyday sorts of things.

Now, one thing I have done is have a Girl's Night Out with Michelle and some of her friends in Windsor. Yes, that Windsor. Right, the one with the castle. Yes, yes, the castle where the Queen lives sometimes. THAT Windsor.

It is the strangest thing to be riding along in the back of a taxi, totally enamoured of the cute little shops on one side of the street and then realizing that out of the darkness on the other side looms the walls of a bonafide British castle. And I do mean loom. Not just sort of stand or sit or mosey about, but truly loom. And it's not like there's a great vast lawn seperating you from said looming castle. Oh no. It's right there. As in, you could reach out and touch the stone walls. One side: cute little shops. Other side: Big scary impressive castle. Weird. Just weird. But weird in a good way. Like falling into a Dr. Suess book where everything is just a little strange, but really and truly wonderful.

Don't worry, much more interesting posts to follow. Up next: I follow the footsteps of Jane Austen in Bath and I get lost at my first ever Car Boot Sale! Stay tuned!