Day 22:

Today was so awesome for all the girls in our group... One of the boys in our group said he was going to bring earplugs to protect his ears from all the excited squeals at the Jane Austen house, Bath, and Stourhead.

We left early this morning to see Jane Austen's house and the church where she lived. I wasn't especially excited about her house or the church. They weren't very impressive compared to a lot of the other things that we had seen, but knowing that I was standing in the room where she wrote some of my favorite books was a pretty neat experience! They also had one exhibit in her house where they had all of the original illustrations from Pride and Prejudice. It was really fun to see that! I bought Persuasion from the gift shop at her house to read on the way home.

Next we went to Stourhead. It is this beautiful estate with miles of gardens. There is a lake and some neat little buildings. Really I can't describe it and my photos don't do it justice. All I can say is it was so breathtaking. I wish everybody else could see it too, so they know what it was like it. Some of you could see it because the proposal scene in the rain in the Keira Knightly Pride and Prejudice was filmed there. While I was there I tried Apple Strudel ice cream. It was divine, definitely a new favorite.

Next we went to Bath. I had no idea how old the structures surrounding those hotsprings were! The Romans built the temples surrounding them only a few decades after Christ's death. They eventually were covered over and in the 1800's restoration began on them. It was a very large spring. After touring the hot spring we had the chance to drink some of the water! Don't worry they assured us it was very safe. It was hot and the orthodontist/dentist appointment aftertaste. Something I will probably only try once...

For dinner went to an Irish pub. It ended up being somewhat of a disappointment, they pretty much only had hamburgers and chicken wings on the menu! I should have found a gelato place for dinner...

More tomorrow!