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Soph, Olivia, Ariane, their friend, who joined us in Bristol, and I, went to Bath on our last day in Bristol.
We did a walking tour and I marvelled at the buildings and the streets, and the grand Crescent and the Assembly rooms and felt I was in a Jane Austen novel.
We visited the Jane Austen centre, listened to her life story and bought such touristy things as can be expected, had a nice lunch, wandered some more, then wandered back to Bristol at the end of the day. I was back only briefly though, as I had to leave the others to meet my first Servas host and then go back again to Bath. It was sad to leave Soph and the others, I hadnt got to catch up nearly enough after such a long absence, but I'm so glad we got to meet up at all.
I met my host at a travel bookshop in Bristol, where I sat in on a travellers club meeting, where its members very somberely shared photos of their 'annual retreats'. My host, when I met her, was dressed all in pînk - from the pastel ribbon in her hair, down to her fuschia sandals. Driving back to her place in Bath, she sped round the wet bends in her Mini, lights straining through the mist, at very terrifying speeds, and I was sitting in the front of the tiny car thinking what a strange way to die it would be, with a pink stranger telling me all about her one woman stage show in which she re-enacted crucial scenes in the history of the Mini.
In Bath, I perfected the art of aimless wandering. The days were grey and effortlessly lazy, so I would sit, after a morning of walking the wet streets, in cosy cafes, book in hand, drink a cup or a gallon of tea and give myself over to idleness. I discovered cream teas as they should be, and the beauty of clotted cream, and began to work on expanding my dress size, which I'm sure was bored and needed a change.
I visited Stonehenge one day, which was a short bus ride away, where the wind drove rain across the plains, blinding me, and making Stonehenge seem all the more mystical through rain-spattered eyes. Outside the city, I welcomed the green, as one could wither from lack of light in the cities and towns, where grey meets grey in in a cold exchange.
One evening, my host, Carenza took me to a bikers club that she was a part of. I sat, silent as angry looking men and women exchanged solemn ideas as to the running of the club. 'Who will second Pete's motion?' Carenza, dressed as usual in pink waved her arm in the air like an excited schoolgirl, but they ignored her eager questions, which I thought a little rude. Apparently a lack of leather makes people invisible to their eyes.
The Roman Baths were interesting. I imagined that I was cleansed from breathing in the mineral air, although every guide and sign kept repeating how useless it really was for health benefits, which ruined the mood a little.
The Abbey was beautiful, and I sat in there for a long time one afternoon, reading the inscriptions on the floors and walls and trying to learn utter calmness. I walked across Pulteney Bridge, which is the only bridge in the world to have shops along it, and I escaped the rain in the nicest little theatre, where I watched 'An Education' and 'Bright Star', after which I bought a book of Keats' poems and sat reading them while drinking enough coffee to energise an office.
On my last night there, I went for drinks at an art gallery, and a 92 year old woman clutched at my arm all evening, introducing me to everyone three times over and drinking all the wine. She kept repeating 'Ships pass in the night.' 'It's a saying we have', she told me, 'meaning people pass through through our lives for the briefest moment'. I just nodded happily, and then she bought me a badge, which was sweet.
I'm glad I got to spend a bit of time there, as it deserves more than a brief glance, and it was a good place in which to get my bearings, and adjust more to English life and being on my own in a strange place. I'm also glad I discovered Servas (thanks Sophie!) because it's such a nice way to travel, and to have the occasional meal cooked for you and a comfy bed to sleep in makes all the difference in the world.
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