Bristol, Bath, and Stonehenge

I am now relaxing after a tiring but fantastic holiday weekend. Friday afternoon, the Howell clan packed up the car and headed west. England's southwest section is really well known and for good reason. We focused our time on the cities of Bath and Bristol. Both cities are Amazing.

Originally, our plan was to spend all of our time in Bath. However, we could not find a place to stay so we had to branch out. (That's what happens when you don't look until the Thursday before a holiday weekend.) Joe Sr. found a two-bedroom apartment in Bristol so we happily booked it. To be honest, I wasn't overly optimistic. I thought it might be a little run down or on the outskirts of town. But it was amazing. It was right in the middle of the downtown area, which has a harbor and tons of restaurants and bars. The apartment itself was brand new and very spacious. Two bedrooms, two and a half baths, living room, kitchen, and a balcony. Granted, the elevator was out of order this morning when we needed to check out, but since I wasn't the one carrying the luggage, I didn't think of it as a big deal.

We spent Saturday afternoon in Bath, which is definitely not enough to do it justice. Bristol was bombed heavily in WWII and has since taken on a modern feel. However Bath feels old and beautiful. If you've ever seen the old Pride and Prejudice miniseries, Bath is where it was filmed. We toured the Roman bath ruins, which give the city its name. Apparently, when the Romans ruled England, they had a large bath and temple complex there. Joe Sr. kept wondering where it all went since the remaining ruins are quite small. I guess the ancient Britons were adept at recycling and they used stones to make other buildings.

This morning, we all piled back in the car and headed for Stonehenge. We knew it wasn't something we would make a special trip for, but since we were out there, we took the tour. It was neat to learn about what they think the stones were used for, but I would agree with my friends. Not exactly something I would drive 3 hours just to see.

Benjamin did very well all weekend. He is such a little trooper. I'm always a little anxious whenever we take trips because I hate to remove him from his routine. But he continuously surprises me and makes me so proud. I have a great boy.