It has to be said, being a tourist is extremely hard work. We started with the Roman Baths - green water, steaming and bubbling mysteriously, fantastic ancient drains and plumbing, still working (would that a Roman had fitted the plumbing in the flat we rent out in Glasgow....), amazing recontructions that made you think a Roman might appear any moment, and then finding a girl, dressed Roman style, who told us she was slave working for her freedom. And then to the Pump Room. Bill 'took the waters' but I declined. Supping sulphur is not to my taste. But we did have soup and a bun in the midst of all the Georgian elegance, which seemed to grit its teeth at the hoi polloi all around with their elbows on the table and talking casually to people to whom they had not been formally introduced. But we knew fine well that had it been 200 years ago, when Jane Austen was there, we would never have been allowed near the place. Then on another bus tour - beautiful but very cold. The Abbey is huge, ancient and impressive, so we climbed the tower to see the bells. I can see why the Hunchback of Notre Dame went deaf living amongst these immense metal monsters. A rush off to the Jane Austen museum and then a trip to the little Theatre Royal - two seats in the second back row of the highest circle - to see 'Blithe Spirit' by Noel Coward. We walked home in the rain, exhausted but much better informed about Bath.
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