My plane landed and I followed the crowd like salmon swimming up river. Soon, I was in line to have my passport checked. The attendant asked me about my visit, if I was there alone, if I was bringing anything into the country that was dangerous, and how long I was staying. I was alert enough to find that she repeated the questions in a new way. I was also awake enough to not stumble. My passport was stamped and I continued to follow the crowd. I then found myself apart of a more sparse group that were headed to the trains and buses. I arrived at 6:30 am and headed to the ticket counter. "Hello," I greeted. "Could I get a ticket to Bath Spa?" The woman's response was hard to understand. Her accent was thick and it sounded like she was saying "Bespa." Seeing my difficulty, she repeated slowly so I could hear it. Yep, that was my destination. My confusion returned when she gave me the price. "Twenty-one pounds and eighty pence?" I pulled out some money that the family had given me. I felt foolish that I had done so much research except the basic skill of how to exchange money. I was thankful as she helped me sort it out and explained what I needed to know. I received my ticket and was ready to board...as soon as 8:15 am came around. Since I had so much time to kill, I sat in the terminal and watched people. I listened to the difference in speech, stories (if I could understand the language), and I made friends with the countless pigeons that roamed the floor (one was nestled right next to me on the seat. His name was Greg). 8:15 arrived and I boarded the bus. There weren't many people on. Three elderly people who were asleep and a crowd of three from Spain. Boarding the bus with me was a group of five from France and two teens that hadn't stopped snogging since I had arrived at the bus terminal (I don't think they ever stopped the entire trip). The bus pulled out of the station and the watched the city life turn into country side. As I watched the rolling green hills speed by, I felt the effects of jet lag sinking into my body. My eye lids started to droop and I noticed my breathing becoming slow and steady. I needed to stay awake! I looked down at the ticket in my hand, taking in the information printed. While I had originally planned to just be in London for two weeks, advice from friends and family told me to choose a smaller area. I figured it would help me start an understanding of the culture without the full blast of city life. With that settled, I had chosen Bath Spa, home of the Roman Baths, as a starting point. From the information I was able to gather, it seemed like a nice small town and had good reviews. I felt my mind wandering into sleep again and brought out my Ipod and popped the earbuds in. While I listened to upbeat music, I watched the other drivers on the, what I felt, was a narrow road. I paid attention to the roundabouts and how uniform the driving seemed to be. We reached Sainsbury by 8:54, Chippenham at 10:00, and the bus finally pulled into Bath station a half hour later. I got up and collected my bags again, exiting the bus with two of the elderly and the couple that stopped making out long enough to leave. I had printed out a map of where my hotel was and was surprised that it was just diagonal to the station. The Royal hotel was on a street corner right across from the train station. I entered to a lobby area of two chairs in an alcove and a fireplace. Around the corner was the reception desk, a small cut out in the wall. The receptionist told me that I wasn't able to check in until 1 pm as they were still getting the room ready. I was welcomed to leave my luggage there under lock and key. I took a sling bag from my back pack, will be henceforth known as my writer's bag, and headed out to explore the town! I spent the next hour exploring the city of Bath. I walked through alleyways and vertical streets, taking pictures of my surroundings. I discovered that my hotel was at the very bottom of the uphill city. Being the unfit man I was, I had trouble getting from one block to the other, wheezing at every uphill battle. Definitely should have worked out more before coming here, I thought after the fifth block. I came across a blue door during my struggle. It was different than the doors I had seen before. I took a picture of it. It led me to a stained-glass window of a church, T.K. Maxx, and eventually to Hogsmeade Park. I followed the path to a small pavilion and took a picture of the distant hills over the buildings. I checked my watch to find it was noon and I would be able to check into my room soon. I started downhill and ended up in an unfamiliar area. I should try and retrace my steps, I figured. I didn't have a map and I felt that I had asked directions one too many times. It was time to pull up my big boy pants and trust my instincts. I headed back towards the park. When I continued uphill without finding it, I knew I was in trouble. I remembered something like this had happened before. Back home, I had gotten lost with my friend in our hometown state park (I was asked to lead). The embarrassing part of that was the fact that the trails had been well marked! I continued in what I hoped was the right direction. The city started to fade and I ended up on a country path. It was wide and headed in the direction of my hotel (I hoped). By 1 pm I was hopelessly lost. I had traveled the road more than I knew I should have and the sun was beating down on me. My clothes were drenched in sweat, I had finished my rations of protein bars (they were supposed to last the entire trip!), I needed water, and I needed to know where I was! This feels like castaway, I thought as my shoes continued to scrape the dirt road, except that I'm an idiot and not on an island. I scanned ahead for anything I could find to mark my location. I remembered an old castle-like building on a hill as the bus had neared Bath. I couldn't find that anywhere. I couldn't find that, but I saw something else. A bicycle riding towards me! I was saved! The rider approached and noticed my sorry state. She stopped and asked if I was okay. "I'm a little lost," I chuckled. "I'm trying to get to Bath Spa." Her widened eyes told me that I was really lost. "Well, you're almost to Kelston," she informed me. "And if you continue past that, you'll reach Bristol." She pointed back down the road. "Go back the way you came and you'll find a smaller road that will lead you back down to Bath Spa." I thanked her and turned around, her bike going ahead of me. I walked all the way back and found a smaller road that I had missed before. It led me downhill and to a street that was familiar to me. I was back in Bath! I reached my hotel at 2 pm and went to the reception desk. A new girl was there, Zoe, and she checked me in, flabbergasted that I had almost walked to Kelston (4 miles/1 hr at least walking from Bath). I received my baggage and trudged up the stairs to my room. I felt lucky that it was the first room at the first floor and I didn't have to continue climbing. I entered my room. It was thin, with tall ceilings. I don't think I took everything in. I showered, changed my clothes, and fell into the bed. I spotted a bottle of water on the bedside table. Still dehydrated, I grabbed it and drank it in no time at all. Even warm, the water refreshed me. I laid back down in bed and fell into a blissful sleep, my mind and body weary. I woke to the sound of seagulls. I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes. Where am I? I looked around at the unfamiliar setting. This wasn't my room. Oh, that was right! I was in England! Information was making its way back to me. I got off the bed and walked over to a desk at the other end of the small room. The clock on its surface read 6:30 pm. I sat in the chair and looked over the brochures they had. Pubs, food, seasonal events, the list continued. My mind was not alert enough to soak everything in. I thought back to my time of being lost. All during my journey, I had come across pinkish-purple signs advertising a comedy walk. I had even taken a picture of it. I went to my camera and flipped through my trip, coming across the subject. "Huntsman Inn," I read. "8 pm..." I glanced at the clock. It was a little past 7 now. I collected my coat and an umbrella and headed downstairs. "Excuse me," I asked Zoe at the front desk. "Can you tell me how to get to the Huntsman Inn?" She pulled out a map and circled both the hotel and my destination, drawing a line for the best route there. I thanked her, took the map, and headed out into the evening air. It was still a bit humid, but a cool breeze was starting to blow. I arrived at the Huntsman Inn a few minutes later (amazing how much time you save when you have a map, right?) A small group was gathering and a man in a purple suit came out of the building. "Welcome!" he was energetic. "Who is here for the Bizarre Bath Tour?" I raised my hand with everyone else. "Wonderful! Did anyone pre-book tickets before coming here?" He paused. "We'll I hope not because then you've been scammed and you'll still have to pay me. It's ten pounds each, seven for students." Knowing the monetary system now, I pulled out £10 from my writers bag and handed it to him. "Now that that is done, please raise your hand if this is your first time." Everyone hesitated. "On the tour," he laughed. "We'll now I know what kind of crowd I'm working with tonight." I laughed with the others as I raised my hand with a few others. He asked each where they were from. There was a couple from Spain, another from China, two from Bristol, another from Alabama, and of course me. "Philip, from Illinois," I said. "Okay, if I need you for something, I'll call out Illinoisssssss," he pronounced the S (the S is silent for those who do not know. Pronounced L-lee-noy). He took us to an alley way with a sign above a door. "Some people think we are all comedy, but this is also a historical tour as well. Does anyone know what this building is?" We shook our heads and he looked up and started reading from the sign. We continued on the tour, making stops along the way. He had small activities set up and jokes abound. At one point, a couple walked in front of the tour while he was talking to us on a soap box. He paused and we all watched them pass by. "Sorry about that," he came back to us. "I was just surprised since that was my fiance there...don't know who that woman was with him." He cracked a grin with the light tone at the end of his improv. During middle of the tour, it started to rain. I was glad I had come prepared. A man asked if I would share the umbrella with his girlfriend. "You can have it if you two need," I offered. "No, that's fine, mate, I'll be fine," he said. Talking with them while we walked, I found that they were the couple from Bristol and while they were aware of the rainy weather, they still had not packed an umbrella. By tours end, I didn't feel so lost in the world. The group parted and I headed back to my hotel. I reached my room by midnight and changed into pajama pants and a white t-shirt before sliding into bed. I turned off the lamp and stared at the ceiling. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I thought of the excitement that I had that day. It had been scary getting lost, but being with everyone at the Bath tour made everything seem better again. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep with the sound of the seagulls shrill calls. To be continued... Music for the Journey Pt. 2:
-To the Buses: Leon Outo no Machinami by Yokoyama Masaru, Tsutsumi Hiroaki (Yūsha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shūshoku o Ketsui Shimashita Vol. 1 Special CD) - Bus Ride to Bath: Morning Coffee by Kawada Ruka (Kiniro Mosaic Sound Book) Imegir by SILVA (Claridão) Ocean by The John Butler Trio (Searching for Heritage) Finch on Saturday by Horse Feathers (Words are Dead) - Exploring Bath Spa/Lost: Tachikoma No Iede by Kanno Yoko (Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex: Be Human) Bushitsu Nite by Yashurio Misawa (Kotoura-san Blu-ray Special CD 1) School Road by RADWIMPS (Kimi no Na wa OST) - Bizarre Bath Tour: Yahalloo! by Ishihama Kakeru (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru Original Sountrack) - A Look Back Before Bed: Memory by Maeda Jun (Angel Beats! Original Soundtrack) - End Pt. 2: Behind the Sea (Alternate Version) by Panic! At the Disco (Pretty.Odd - Deluxe Version)
1 Comment
Dee
5/7/2017 10:52:59 am
I enjoyed the first rendition, but this was much better !! Looking forward to more
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Philip M. WardenI like to write and I like to travel. Why not put both together? Archives
June 2016
Categories |
Warden's World
Warden's World Travels
Proudly powered by Weebly
COPYRIGHT © 2016 WARDENSWORLD.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.