MELODY TIENYUN

Bath & Salisbury

Every town has local musicians playing in the courtyards. My favorite of the day- Joel Grainger.

In a land of myth and a time of magic, we get tales of Merlin moving big old stones for Uther Pendragon because he became impatient with the knights. Or, ones of keltic druids transporting them, but that was disproved with modern magic called carbon dating. My favorite fun fact I learned was that the current druid who still frequents these stones for meditation is actually named, Uther Pendragon. 

Tour Time

Crowds. No space. Tight schedules. No freedom. That pretty much sums up my perception of group tours, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go to new places at a discounted price for students. The tour group, proscenium, organizes day or weekend trips for study abroad students leaving me not having to worry about accommodation, buying tickets for anything, or travel. 

The Waters | 

The story behind how the waters were discovered is that a man banished with leprosy to the countryside discovered its healing power with his pigs. We were able to sample it upon exiting the buildings; most people thought it tasted too much like minerals. I think they’ll stick to their tap water. 

Bath Abbey |

While in the courtyard, I was approached by a Chinese couple asking me in Mandarin, “What is the name of the church?” 

Me: (looking for the inscription or sign) Well, it says “Bath Abbey,” so…it’s called Bath, Church. 

Our tour guide said never has to remember its history, it is literally written on the outside. The Bishop, Oliver King, can be remembered by the olive and crown symbols next to the angels. Its design was inspired by his dream of angels descending and descending into heaven- the ladders of angels. 

I love that everywhere I go or look in the UK, buildings will have some story or myth, even old tons of magical rocks.