Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I see Stonehenge. Also a manky handbag




Cork Astronomy Club on tour.  That’s our bus at the bottom.  You may think we went to Florence but no that’s not the Ponte Vecchio it’s the Pulteney Bridge in Bath, England.   We saw the Roman baths and Stonehenge amongst other places and I have things to say about both; but I need to get my thoughts and my photos in order first. Oh, and I almost forgot.  The William and Caroline Herschel Astronomy Museum, which was our reason for going to Bath in the first place.

Most surprising fact about the Roman bath: it has a continuous history long before the Romans, and ever since. I had always imagined that it was rediscovered in the 18th century just in time for Jane Austen to visit the Pump Room. And Stonehenge – wow! Neolithic farming must have been hugely productive if they could spare the labour to build something so huge and essentially pointless.

Mankiest exhibit in Bath: included in this display of 19th century handbags at the costume museum, centre, is one decorated with shiny green beetle wings from India. Ugh!



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