At long last, I’ve arrived. After my last car ride on the right side of the road, a 5-and-a-half-hour flight, a 2-hour train ride, and a 30-minute walk, I traveled from my home in PA to Bath, UK. At orientation, the woman from the mobility office joked that if it’s quite a feat to book the correct train ticket – especially with transfers, so as I managed to get here without any fines, I am quite proud of myself. I’m not so proud of pulling out my map outside the Bath Spa train station only to get lost on the way to my flat. But I got to meet a few locals as I asked for directions. (Thank goodness I speak English!)

All the exchange students live off-campus, and since the Uni is a 45-minute walk uphill, 99% (approx.) of students use the bus. I have to say, the bus is quite an experience. First, like all other vehicles, it drives on the left side of the road, which is more disconcerting than you might expect. Also, the roads are much narrower. The road going up to the Uni would make a decent 2-lane road in the US if it weren’t for the cars parked on the side! Whenever the road curves, the bus has to wait for oncoming traffic to pass because there’s not enough space for it to turn!

One thing I have to say is despite all the complaints I hear from British locals, their busses and trains run more reliably and much more regularly than ours. If I miss the bus to the Uni, another will come in 10 minutes!

I think I’ve said more than enough on transit, so… Bath is awesome. Full stop. (The British say “full stop” instead of period.) The city is absolutely gorgeous (when it’s not being battered by the incessent rain). I’ve done a fair bit of wandering around, and so far I’ve stumbled upon the Royal Crescent, Queen’s Square and the obelisk, “high street” (downtown) and South Mall, Thermae Bath Spa, and some nooks and crannies of the city along the way. Here are a few pictures:

Queen’s Square Obelisk:
The Royal Crescent:

outside Queen Victoria Park:
I need to get down to see the ancient Roman baths and the abbey… there’s a museum at the baths, so that might just be for this coming weekend…

As for my classes, I started yesterday, and I’m quite excited for the semester. My professors and the Computer Science Department are very personable and accessible, and the courses should be stimulating. The University of Bath has quite a compact campus, much smaller than Penn State’s! Also, there’s a bar and nightclub on campus in their Students’ Union building! Here’s the library and about half of campus:
I’ll be sure to tell you more about Uni as classes get going.

Cheers!

Location: Bath, UK