Visit to Bath

I've booked a train to Bath and back on Monday. Weather.com says it will be 42 (Fahrenheit) and rainy -- just my luck. I hope the city is as pretty in the rain.

I was counting on some National Geographic-quality photos, but I'm finding the grayness of England difficult to work with. Thus, I'm not a photojournalist. But with any luck, maybe I can take a picture or two in the school of J.M.W. Turner, who's so popular here, and capture some of the "rain and steam" of the former Roman outpost.

(The picture here is an archway over the walkway that leads to the Castro de St. Maria, an Anglican church built in the 12th Century, in Leicester. The archway was perhaps built in the 13th or 14th century, given its shape.)

A word on attire

An observation:

In the United States, a female might slip into pink sweatpants, tidy up her hair into a knot, drag some cosmetic tools across her face and pull on her Uggs before running off to class.

An American male might pull yesterday's boxers out of the heap on his floor, find some jeans and a hoodie and head out.

For a British lass, sweatpants are for going to the gym. Her hair is down and her skirt is neat, complimented by slender boots.

The masculine Briton will dress himself in dark, straight jeans, a tight-fitting sweater, scarf and jacket.

(The photo is a detail of a monument in front of Leicester City Hall to local British soldiers who died fighting in South Africa.)

Backpacking to Scotland

I'm thinking about walking from Leicester up through York and Melrose to Edinburgh. Then I'd trek over to Glasgow, catch a bus up to Loch Lomond, and finally a train back to Leicester.

Here's my route:


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Advice, anyone?

I don't have an accent

I speak in non-regional diction, don't I? Therefore, I have no accent.

Apparently that's not true. To my friend Guillaume from France and some of the Brits I've met, I sound just like the bubbly blonde on MTV and the fat guy with the sandwich and the Coke watching American football from his couch. (Guillaume's words, not mine.)

The European stereotypes of Americans really aren't far off, and their mockery is embarrassing and mildly insulting. I'm reassured to know that the Brits have adopted much of our entertainment culture, which must mean they appreciate us on some level. More than 80 percent of the songs at the clubs are American.

They especially like "Don't stop believin'" by the California band Journey.

(The picture here is near Leicester city centre, a bustling plaza for retail and food.)