Hangin' with Jane. . .8/3/07

Hey y'all. So. Friday we didn't have class because it was the end of Term I and a lot of people went home, so I thought I'd head to the southwest quarter of the country and visit Jane Austen's home and maybe Bath. I was on the train to Alton, (Jane lived in Chawton. . .about 2 miles away,) but this man decided to kill himself in front of my train. . .so we were on the tracks for about an hour and a half while they took care of everything, including inspecting the train for damage. It was pretty crazy and not only did it mess up my time-frames, but it put a damper on the activities. Know what I mean? So don't ever jump in front of a train. It was sad, though. BUT, then when I got to Jane's house, it was cool. They have turned it into a museum, as they do with many many old houses here, and have a lot of things that belonged to her and her family. It was cool to see things like quilts that she made with her mom and sisters and the writing table she used to write at. And like most of the houses here, the rooms were small but it was beautiful.
I didn't have time to go to Bath, but the train ride home was uneventful, which was nice. I love riding the trains because I get to see so much of the English country side. I wish I could take good pictures off the train, but they never work out. You'll just have to trust me when I say it is beautiful. Unless you don't want to trust me, then you can come see for yourself.
PS. Just so you know, the lady in the picture is just a mannequin, not Jane. However, the embroidered collar on the wall behind the beautiful woman statue is said to have been made by Ms. Austen.