Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare!)

Updated: Aug 31, 2018

11.04.2018 -

So freaky, I leave a week from this upcoming Monday. I've gotten pretty drained this second half of the semester, so it’ll be nice to be home, but I wish I could leave and come back after a few weeks. I want some time to rest up, but know I’m going to miss being here. I'm definitely staying busy right up until the very end. (NOTE: At the time, I had no idea how true this would be, but even my final night in London was spent with friends until 2am, ending with a quick few hours of sleep before I had to go catch my flight home!).

Stratford-upon-Avon was amazing. Definitely one of my favorite trips. After breakfast, I was actually able to drop my watch off to be fixed (the battery died a few days ago, it’s been odd not having it work) and pick it up after my first visit to one of the town’s famous places. There are a few locations for Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon (it is his birthplace, after all) and thankfully I had time for just about all of them. I got the full ticket for all of the attractions.

I first went to what is probably the most popular and well-known location: where Billy Shakes was born. It’s a very cute, photogenic house, very large and wealthy for the time. My favorite thing was definitely the “Shakespeare Aloud” performances, where you could call out a play or sonnet and two actors will perform a snippet. It certainly didn't hurt that the performers both very cute guys and very British. Romeo and Juliet was hilarious. I made sure to pick up a pin from the gift shop.

Next I strolled towards the Bard’s grave, and passed by two of the other locations on the way. The first is called New Place, the house-turned-exhibition where Shakespeare lived some years as an adult. It was torn down a while ago, made into a sort of dedication to the playwright. The garden was very pretty. I also walked through House Croft, were Shakespeare's daughter and family used to live. It was interesting and immersive to see what homes would have looked like during that time.

I eventually made my way to his grave, which is in a church. To be honest, I would not like that for myself. I’ve heard there is a lot of mystery surrounding his life, and if possibly his works were written by a number of people. Is it certain this is his grave?

I was going to walk by the local Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) building, but didn't want to spare the time and risk missing out on any of the other things to see. I know it’s a circular building, like the Globe in London. Nice that they’re consistent.

Next was a little bit of a walk to the cottage where Shakespeare courted his wife-to-be, Anne Hathaway. It's a gorgeous home with beautiful gardens, though it was slightly rainy and muddy by this point in the day. Some things in England just don't change. There were very knowledgeable guides inside the house, and if I had had more time I might’ve taken a stroll through the arbory.

I was worried that if I waited for a train to go to my final stop of the day that I wouldn't be able to make my connection back to London in time for class that evening. So thankfully, I was able to snag a taxi just as he was about to go on his lunch break. I rode out to a nearby farm much like the one Shakespeare's mother would have grown up on. For all of my rushing, I actually ended up having too much time there. Turns out it's geared more towards kids. It was still fun to walk around though and see the animals, before sitting down for a little at the cafe for lunch. Very unlike the English Norm, a woman sat down and chatted with me… that never happens.

I got back to Stratford-upon-Avon with tons of time, and walked around for a bit catching my train back to London. I had class that evening, and was able to get some work done back at the flat.

Tuesday honestly wasn't the best. I had to figure some stuff out and work through some miscommunication with my study abroad program. It wasn't very fun. But I'm making the effort to focus on all the good stuff what's going on right now (which there is a lot of).

I had time after my second class to visit the Houses of Parliament, which was definitely very cool. The tour was amazing, providing spectacular history on the different sections, their purpose, and how they interact with one another. Even with just how the rooms look, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, you can feel the stark contrast.

During lunch at my internship today I walked to where the Columbia Road Flower Market would normally be, but forgot they are only open on Sundays. Oh well.

AND (amazingly) I got a ticket to Hamilton for next week - What?? So excited. It was one somebody had returned, so it's at a discount price. Third row, middle of the row. I can't believe it. An American seeing Hamilton in London - there's definitely a joke there.