Stratford-upon-Avon is a “seventh heaven” for English majors, history buffs, and theatre geeks, or at least that’s what my favorite unassuming travel guide Rick Steves says. As someone who is all three of those things, I quite agree. Wednesday’s trip to Shakespeare’s birthplace was easily my favorite trip thus far. A day filled with history, lush green nooks and crannies, and not so savory high tea with new friends. Here is a picture of that said spread:
I find solace in small groups and therefore took the opportunity to go to Stratford-upon-Avon with four others a bit earlier than everyone else so that we could indulge ourselves with some classy British culture. What is more British than tea time after all? And as a hobbit and tea lover, I have to say I was quite satisfied and in good company. After our snack, we wandered the beautiful landscapes, finding little paths here and there to divert our attention, and fill our phones with pastoral pictures. After a while, we met up with the rest of our group and wandered the center of town before going over to find the Gilded Church as well as Shakespeare’s grave. It was one of the prettiest grave sites I’ve seen, as it would make any fan of the macabre squeal with melancholy glee. Take a look:
We ended the already fantastic day with the performance of King Lear and it was quite spectacular for me personally, as it was my first Shakespearean play that I have seen. Truly an experience that you cannot guess through reading the scripts. Two thousand steps later, we all rode the train back to Oxford, and I will truly treasure this day for many years to come. Here is a cute picture of the group I was with for most of the day:
Cheers!
Shakespeare in Oxford! 