Last Thursday I embarked on a four-day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. The birthplace of the most famous English writer, the town is full of Shakespeare sites and memorabilia. Though my friends and I had plenty of time to wander around the cute town, we quickly realized that for those who didn’t like Shakespeare kitsch the town was a little bare.
Thursday
We arrived mid-afternoon with enough time to check into the hotel and grab a bite to eat at an adorable Italian place on the main square. After our meal we headed to the first of the weekend’s four Shakespeare plays: Romeo and Juliet. Theater had been a large part of my year abroad and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This production was pretty good, however the real stars were the extras! Juliet’s nurse and Mercutio were amazing and I found myself want the play to focus on them!
Friday
Trying to avoid the weekend crowds we visited the Shakespeare sites on Friday. Because I’d been to Stratford on a previous trip I decided to just visit his birthplace and grave, rather than spending more money on the whole tour package. While at Shakespeare’s birthplace we found a huge picture of Leonardo DiCaprio and of course I had to pose with it!
After visiting the requisite sites we wandered around town until our second play of the weekend. Before this trip I had never seen or read Antony and Cleopatra so it was an interesting experience. The play seemed to be set in the modern Middle East which brought a whole new level of understanding to the text.
Saturday
On Saturday morning we attended a performance of The Tempest that was geared toward children. The songs and costumes were a welcome change from the adult Shakespeare plays that we’d seen the previous nights. There were even puppets involved!
The afternoon was gorgeous so we enjoyed the day sitting down by the river, drinking tea outside and visiting the local butterfly farm! The butterfly farm has species from all over the world contained in a relatively small greenhouse. It was lovely to wander among the beautiful insects and take pictures for an hour or so.
After frolicking outdoors we were ready for our last play of the weekend King Lear. The same cast who performed Antony and Cleopatra performed Lear which made for a strange evening of who’s who!
Sunday
Because we had time the bus took a detour to Tintern Abbey—did I mention that’s in Wales? It’s easy to forget how close together things are over here. We didn’t go more than a few kilometers out of our way to visit the gorgeous ruins.
Until next week!