Stratford-upon-Avon is a quaint little town that is just brimming with history. It's claim to fame? William Shakespeare! The Brits take complete pride in the fact that one of the greatest playwrights and poets was born, raised and died in this town. Walking through the town (which also has full of wonderful little shops of local work as well as fine, luxury items), you get a sense of how the town looked around Shakespeare's time (the late 1500's) as well as the Victorian era (the 1800's). The Victorians kind of swept in and redecorated or demolished many of the earlier homes to suit their new "sophisticated" sense of style. There was a bustle to the town, but it was still peaceful and serene.
We visited some of the hot spots in Stratford-upon-Avon that were related to William Shakespeare himself. The first house that we visited was Hall's Croft, the house that belonged to Shakespeare's daughter Susanna and her husband Dr. John Hall. It was the third largest private home in Stratford during the Shakespeare's time, and it showed the wealth of the Shakespeare family. Although houses nowadays in the States are a sign of your wealth, folks back then went all out to make sure people knew exactly how much money the family had. Beds were a luxury item, for example.
We visited the Holy Trinity Church next to visit Shakespeare's burial site. Buried beside him is his wife, Anne Hathaway, as well as other family members. What's wonderfully quirky about his grave is that he is said to have placed a curse on it. It states: "Good friend for Jesus sake forebeare,/ To digg the dust encloased heare;/ Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,/ And curst be he that moves my bones." As far as we know, no one has tried to test if that curse is real, and Shakespeare has rested peacefully since 1616. Tourist-wise, this was where I became frustrated with other tourists. To actually stand in front of his grave was to stand in a small space. It wasn't front and center like one may think. Instead, it was a little to the left in the chapel. People kept pushing and bumping their way to take a photo then walk away. What's a photo mean if you can't look back at it and say that you appreciated the live thing in person? What's the point of a picture if you can't explain it or connect a small memory to it? Oh well. Pardon my rant.
The last thing we visited that day was Anne Hathaway's cottage and garden, which is about a mile walk out of the town center. The cottage was your quintessential romantic cottage with beautiful flowers, much of the original furniture, and wonderful stories. Anne Hathaway was 26 when 18-year-old William Shakespeare began to court and finally marry her. The thought-to-be original "courting seat" of William and Anne stands in the parlor. Also, the bed that they shared was on the second floor, comparatively small to today's standards. In his will, William left the bed to Anne. Many think that this is an insult when in reality, that was quite a luxurious gift (and quite romantic, if you ask me).
Since Stratford is a bit smaller of a town, a lot of things closed earlier than what we're used to. So we headed back to our room at the Arden Park Guest House where we unpacked all of our belongings, took wonderful showers, and jumped into bed.
On the second day, we visited the actual birthplace of William Shakespeare as well as the New Place/Nash House, which was the grand family home where Shakespeare actually lived as a successful playwright and business man. The birthplace was located right in the center of town, and where we learned the majority of the history of Shakespeare and his family. It was a magnificent home that was pretty much well in tact. The New Place, which was the final house of William Shakespeare, was magnificently giant with beautiful, lush gardens in the courtyard and backyard.
At the moment, we are in London for 3 more nights. We leave for Paris on Wednesday. Again, driving through the countryside and watching the rolling hills pass by has been peaceful and the most beautiful of sights. Sheep, cows, and little cottages continue to be scattered about the land. I've also discovered one of the perfect artists to listen to while on trains: Gregory Alan Isakov. His soothing voice and relaxing music helps capture the serenity of the sights. If you haven't heard of him, you should look him up. Great relaxing music :)
We visited some of the hot spots in Stratford-upon-Avon that were related to William Shakespeare himself. The first house that we visited was Hall's Croft, the house that belonged to Shakespeare's daughter Susanna and her husband Dr. John Hall. It was the third largest private home in Stratford during the Shakespeare's time, and it showed the wealth of the Shakespeare family. Although houses nowadays in the States are a sign of your wealth, folks back then went all out to make sure people knew exactly how much money the family had. Beds were a luxury item, for example.
We visited the Holy Trinity Church next to visit Shakespeare's burial site. Buried beside him is his wife, Anne Hathaway, as well as other family members. What's wonderfully quirky about his grave is that he is said to have placed a curse on it. It states: "Good friend for Jesus sake forebeare,/ To digg the dust encloased heare;/ Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,/ And curst be he that moves my bones." As far as we know, no one has tried to test if that curse is real, and Shakespeare has rested peacefully since 1616. Tourist-wise, this was where I became frustrated with other tourists. To actually stand in front of his grave was to stand in a small space. It wasn't front and center like one may think. Instead, it was a little to the left in the chapel. People kept pushing and bumping their way to take a photo then walk away. What's a photo mean if you can't look back at it and say that you appreciated the live thing in person? What's the point of a picture if you can't explain it or connect a small memory to it? Oh well. Pardon my rant.
The last thing we visited that day was Anne Hathaway's cottage and garden, which is about a mile walk out of the town center. The cottage was your quintessential romantic cottage with beautiful flowers, much of the original furniture, and wonderful stories. Anne Hathaway was 26 when 18-year-old William Shakespeare began to court and finally marry her. The thought-to-be original "courting seat" of William and Anne stands in the parlor. Also, the bed that they shared was on the second floor, comparatively small to today's standards. In his will, William left the bed to Anne. Many think that this is an insult when in reality, that was quite a luxurious gift (and quite romantic, if you ask me).
Since Stratford is a bit smaller of a town, a lot of things closed earlier than what we're used to. So we headed back to our room at the Arden Park Guest House where we unpacked all of our belongings, took wonderful showers, and jumped into bed.
On the second day, we visited the actual birthplace of William Shakespeare as well as the New Place/Nash House, which was the grand family home where Shakespeare actually lived as a successful playwright and business man. The birthplace was located right in the center of town, and where we learned the majority of the history of Shakespeare and his family. It was a magnificent home that was pretty much well in tact. The New Place, which was the final house of William Shakespeare, was magnificently giant with beautiful, lush gardens in the courtyard and backyard.
At the moment, we are in London for 3 more nights. We leave for Paris on Wednesday. Again, driving through the countryside and watching the rolling hills pass by has been peaceful and the most beautiful of sights. Sheep, cows, and little cottages continue to be scattered about the land. I've also discovered one of the perfect artists to listen to while on trains: Gregory Alan Isakov. His soothing voice and relaxing music helps capture the serenity of the sights. If you haven't heard of him, you should look him up. Great relaxing music :)