Stratford-upon-Avon & 21

Stratford-upon-Avon was nearly perfect. Not only did I get to stand two feet from the final resting place of THE William Shakespeare but I got to see the bed where he was conceived and born. Plus, the program treated us to luxurious accommodations in a bed and breakfast that had a great shower and a nice older couple who made us a traditional English breakfast. I'm out of town almost every weekend until November which means real showers and real adventures are in my future.

The bus got us out of the city just after rush hour and since we took the same high way that we did when visited Oxford, I didn't feel guilty sleeping as the country side flew by. Our first stop was Warwick Castle, "Britain's Greatest Medieval Attraction" where all the Earls of Warwick lived and tortured prisoners until the 18th Century, or so. The castle itself was amazing and the views were incredible atop "Guys Tower," the tallest tower at the castle. The big turn off, however, was that the place was overrun with tourists and dumb attractions. I had pretty bad fish and chips for lunch after watching a demonstration of the "largest trebuchet in the world!" and before leaving, Ryan and I toured an underground gallery full of wax figures in period costumes. It was pretty disappointing.

After the castle, we headed to Stratford-upon-Avon where Shakespeare was born, raised, and buried. We stayed in a really quaint bed and breakfast and Unique and I each got our own twin bed on the first floor complete with a great shower and a television. As soon as we arrived, we headed straight to Trinity Church (the site of Shakespeare's tomb) where our program director provided us with a brief biography of the playwright on the banks of the River Avon in the cemetery where Shakespeare's son "Hamnet" was supposedly buried. After touring the church which took about two minutes, Ryan and I walked along the river and took a boat (propelled by a man turning a large crank the entire ride) across to the other side where we enjoyed coffee and cookies near a Tudor style foot bridge before dinner.

Trinity Church and the River Avon:
Six of us had Italian for dinner. To celebrate my 21st birthday, I ordered a gin and tonic with lime and most of us had some form of dessert. I opted for chocolate and Kahlua pudding with homemade ice cream. I spent way too much money but I have no regrets.

From dinner, we went straight to the temporary site of the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre (the actual building is undergoing some serious renovations) for their production of Hamlet. Patrick Stewart played Claudius, Hamlet was played by David Tennant (who stars in "Dr. Who" and made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The production was four hours long but the play was easily the best I've ever seen. Seeing Shakespeare, done well, can be a really rewarding experience.

After the play, we were too exhausted to go out to drinks so I spent the night of my 21st birthday watching the movie Scream in my room with Unique until 1 a.m.

The next morning we awoke to a full English breakfast (without the beans) that included ham, sausage, fried eggs, toast, and a boiled tomato. Our first stop in the morning was the birthplace of Shakespeare (where I purchased an "Out damn spot!" [from Macbeth] eraser and a coffee mug featuring the line "To be or not to be?" [from Hamlet] from the gift shop) and the second was Cafe Nero for a little pick-me-up. I hit several landmarks alone because everyone else was uninterested in what the town had to offer. I loved walking around the Elizabethan-style homes open to the public and then taking pictures around their back gardens. Roses are still in bloom in central England.

The home where Shakespeare was born (70% of the home is original):The matinée of The Merchant of Venice was pretty weak compared to Hamlet but was thankfully not as long. The play did have some moderately big names and since I had never read the play before, it was a good introduction to the story. I also loved the venue. The theatre was built to look like the Globe and had a nice, open courtyard where the audience could mingle with the cast after the show. Unfortunately, Patrick Stewart was the only player to use the back door.

I slept the entire way home on the bus. We didn't get in to London until 7 p.m. but Jon and Ryan were determined to make meatball sandwiches. We have no groceries.

After dinner, we were invited to a game night at a Grinnell flat on Great Portland Street where Kerry, Nora, Karly, Josh, Thomas, and Alissa had tea cakes and candles waiting for me. They sang Happy Birthday and we all enjoyed beer and each others company until almost 2 a.m. All in all, I had a great birthday.