Stratford-Upon-Avon:
We woke up kind of early this morning, as we have to catch the train to Stratford at 10:00. That means we need to be to Paddington Station by 10:00. We pre-purchased the tickets, so we didn't need to buy them this morning. We got up, showered, got the girls up, ate breakfast, and then went with Adam to the train station. This was the only morning that I really suffered with morning sickness, so I bought a diet Coke at the station, and was fine. I was concerned about Katie getting sick on the train, so I made sure I had an airsick bag at the ready, and I smuggled a Dramamine into her yogurt at breakfast. I was hopeful it would do the trick (I was right!)
We got on the train and found some seats. I made sure that Katie was not sitting backwards, and we settled in for our 2 hour ride. The train was fabulous! So smooth and comfortable. The British countryside was gorgeous! We had had a rainy day yesterday, but today the sun was shining, and it was perfect! The 2 hours went by quickly! We haven't had much of a chance to visit with Adam, and it was fun to get to know him again.
Marina and Katie on the train.
Dorcas spent most of the trip reading the guide book that Shelley loaned us, and by the time we arrived, she had a game plan. We got off the train, and followed the signs to the center of town. Such a beautiful little village. Katie fell in love with it, and decided she wants to live there some day! As we got to the center of town, we saw the beautiful clock tower.
As we got closer, we saw a small door in the side. We thought it would be cute to have Katie posing, knocking at the door. She was not too thrilled at being the only one small enough to do this.
From here, we kind of wandered aimlessly for a while, as the map was a bit confusing and we weren't exactly sure where Shakespeare's birthplace was. It didn't take us too long to find it, though. We purchased "combo" tickets that would let us into all 5 of the houses in the Shakespeare trust, even though we knew that we wouldn't make it to all of them before 5:00 p.m. By now it was almost noon, and we were on foot. Still, even if we only made it to 2 houses, the combo ticket paid for itself. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any pictures of the inside of these houses, but we could of the exteriors. So, here we have Shakespeare's Birthplace.
The girls pose on a bench as we wait to enter the Birthplace.
Katie outside the Birthplace
This was an incredible tour. They had costumed actors wandering the grounds reciting scenes from some of the plays, which helped pass the time as we waited to go in. They only let about 12 people in at a time, since they were getting so much damage from crowds. Anyway, it was great to see house again. The girls enjoyed seeing how it would have been to cook over an open fireplace, and John Shakespeare's workshop. Upstairs, in the actual room where he was born, they have guest books from when the house first opened as a tourist site. People like Charles Dickens and several US presidents have signed. Very cool.
Once outside again, we headed for the next place (relatively close) which is Nash's house and the site of New Place. Nash was married to Shakespeare's granddaughter, and they lived next door to New Place, which was the house Shakespeare bought in Stratford towards the end of his career as a playwright, and where he retired. After he died, his wife, Anne Hathaway lived there.
Nash's House
Nash's house has been restored with several pieces of period furniture in the main floor. Upstairs they have turned it into a Shakespeare museum. There are copies of play books, places for children to draw and color, a trivia area where you can see what you know about the plays, etc. Very neat! We were the only ones in the house, and so we got a lot of personal attention from the docent there. He was a darling man, who told us the story of New Place. I hadn't heard it before, so it was neat to hear it.
New Place stayed in the Shakespeare Family until the death of Shakespeare's granddaughter. She was the end of his direct line. The house passed into several different hands over the next 100 years, and in the mid-1700's was purchased by a clergyman from the north of England. He lived there part of each year, but kept servants there year round. The problem came when it was tax time. He refused to pay taxes for the entire year, claiming that he didn't live there year round. For many years, he disputed with the mayor of Stratford about this. Finally, the courts ruled that since he had servants living there year round, he had to pay the full tax on the property. Basically, he said "screw that!" and had the house torn down. The people of Stratford were so incensed by this, that they literally ran him out of town on a rail.
The gardens and the site are still there and you can wander there and take as many pictures as you want. Here are some of my favorites:
The well at New Place
Part of the original foundation of New Place
Right across the street from New Place is a hotel. This hotel has been in existence since the time of Shakespeare. It's been extensively remodeled and enlarged, but one section is exactly as it was in the 1600's. When I was in college we got to stay in that section. I was excited to see it's still there.
The Tudor looking portion is the original part of the inn, the Falcon. Next to it is the newer portion.
At this point, I pulled the pregnancy card, and told everyone I had to stop to sit down and have some lunch! I was HUNGRY! We wandered a couple of blocks and found a small store that also sold sandwiches. We walked in and found the price was right! Katie saw a small pie that reminded her of the Cornish pasty of yesterday, and decided that was what she wanted. So, she got that (a pork pie), and I got a coleslaw and cheese sandwich with a diet Coke. Katie also got a box of orange juice.
One bite into the pork pie, and Katie was disappointed. It was nothing like a Cornish pasty. It was a large piece of pork wrapped in pastry. Cooked, then cooled and sold cold. I told her she didn't need to eat the whole thing, and gave her half of my sandwich. Mine was really good. Coleslaw with raisins mixed with white cheddar cheese and spread on bread. Simple but delicious. It really hit the spot!
Stay tuned for the rest of the day!
