May 11, 2022
Travel
Todays journey was to lovely Stratford Upon Avon! We began the day by taking the train. It was a very cool experience to see how fast and efficient the UK public transportation system is compared to US. It only took us about 45 minutes to get there, the area was clean, and the seats were comfy. The Pittsburgh Port Authority is pretty good, but does not hold a candle up to the train.
When we arrived in Stratford, a group of us headed right for some charity thrift stores that had super cute knick knacks. I got some tea glasses for only 1 pound and the women at the register was so kind to me by wrapping up the glasses for me! I continued on to the Christmas store to buy a tree ornament where the gentleman working there went out of his way to find us a pamphlet with information about the historical buildings of Stratford! It was refreshing to see a kinder side of British people who are usually portrayed as stuck up or standoffish.
Shakespeare
The entirety of the town of Stratford Upon Avon revolves around the famous play-write William Shakespeare. Going into this, I did not know very much about his life, but I learned so much along the way!
Our tour started at the Shakespeare monument right near the river Avon. The statue was surrounded by 4 of his famous characters: Hamlet, Prince Hal, Falstaff, and Lady Macbeth. Each character represents a different element of his writing which were philosophy, history, comedy, and tragedy, respectively. An important thing to note is that speaking the name Macbeth in a theatre will give you bad luck. Since the play is about witchcraft, people think that you could be cursed by witches. Furthermore, an interesting connection between Lady Macbeth and healthcare is hand washing. In the play, she is seen washing her hands profusely to try and remove the imaginary blood. Our tour guide mentioned that early on in the pandemic, people compared to the hand washing protocols to Lady Macbeth.
During the tour, we visited a number of other places honoring Shakespeare such as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the school he went to as a child, the homes of his children, and finally his birthplace. We got to see where he was born near the fireplace and the bedroom that he shared with his brothers. I thought it was interesting that the siblings shared a bed until they were 18. The house remained with Shakespeare’s descendants until 1806.
Dinner
Our final event in Stratford was dinner at Edward Moon. I had delicious gnocchi and the BEST BROWNIE EVER! I mean, just look how chocolately it is. I enjoyed the discussions we had recapping our favourite parts of the day with mine being Old Town.
Old Town
My absolute favourite part was Old Town, especially Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare was baptized and buried. The pathway to the church was lined with 12 trees on each side and a cemetery behind the tree lines. The emotion I felt was so surreal. The way that the sunlight peeked through the trees blessed me with warmth while walking through the cemetery sent shivers down my body. The beauty of the moment reminded me how blessed I am to be alive, present, and enjoying the history of another country.
In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the impact that Shakespeare had on the legacy of Stratford and appreciated the crazy rain to sunshine weather. Stratford is the kind of place that makes you feel immediately at home.
