Today was a lovely day! We woke up with a forecast of rain all day, and it turned out to only rain for an hour or two. We took the train from Birmingham to Stratford-Upon-Avon, where we walked around for a bit and shopped. We spent the first few hours walking around, taking pictures, and shopping (Delaney if you are reading this, you have to wait till I get back to show you what I got for you :)). A few of the second-hand stores were connected with a charity, where a portion of the profits made were donated to that charity. For example, one of them was a mental health charity and the workers were volunteers (Hint: D, I did not get a gift for you from this store!). I really like this idea and I have never seen something like this before in the States. I hope that this concept can be carried over because this is a great way for a charity to receive a steady amount of donations over a long period of time to keep them funded.
After shopping and lunch, we went on a wonderful walking tour with Tim of Stratford-Upon-Avon. We learned about the history of the city and it’s historical landmarks! I read some Shakespeare in high school, like Macbeth and Hamlet, but I did not know much about Shakespeare himself. He was born in Stratford but spent the majority of his life in London. He was buried back in Stratford, and his birthplace remains here to this day!
In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth could not wash her hands of King Duncan’s blood shed in his murder that she encouraged him to do. She became paranoid of imaginary blood on her hands, and would frequently wash them. The World Health Organization (WHO) used Lady Macbeth as the model for the amount of time to wash your hands during the pandemic- 20 seconds. Another fun fact about Lady Macbeth is that you should not say her name in a theatre, as it is known to cause bad luck. So, I will not say her name in the theatre in London!
Shakespeare died of excessive alcohol intake and was buried in Holy Trinity Church. In the cemetery outside of the church, lime trees line the walkway with 12 trees on each side, one side to represent the tribes of Israel and the other for the disciples. Shakespeare replaced a person that was laid to rest in the church and stated on his grave that “curse be he who moved my stones.” There are tales that Shakespeare’s skull was stolen, as there was a scan done over his casket and nothing appeared where his head should be. We could not go into the church but it was lovely to look at.
We visited Shakespeare’s birthplace, where the house has been kept up with minor adjustments made to keep the structure strong. The beds were in the bedrooms and the wallpaper is a replica of the original. The children would sleep upright in the bed because it is believed that the devil will get you if you are laying down. The devil will think that you are taking a nap if you are sitting up!
On the tour, we walked pass a clinic called Newson Health, which is a Menopause and Well-being Centre. I love that there is this in the UK, menopause is something that is not talked about enough in the States. Patients need guidance and support on health management when experiencing menopause, and this clinic will offer this support. On their website, it says, “We provide evidence-based care, treatment, and support for women during the perimenopause and menopause”. It was established in 2018 and focuses on a holistic approach. They offer consultations, blood tests, strength and composition scans, and ultrasounds. The strength scan, also known as DEXA, scans your bone density so that you can determine if you are at risk for osteoporosis. Body composition scans will provide a measurement of body fat and muscle distribution.
We ended the day with a scrumptious dinner at Edward Moon’s, full of laughter and chatter! On our way back to the train, we saw a window painting of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders. I got so excited! It was the perfect ending to a great day.
Cheers,
Mary
P.S. Hey Dad, my cows! (This is a game that we play if we see cows during a car ride)
