A Day at Stratford-upon-Avon
This is a statue of Shakespeare that we visited in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Today, May 6th, we took the train to Stratford-upon-Avon where we visited the birthplace of Shakespeare! It was a very fun day full of walking, laughing, and tasting new foods. We started the visit by going on a walking tour with the best guide, Tim. Tim took us through the town, pointing out the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre. The town itself was beautiful, with the river flowing through the middle, and there were many boats available to ride, each named by a popular character in one of Shakespeare’s plays.
This image shows a bridge, the river, and a ferris wheel at Stratford-upon-Avon.
These are the boats named after characters in Shakespeare’s plays, the names can be seen if you zoom in on the boats!
Throughout the town, there were beautiful walkways full of grass, flowers, and trees where many people were celebrating a bank holiday. Because of the holiday there was also an open street market full of food tents and shopping areas with live music! Since we were visiting on a bank holiday, the town was very busy which allowed us to truly immerse ourselves into the culture here in the UK. We then continued our tour which highlighted the history of Shakespeare’s life where we learned that he is thought to have been born on April 23, 1564. This was discovered because he was baptized in the Holy Trinity Church on April 26, 1564, and during his time, baptisms took place 1-3 days after birth. We actually visited this church to see Shakespeare’s grave, where he is buried about 3 feet below the ground! We also saw the graves where many of Shakespeare’s family and descendants rest, including two thin trees in the graveyard that honor his son Hamnet, and daughter Judith. Later in the day, we took a tour through Shakespeare’s Birthplace which ended up being one of my favorite parts of the day. We saw the home where Shakespeare was born with replica furniture and explanations on his father’s workshop, where he mainly made gloves to sell. My favorite part of this tour, was at the end when we saw actors reenact live scenes from Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We even had members of our group get chosen to act in the play! It was hilarious and very fun to watch scenes from plays that I read in high school come to life! At the end of the tour, Tim quizzed us with Shakespeare trivia and gave the winners prizes from the gift shop; I won an eraser and a cookie!
This is an image from Shakespeare’s grave, and it shows the beautiful stained glass within the Holy Trinity Church.
Most Importantly…FOOD!
Today, I tried new and delicious foods for the very first time! I started the morning with a true British breakfast at the hotel, which was quite yummy! Then, at Stratford-upon-Avon we stopped for a coffee break at Cornish Bakery and I had the best iced latte with oat milk! The Baristas taught me that in England, ordering a coffee “to-go” is said as ordering a coffee for “take-away.”
This is an image of Lillie, Ashley, and me drinking our lattes.
Next, we visited the outdoor market where I ordered fish and chips! I was very excited to try this dish because I know it is a staple in the UK. We watched the server batter and fry the fish fresh and I noticed that in the UK there is less of a rush when it comes to food service. The servers actually took their time to make and serve our food fresh and even though there was a long line, no one was upset or in a rush to get through. It was a very nice adjustment compared to the US which I feel is always moving so quickly! Our group had a picnic in the grass surrounded by many locals, and we also shared a side of mushy peas which I thought were pretty tasty!
This is a picture of the fish and chips with a side of curry sauce before they were quickly devoured by the group!
Finally, for dinner I tried Vietnamese cuisine for the very first time at the delicious restaurant, Vietnamese Street Kitchen, back in Birmingham. I was impressed by this restaurant not only because of its yummy food, but also for its accommodation toward allergies and dietary restrictions. It made it easy to order dinner as someone with a food allergy! Here, I ordered a bowl with lemongrass chicken thigh marinated in a sweet chili sauce served with egg fried rice. After a long day of walking, this was very satisfying!
This is an image of my delicious dinner.
Overall Takeaways…
I had a lot of fun exploring the UK today! I enjoyed using public transportation and I realized that is makes traveling very efficient, especially for large groups. I found that here, the public transportation is very accessible, clean, and I felt safe the entire time. I also appreciated how amazing the weather was since it was supposed to rain but ended up being sunny and warm the entire day! I cannot wait to start class at Birmingham City University tomorrow, and I am excited to meet all of the professors and students!