A BYU Blog: Shakin up Stratford

June 11th

Our Bed and Breakfast gets five stars. It was cute, clean, and soooo comfortable. Everyone has been complaining about the beds and pillows in our flats. Honestly, I'm not picky. I have been fine. The beds at where we stayed in Stratford though were close to clouds. The curtains weren't dark and thick enough to block out all of the sun. We had to rise early though so it wasn't a big problem. Chelsea did have a drip over her bed for a little bit the night before. Besides that, we were golden.

An older gentleman was in the kitchen when we woke up and he made everyone a traditional English breakfast by 8:30am. I have never considered tomatoes prepared the way they were. I ate everything and it was really good. This picture excludes the toast bowl we also had on the table. I am now looking for someone to cook me breakfast every morning. It would be a great convenience to eat real food without the work.

We saw so many Shakespeare sites in one day that I'm not even sure where this is. I think it might be the Shakespeare Center next to the birth place. Each of the locations was interesting and worth a visit. I think this class/trip has been successful in helping my appreciate Shakespeare more.

Two Quotes. This first I haven't heard before, but really like. The second is one of my favorite quotes ever. Ever.

Staying a night at the Shakespeare's.

William's father was a glover. He made the gloves in the house with the assistance of apprentices and everyone's urine. Disgusting. Making gloves is not an easy process. He did the whole thing himself around the house.

Where William Shakespeare was born and grew up.

While waiting to move to our next stop, an actress entertained us with scenes and sonnets by Shakespeare. She worked off of requests and was later joined by a colleague to keep people in the garden entertained. They had an impressive repertoire.

This had Valerie's name on it.

Standing in the living room of the house Shakespeare bought, New Place. It was later torn down by a more recent owner because he was tired of tourists. Sad. Now it is owned by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

England. Don't make me leave.

Abstract statues stood around the garden. Justyne and I had fun guessing which character and show they represented. This one was the easiest. It is Falstaff of course from the show we saw just the night before, Henry the IV.

Playing dress up. Always a good idea.

These flowers. I like them and their two colors.

Precious.

Seeing the Bard in person at his final resting place.

This gelato place was fantastic. We got a ton of ice cream for way cheaper than it would have been in London. Who needs lunch when you have gelato?

This rubbish bin has a story.

Justyne and I were walking to our B&B after gelato. I had a bunch or rubbish in one hand and a bunch of important things in the other (i.e. phone, money, ticket, etc.). I was so sick of carrying all these things that right when we passed this can I dumped everything in my left hand in. Free at last! We crossed the street and I started to look through everything in my right hand. I only had a fifty pence coin. That didn't seem right. I must have thrown a pound away. Then Justyne pointed out that from the cost of the ice cream it was a two pound coin. I threw my finger into the air and shouted, "We're going back!"

"All the way?????" Justyne responded.

"No, to the trash can across the way. I think I threw away my two pound coin."

I peered into the can and then stuck my whole arm in to retrieve the coin. Justyne just shook her head and laughed. I'm sure she was embarrassed as a I felt around the bottom of the can for my money. Thankfully there were less than five items in the can and my coin was easily retrieved. Justyne said I wouldn't ever live down my dumpster diving for two pounds. It was worth it.

After some blogging at the B&B we went back to the river by the RSC and met up with Ben, Jace, Dallin, Ellen, and Amanda. We played card games next to a tree on the lawn and then took a boat ride up and down the river.

It was nice to have such a chill afternoon. We have been going nonstop. Stratford is so chill compared to busy London. Hanging around the RSC was some of the most fun I have had on this trip. I am on it with really cool people and I don't feel like I truly know everyone yet.

We waited too long to get dinner and everything started to close. Thank goodness Costa had sandwiches. Our picnic on the lawn resumed with everyone eating their sandwiches and Amanda chasing a swan around.

These cans were in a sweet shop and made me laugh. They are "American" because they are big. Well, big compared to British cans. Our soda cans are bigger than anywhere else in Europe, as far as I know.

Royal Shakespeare Company: Take Two!

We saw Arden. It was not as good as Henry the IV. At least it is easier to write papers on weird shows. The craziest part was at the end when a fly went up to reveal a wall of giant Chinese waving cats. Disturbing.