6/19 – London Day 27

Hi guys! Today is a hard post to make because it’s our last day in the UK. I can’t believe just how quickly the time has passed, and how much I enjoyed my time here. I will reminisce on my London thoughts later in this post, so for now let’s just talk about my day.

We started off with a lovely full English breakfast at the Linhill House. Our English breakfast consisted of ham, egg, mushrooms, sausage, and beans. I’m glad I got the English breakfast at least once, and I’m especially glad I got it here because the portions were manageable! I think what made it extra worth it was the sweet old man in an apron that cooked it all for us. It was a very cozy and nice start to my day!

After breakfast, our group met up outside and we talked about the game plan for traveling to the airport tomorrow. It was recommended we get to the airport 4 hours before our plane leaves due to staff shortages; however, there are no coaches that could pick us up any earlier than 9 am. To get to the airport, it is a two hour drive, and then my flight is at 1:40. I am one of the lucky ones that will be able to have 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to my flight; however, some leave before me, and I am anxious on their behalves. If we don’t make it, I guess there will be a “London Day 28” blog!

Once we talked about the flight situation, we made our way over to Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Anne Hathaway’s cottage was a lot like Shakespeare’s birthplace, which was very quaint and full of gardens. I think I liked the cottage more than his birthplace only because it was more spacious, and it seemed like a place I would live in myself! While I was there, I got to hang out with Brendan and Hailey in the gardens, and as we were talking, a slug fell out of a tree and right onto Brendan’s jacket- how cool!

We walked from the cottage to the Holy Trinity Church that houses Shakespeare’s burial. The church was small and had beautiful stained glass everywhere. It felt like the whole community of this church were very close since there were side conversations happening between members everywhere, and there were some sweet older ladies selling homemade desserts to help support the church.

We were able to do things on our own after the church, so all of us headed to Nando’s for food, and then a majority of our group went to a cat cafe. The cat cafe was named Shakespaw, and it was awesome! The cats were very sweet and sociable which is rare in a cat cafe, and I even had my last cream tea while I was there. I think my favorite cat was one of the long haired ones with a very smushed in face. He looked like a gremlin, and for some reason I felt like his name should’ve been Sweet Baby Ray’s… if that makes sense.

I also got to go to a market where I bought an adorable and inexpensive pearl bracelet. The food at the market smelled so good, I almost wish I didn’t get Nando’s (heavy on the almost). The market was also filled with dogs, which made me miss my family dog, Hurricane. I’m happy I get to see her soon!

When I got back to the Linhill House, I bought some things for my small business to get a head start on packaging, and I took another nap. I slept until it was time for dinner at The Dirty Duck. This was our last hoorah as a group, and the food was fabulous! I got tomato soup as a starter, a beef and ale pie as my main entree, and an apple & blackberry crumble for dessert. The food was surprisingly really good! I am not the biggest fan of British cuisine, so I was not expecting to like the food as much as I did.

Once we finished our hearty meals, we went back to the hotel to pack and write our final blogs. I have heavily enjoyed my time in Stratford. Even though we were robbed of our King Lear experience (by the fault of no one!), I got my Shakespeare fix while in Stratford Upon Avon. It was interesting to see where he and his wife lived, because these places were the origins of what turned the quiet town of Stratford Upon Avon into a beautiful, yet slightly touristy, destination. Since Stratford Upon Avon is a far removed town from the more populous London, it gives you a sense of how popular Shakespeare’s manuscripts really were. The plays were able to travel quite a distance, and they even had the Globe Theatre dedicated to them in London! This town also gave me the overarching feeling of “humble beginnings”, and I am more than thrilled that I got to explore what it had to offer.

Now for my thoughts on London as a whole… what more is there to say other than that I loved every moment of it? I loved the sights, the people, the greenery, the wildlife, the experiences, and especially the knowledge I gained from it. There is so much to learn from the melting pot that is London, and there is also so much fun to be had. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what there is to be done here. I never expected to love this trip to the extent that I did, as I am not used to being in a foreign country away from home for so long. This ended up being the PERFECT city to test my limits, and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to do so. I also would like to thank my fellowship for making a lot of this financially possible for me, and I likely would not have had this amazing and life changing journey without it. That being said, one day I hope to be back, and I will strive to be a London pro.

Until then, London!

(P.S. Happy Father’s Day to the best dad, mine!)