Stratford-upon-Avon is my favorite place that we have been to so far. The town is very small and quaint and absolutely beautiful at that. One of the things that I immediately noticed when I got here was how crisp and clean the air was compared to London. Not only is the air cleaner, but it also smells a lot better. London on the other hand has a very New York dirty smell to it.
While we were visiting the birthplace and home of Shakespeare, the entire experience felt very surreal to me. I think the reason that I find it so hard to believe that Shakespeare was real (yes, I know he was an actual person) is that there is not really anyone that I can think of today that has had such an impact on the world. Stratford-upon-Avon’s thing is that Shakespeare was from here and most things are Shakespeare related from that. Being able to walk into his home was crazy and surreal in its own way.
Thankfully, we have progressed to the motorized vehicle and use that for a majority of our travel. Those traveling from London to SUA were not so lucky and probably had to go by horse or carriage. The roads of the time were either cobblestone or dirt so the ride to and fro would be incredibly uncomfortable.
On the first day, some of us went and sat on benches by the Ferris wheel and water admiring how stunning this little town is. While sitting, we realized this is the most at home any of us have felt. The park felt like we were sitting at home, and it was the most peaceful I have been on this trip. I have been lucky enough to find a group that I can call my family and I know that we will still be in contact and have each other’s back no matter how far we are. I cannot thank Shawn and study abroad enough for giving me this chance to make my dreams a reality and make unbreakable bonds while doing so.
Here is a final goodbye from the A of the ABCD’S better known as Abby, Ben, Cass, Dru, and Shiloh aka the Scrumps.
Theatre in London U of A 