All Good Things

The day has finally come. It is our last full day on our trip before we leave for the airport tomorrow and make our way back home. We have spent the last few days in the beautiful town of Stratford Upon Avon, William Shakespeare’s birthplace.

We took a coach from London to Stratford. On our way, we made a stop in the town of Oxford to see the historical sites of the University that is located there. The Univeristy holds forty-four colleges. When we first arrived in Oxford, I stopped at a bookstore with some other students. The bookstore sold books for $5 or less. I just couldn’t pass up a good deal like that so I bought three books. I don’t know how I will fit them in my luggage.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a tour given to us by a bumbly and cheery tour guide. He provided us with so much adequate information about the area. The University of Oxford is roughly 922 years old, making it the second oldest University in the world. It was so wonderful to see the ancient architecture of all the college buildings. Fun fact: many scenes from Harry Potter we’re filmed at Oxford. In fact, Harry Potter’s very own Emma Watson attended Oxford. Many actors and actresses have attended the school such as Tolkein and C.S. Lewis. One can actually find the location in Oxford that inspired Lewis to write The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

While many notable famous people have attended Oxford, females were forbidden from attending the institute for a very long time. It wasn’t until 1878 that women were allowed to come and study at the University of Oxford! They were finally allowed to be awarded degrees in 1920 and it was only in 1974 that all colleges let women enter and stay. Oxford University now has roughly even numbers of male and female undergraduates. Another interesting facts about the historical restrictions of Oxford is that up to 200 years ago, the only subject you could study at the University of Oxford was religion until the curriculum finally expanded to all subjects.

One of my favorite places that I saw at Oxford was The Bridge of Sighs. Replicating the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, northern Italy, one of Cambridge University’s famous bridges is the Bridge of Sighs. Being rivals, Oxford University wanted their own Bridge of Sighs and therefore built their own in 1913. The reason that I loved this place so much is that I saw so many newly weds taking photos and driving off in nice cars beneath the bridge. Their friends and families stood under with flower confetti to sprinkle over them as they celebrated new love.

Oxford was a nice change of scenery compares to London. I think I could definitely live in Oxford because it is much more calmer and is filled with more young people. Another reason that I enjoyed Oxford so much more is because it has so much more charm. Much of the charm in London is slightly tainted due to the fact of overpopulation and the significant amount of graffiti and litter everywhere. I didn’t feel like I had to bump into people or be as aware of my safety as I did in London. I enjoyed seeing all the shops in London that nestled around the Univeristy. My favorite place in all of Oxford is the Blackwell bookstore. As an avid book lover and of course an English major, this place was like a dream come true for me. It is the largest bookstore in the entire world. The store was built in 1879 and has a large basement filled with textbooks and other various works of literature. There are 3 miles of shelving and 150,000 books. Yet next door is the Bodleian Library which stores all of the University’s books. This was made possible by the Weston family who donated 23 million British pounds to build and renovate the Bodleian library. This store has 7 million books. Yet the University of Oxford has many more books than this, and these are stored in various places outside of the city.

Oxford was a lovely place to visit, especially as a writer. It was so amazing to see how all of my greatest inspirations for writing such as C.S. Lewis and Tolkein attended the school. I would definitely visit Oxford again for it is a very serene place to explore with it’s changing history and irresistible charm.

After visiting Oxford, we made our way to Stratford where we are staying until Monday. We are staying in a nice Bed and Breakfast. I love it so much more than the hotel we stayed at in London because everything here feels so much more intimate. While Stratford is also very old, it has a more modern feel than Oxford in my opinion. Stratford is also a much different environment compared to London. It is much more call and quiet. It is so small, making it very walkable for visitors. We spent out first evening in Stratford by touring the town. Surprisingly, the town shuts down at an early time of 6:30 so not much was open. We did enjoy some great burgers at a restaurant however. I tried a mac and cheese burger which was pretty good. I also learned that they have something here called a Cat Cafe. No, they do not serve you cats to eat and let you take one home in a doggy bag for left overs. You get to play with cats as you eat and take one “to-go” if you like one enough. What a strange, but fun concept.

The next day we visited the birthplace of Shakespeare. We toured the bedrooms and living quarters of the home. There was a small twin bed in one room and we learned that Shakespeare and his two other brothers slept in that one small bed. I’ll never complain again about my sleeping arrangements. Another interesting fact I learned is that women could not afford to give birth on the bed so they would give birth on a birthing chair in front of a “nice warm fireplace” as the tour guide put it. Doesn’t sound nice to me. After touring the cottage, we went to the church where Shakespeare was baptized and is buried.The building felt very sacred and had ornate, detailed architecture all along its walls.

Later in the evening, we viewed a showing of As You Like It at the Royal Shakespeare Company. The acting was very good, but I found it quite difficult to follow the plot, having bit read the play previously. I loved how the intensity of costumes and stage set gradually evolved throughout the running time of the play however. This was probably my least favorite play in the trip which kind of disappointed me because it was our last show to see. There were many great take aways from the play though. What made this play so unique and special was that it was sort of a reunion of the same actors who put on the play in the 1970s. They are much older now and it has been years since they’ve seen each other. Audience members could feel the sentimental emotions of the actors as they went about the stage. While I enjoyed the acting and the set of the forest at the end, I longed for more from the play, technicality-wise.

Today was a great start to our last full day in Stratford. We started off by visiting Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Not to be confused with the icon of The Princess Diaries. Anne Hathaway was married to William Shakespeare. She was actually much older than William which would have caused a lot of controversy. She was 26 and he was 18. However, she was pregnant which was not uncommon so long as women married in the church after being impregnated. Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is a thatched house nestled in an idyllic cottage garden. Anne was born there sometime around 1556 and it is assumed she stayed there until her marriage to Shakespeare in 1582. I was surprised to learn during my tour, however, that the Hathaway family lived in the house until 1911. My favorite part was walking around all of the beautiful gardens that surrounded the house. It was a nice way to begin the last day of our trip.

Stratford has been a lovely place to visit. It has been so interesting to think that I am walking the same streets where Shakespeare walked. I loved exploring the rich history of the town and you can tell that the locals have a lot of pride in it being the birthplace of such a profound writer. There are so many gift shops that revolve around the work of Shakespeare. There was even a man dressed in a frightening Shakespeare’s Ghost costume outside of the Shakespeare House. I really enjoyed this town and I think everyone who comes to England should pay a visit to it. I don’t think I will come again if I ever return to Englsnd because you only need a couple of days to see most of the town. Overall, this visit was a highlight of the trip.

As I reflect on my time during this trip, it amazes me to see how much I have learned. I have enjoyed making new friendships with people while studying theatre and London along the way with them. My favorite memory from the trip is seeing Les Mis with Brittney. They will tell you that I cried so much during and after the show. My least favorite memory was losing my wallet. Thankfully, I was able to get my debit card replaced with a new one and get a new oyster card so I could have access to the transit in London. My impressions of Englsnd and visiting overseas have changed a lot from my initial thoughts prior to the trip. Traveling is not as difficult as it seems. Figuring out the tube was so much easier than I expected it to be. I was surprised by how accessible everything was in London. I wasn’t surprised by all the great food because I already knew that London is the foodie capitol of the world. I was surprised however, by the lack of charm in many areas of London. Don’t be fooled. It is not quite like the movies. London feels a lot more modern than how films portray it. While there are many great locally-owned shops and restaurants, there are many chains as well. I also was surprised by the amount of graffiti, litter, and smoke everywhere. This was a slight disappointment for it ruined the charm of so many areas. For example, the blue door featured in the movie, Notting Hill had graffiti on it. I also visited a location featured in the movie, About Time that was covered in graffiti. Despite all of this, London was still a beautiful city. My favorite place there is Nona Selena, the restaurant across from our hotel that we are at every other night. They have the best lemon cello spritz ever. When I am old in a nursing home with dementia, the only thing I will remember is that amazing restaurant. I am so glad I got to have this experience. It was a great way to see someeplace else besides America for the first time.

While this trip has been amazing and one that I will never forget, I am ready to go home. This trip has felt like forever. I expected it to fly by because they say that time flies when you’re having fun. I have been having such a great time but 28 days is a long time to be away from what is familiar to you. I miss ice and most of all-AC. I am so excited to see my.family and friends to tell them about all my adventures and, (insert sarcasm) hear how miserable their lives have been without me. I am so grateful for this opportunity and it is a memory I will never forget. While I sometimes wish I could travel more and see all of the wonders that England has to offer, I am also reminded that all good things must come to an end.