Hello again, all!! And also goodbye because this is my final blog in England. (Sad, I know. I’m sure you will all miss my ramblings.) I’m not ready to admit it’s the end, so I shall continue to live in denial as I write about our experiences one final time.
We have spent the last few days in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and it has been an incredible experience and a great way to end the trip. Life slows down a lot in Stratford, but my excitement did not. There was so much to see, despite how small the town is, and I love it here! Coming from the hustle and bustle of London, it was a big change to see just how small and secluded Stratford is. You can walk pretty much anywhere, there are cute shops and lots of pubs, and of course, Shakespeare things are everywhere!! We got to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace, his New Place, and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Each of these places were steeped in history, and it was fascinating to see where the man himself grew up. One of the gift shops we visited had a deck of cards that had “Shakespeare’s Flowers.” On the back of the deck, it talks about how you can so clearly see the way the nature in Stratford inspired his writings, and that could not be more true. There are beautiful fields and farms, full of different flowers all over the city (not to mention swans everywhere!!), and I could see how Shakespeare would be inspired to write about nature and why he was so good at it after seeing the place that raised him. He had no shortage of inspiration to take from the beautiful place he lived in.
I felt so at peace walking through the parks and fields and along the water in Stratford. While the city and shops were quaint and adorable, my favorite moments in Stratford were when I was just walking outside, admiring the nature and the incredible, old, Tudor architecture everywhere. When going home our first night (in the cold, mind you) my group got rained on (I’m talking downpour. We were soaked when we got back to our lodgings.). That may sound miserable, but the city, the excitement, and the joy of being with my friends made that one of the most fun moments for me. It was a small thing but a moment I will remember forever. Walking through Stratford in the rain after seeing a Shakespeare show may have been one of the most British moments of my whole trip, and it was awesome! One of the other cool moments from the trip was when a group of us went to The Dirty Duck one night, and we saw almost all of the actors from King Lear and Merry Wives of Windsor there. (It felt like spotting a celebrity in the wild. Lol)
I don’t quite know how to wrap up this post, seeing as it’s my last one, but I am so incredibly happy and blessed that I got to have this experience. I have learned so much about myself, theatre, and the world around me while in England. I have discovered I am capable of more than I ever thought I was, and for that, I am very proud of myself. I will miss cat cafes, walking everywhere, being with my friends everyday, seeing a new show each week, and of course, my Tesco Meal Deal. I will also miss seeing our fearless leaders (Shawn, Susan, Courtney, and Tim) each day. They make this trip possible, and their support has meant everything to me. I knew this trip had to come to a close eventually, but I still can’t fathom that it’s here. I hope to come back to London someday, but in the meantime, I am grateful for the memories I made this last month. I do not wish to say goodbye, so instead I will leave you with some Shakespeare. “Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.” See you, next time, England!!
P.S. My computer is being mean and won’t download photos from my phone or upload old ones right now, but I will hopefully add some later once I figure out the issue. Stay tuned!!
Edit: Here are the few photos that I could get to load!!!
Theatre in London U of A 