Stratford upon Avon was the perfect destination for a restful weekend getaway before departing from Europe this summer. If Shakespeare had taken a trip to London, he would likely have traveled by horseback to his hometown of Stratford, possibly passing through Oxford. The journey from London to Stratford-upon-Avon, which is roughly 101 miles, would have taken several days, depending on the mode of travel. A horse-drawn carriage would have taken about 10 days, while riding horseback would have taken around 4 to 5 days. Walking would have taken approximately 5 days.
The small historic town served as a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city of London. Visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage perusing the markets in front of the Royal Shakespeare Company and lying beside the river sighting the swans was an extreme enjoyment. The bed and breakfast was a perfect 5-minute walking distance from the main avenues of the town. My room was neat, cozy, and extremely comfortable.
I felt like a poet or novelist going away to find inspiration somewhere far away from everywhere they’d ever been. It was a tiny adventure within a chaotic yet amazing, life-changing trip.
I would just like to say that the town of Stratford-upon-Avon is absolutely lovely. Its small size vaguely reminds me of my home town, and while it’s still a lot larger than Mount Ida, I felt very at home the whole time we stayed here. The slower pace, beautiful architecture and greenery, and cozy bed and breakfast made for a wonderful end of the trip.
For once I won’t end with art, because all I have to offer is a small portrait sketch. I did it on the bus ride to the airport so it’s not the best, but whatever. This sketch made me realize how little I understand technique for portraying hair. I think that’s something I need to spend more time on. Anyway, here it is!
Alright, now for the rest of the blog post.
I went into this trip excited, but not entirely sure what to expect. I had never been outside of the country before. Would I be anxious? What if I somehow managed to not learn anything?? What if I hated everything??? What if a random guy stole my phone out of my coat pocket while I was taking a selfie??!? Yet none of that was ever an issue. I honestly felt a lot more comfortable with the new circumstances I’d been given than I thought I would. I figured I would hate it at first, or at least be homesick, but I think I adjusted pretty quickly to being in a new place (AND with people I didn’t really know all that well).
I set three goals for this trip (besides, y’know, learning about theatre): make art, explore places on my own, and learn more about people. And I do believe I’ve succeeded in all three. With art, I’ve had something to include in every blog post– with little doodles I’ve additionally drawn along the way. This is genuinely the most art I’ve made since, well, last summer, and it has absolutely made me a much happier person. I feel as if I’m more willing to take the time to learn new things in art, rather than strictly sticking to portraits as I’ve caught myself doing this past year. I’ve also not only explored London on my own, but I went to Cardiff as well. I mostly had a goal to do that so I could force myself to improve my horrid directional skills, as well as gain a little bit more independence. And the people!! I’ve talked to so many people here and had so many lovely interactions. MUCH more good than bad. Based on those interactions alone, I’m pretty convinced that if I ever moved to the UK I would be just fine.
Overall I regret nothing, and I’d like to believe I’m coming home with plenty of experiences, a deeper appreciation for the world of theatre, and a slightly better understanding of this big ol’ world we live in (and a newfound love for the tesco meal deal). And what more could you possibly want?
I sat down to watch this play without expecting literally anything from it. I didn’t expect it to be good, nor did I expect it to be bad. Rather, I found that I simply had a curiosity for how the show would mix Radiohead with Hamlet. And, honestly? I think it was amazing. I really liked it. In fact, this trip in general has shown me how interesting Shakespeare performances can be. I say that as someone who has an embarrassingly restricted amount of knowledge in regards to Shakespeare’s work. Psychology major, what can I say? But I really enjoyed the way music was used. It allowed for the use of dance, which in turn could be used as a vessel, allowing for a new way to convey events and relationships. Or, at least, that’s how I interpreted it. Overall though, I wish I had done more research before going into the show. I would’ve liked to have a better understanding of the music used. Without that, I feel like I couldn’t have a full appreciation for what I was watching. BUT, of course, it was still great.
Okay. Andddd art!
While in Shakespeare’s New Place, I did a VERY quick sketch of the man himself!! Listen, there was a pencil and paper put right in front of me, I couldn’t help myself. Not much to say about this one, just because I did it fast. Obviously he wouldn’t be perfect. However, I was surprised about how quickly I did him. Usually it takes me a long time to be able to capture what a person looks like. It’s always weird noticing your own active improvement in a skill.
The pigeon was just a quick sketch I did on a napkin at Nandos. Nothing special!!
I technically have more art, however it’s mostly just a lot of really bad attempts at landscapes in watercolor. I’ve been trying, and I currently have about four attempts in my sketchbook, but something is just not clicking for me. I think, mostly, I’m just being impatient. If I added more layers and really put the time and care into it, I’m sure I could produce something far better than what I’m making right now. But currently, I am VERY bad at landscapes. I’m having such a hard time. Please help.
The markets in London are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The wide variety of foods, dizzying pace of the crowds, and constant bombardment of new sights and smells is foreign, but definitely not unwelcomed. I believe I mentioned this in my first blog post, but I am amazed at the variety of culture that can be found in London. Obviously I was aware that other cultures existed before coming here, but there’s something about being in it, about seeing different foods and clothes, hearing different languages and dialects, etc. that expands the mind. Or at least, it expanded MY mind. I’ve never craved to understand different perspectives more. Does that make sense? Like, seeing all of the different people with different backgrounds made me more aware, almost. I’ve never been more inspired to read about different religions and cultures. That could also be the psychology student part of me. I want to understand people, I suppose.
Okay, art!!
I did a quick painting of a stuffed animal that Hadley bought, and I won’t lie, I kinda dig the texture I gave him. I think I did an alright job of making him actually appear to be round as well. He’s not perfect, but he is whimsical, and sometimes that’s all you can ask for with art.
While at the Tate Modern museum, I also sat down in the Tate Draw room to draw for fun. I attempted to sketch a fox, but gave up almost immediately. I got some of the face done before deciding I no longer wanted to sit in there, so I left him behind with a rough sketch for a body. It was also weird drawing on those screens, because it wasn’t the most advanced pen and tablet ever. 4/10 drawing experience. Anyway here’s the fox (please don’t look too closely at him).
Stratford upon Avon is the most polar opposite to London while still being a big tourist location in England. While London is big on night life and staying out late, Stratford upon Avon is pretty much closed by 6 P.M. while London is always fast moving and crowded, Stratford is relatively calm and slow. What they have in common is an abundance of delicious gelato, which I will dearly miss.
I am also going to miss some of the cultural aspects that are different in England than in the U.S. the biggest of these is definitely the meal deal, which is at almost every convenience store in London and I have not seen at all in the U.S. the mix of convenience and variety. I also really liked the culture of mostly take out versus eating in. There were many restaurants where eating in wasn’t an option, and there was often a surcharge for eating in the restaurant. Having the option to just grab some food from pretty much any spot in London was great during busier days so I didn’t have to halt my plans.
The biggest difference I noticed culturally was the way that customer service worked. I am used to in small stores in Arkansas being somewhat greeted at the door and at restaurants have a waiter regularly come over to check on me. In London, most restaurants would leave you alone after ordering your food, maybe checking on you once or twice if you were there for a while. As someone who sometimes gets anxious talking to new people, I appreciated the conversations mainly being on the customer and not being assumed. I also feel like it is better for the workers in London because they don’t have to constantly pretend to be super happy and talkative like they do at many businesses in the U.S.
The biggest take away I got from this study abroad came from My Neighbor Totoro. I often have a frustration, especially within the last couple of years, that I have had trouble describing. Even now I have a hard time putting words too it but the best way I can describe it is a desire for accomplishment or closeness to a particular idea. Be it a design, character, or abstract concept I would want to express it in a way I did not know how. Creative projects would help with the frustration, and sometimes sated it somewhat for a time, but more often than not it would lead to half finished projects or dropped hobbies trying to get close to the idea. Recently with the frustration I have had a fear that it may not be something I can fully get rid of, that the desire for closeness and frustration for being unable to achieve it may just be something I have to live with. That changed when I saw Totoro. Everything about the puppet, it’s stage presence, the way it moved, the way it felt alive, blew me away. It scratched that itch at the back of my brain, that frustration, in a way that nothing else has quite been able to hit. I still can’t place specifically what it was about Totoro that hit that mark, but just the knowledge that it exists, that the frustration can be stopped, has been deeply calming for me. Next time that frustration and anxiety starts to rise, if it does, I feel like it will be much easier to manage because while I don’t know exactly what it is, I know there is a concrete solution, and have at least a jumping off point to replicate it.While the production My Neighbor Totoro certainly had its problems, and was not the best show we saw objectively, it definitely had the most impact on me and I believe will lead to long term improvement to my life as a theater maker.
Before this trip I did not really believe in a singular life altering experience, and to a certain degree I still don’t. People are such a odd combination of experiences and genetics and I don’t think one month can fully change a person, but I feel like this study abroad has definitely caused a shift in me, and I am excited to get back to Arkansas and get to work.
Walking into the past home of such important people was an odd experience. I’ve only ever known a low-income life, so thinking about a more “luxurious” lifestyle than mine is rather difficult. I think, mostly, I find it hard to appreciate the beauty behind the privilege. Learning about all of the luxuries brought about a very familiar, sticky feeling in the pit of my stomach that can only be described as a mix of envy and hate. Okay, maybe not hate. Perhaps distaste? Yeah, that sounds right. I’ll save my “eat the rich” rant for another day, though. You’re welcome.
Anyway, walking through the various rooms also made me think about how strange some of the etiquette and daily rituals were. There are so many weird rules to meeting royalty, and I’m personally not a fan of all the pomp and circumstance. “Kiss the king’s hand” no thank you, that is a grown man!! I do not know where bro’s hands have been!!! Seriously though, it was really cool to get a look at everything in person and learn a little more about how they went about their lives.
Alright, art. While in Cardiff, I stayed at an airbnb that was also the residence of a delightful cat named Ziggy. He had to be one of the softest cats I’ve ever pet, and he had the prettiest fur. It was different shades of brown, which I thought would make for an interesting painting. I did a very quick painting of him while waiting for the time to get on the bus back to London, so it’s not my best work, but it was a fun exercise. I did not sketch him out beforehand, and this time that did NOT go well for me. On my first attempt the proportions were all off, and I had to rely on layering to slowly fix the way he looked. I’d definitely like to try again when the trip is over, that way I can put more time into it.
For our last few days across the pond, the Theatre in London group stayed in Stratford-Upon-Avon at two Bed and Breakfasts run by sisters!
I was in “The Hathaways,” pictured here. The other half of our group was next door. Every morning we would eat breakfast in our respective places and then leave all together to explore Stratford.
Saying goodbye to London was heartbreaking, but our visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon was so beautiful it almost made me forget we were nearing the end of our trip. The hustle and bustle of the big city of London was very different from the small, sleepy city of Stratford. Most days, the streets wouldn’t begin filling with people until close to 10 or 11 am, and a full street in Stratford was like a quiet morning in London. The streets were vacant again by about 6pm each night.
Most of what made Stratford attractive was its natural beauty paired with the fact that it is Shakespeare’s birth place and where he spent most of his early life. During our time here, we visited both Shakespeare’s childhood home as well as his wife Anne Hathaway’s. We also visited Trinity Church where they are both buried. I had been telling Shawn Irish the day before that I missed my running route at home that went past a graveyard so when I discovered a graveyard on my run the next morning I had to take a picture. Unbeknownst to me, I was passing through the Trinity Church’s graveyard on the morning before we were planning to visit!
Stratford-Upon-Avon is a small town that wakes up late and goes to bed early. This meant I was able to take pictures of Shakespeare’s home with nobody around! During our visiting time, it was a different story. We explored the house in all its glory and learned about how it had changed through the years. Much of the house was not part of the original when Shakespeare was born but was added on by his family when Shakespeare was much older.
We walked on the very same floor that Shakespeare and his family walked on hundreds of years ago. Can you believe it? Back then, the floors would have been mostly the dirt of the earth, but there was one room where they speculate the stone is the same that was there back in Shakespeare’s time. The walls were also made of a mixture of mud and horse hair and the covered in a lime plaster. There was a lot that had probably changed to help preserve the home and make it a museum, but it was still the same location and a lot of the original house where William Shakespeare lived. He slept, ate, played, and thought in this house. I think I am still in shock right now.
Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Childhood Home
After we had gone through the house, we exited into the courtyard behind the building and were met with two actors performing several shakespearean scenes including the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet! During one scene, our very own Reece and Jack got to be a part of the show!
The next day, we trekked about a mile to see Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Although we were there at a very busy time, I was able to snap the picture below with only a few people in it! It was super cool to walk around her cottage and learn about Anne and Shakespeare’s relationship, including all of the scandals! It turns out, Anne was almost three months pregnant when they were married! This was common at the time since many women would be betrothed for a long while before actually getting married, but they still had to marry quickly before Anne began to show.
Anne Hathaway’s CottageBees at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
During our short visit, I spent a lot of time just exploring Stratford-Upon-Avon. I got up early each morning to go for a run or walk along the River Avon, and one morning I took my camera with me. That morning, I was able to captured some of the beautiful Stratford (and its inhabitants). On our last day I spent nearly three hours taking more pictures!
Note to readers: this is being written with tears in my eyes
Stratford-upon-Avon was the final stop of my super fun and cool theatre in London extravaganza. I am distraught, to say the least. However, I do think, as sad as I am, Stratford is the perfect place to end this study abroad.
I am a certified Shakespeare freak. I was always the one kid that was actually excited when our teachers forced us to read his plays. I am nothing if not dramatic, so I have always appreciated Shakespeare’s dramatic flare. I am honestly kind of surprised Merritt and I were able to make it through the stay without combusting from excitement. Not only did we get to stay in the place he lived, minus the time he left (but we do not talk about that) we also got to literally walk in his footsteps. All of the buildings and artifacts from the Shakespeare estates truly made me feel like I had been teleported back into time. It was also a nice change of pace and scenery (and I enjoyed blowing my nose without it being black from pollution). Stratford allowed me a chance to slow down after such consistent activity. Finally, I know I already wrote a blog post about it, but Hamlet: Hail to the Thief was such an incredible play. It was so incredible to see the legacy of Shakespeare’s work in real time.
Now, a little spew about the trip as a whole. Thank you so much Shawn and Susan for allowing me to be a participant of this incredible program. I have truly had some of the greatest and happiest moments of my life on this trip. I have gotten to meet so many incredible theatre nerds that have allowed my ascend to my true form. Jk. On a more serious note, I have met some of the most amazing people, and had the opportunity to bond with them in a way that I never would have otherwise. London is such a beautiful city with excellent food, theatre, culture, buildings, museums, etc. I wish I never have to leave, but alas…. So long, London. I will yearn for you for the rest of my life.
What a month! If there ever was a way to completely describe my time in London, I’m sure it would take many more pages and would never quite do the experience justice, but I will try!
I was incredibly nervous for this trip. Even the idea of going to London with a bunch of people I didn’t really know was so far out of my comfort zone that I could barely even think about it before I left. It was an on a whim decision, but boy am I glad I took the leap. This has been an absolute dream and really is a time of my life that I want to remember forever. This trip carried a lot of emotional weight for me, as the reason I chose to join it was a month after my sweet momma passed away – when my dad told me that I needed something to look forward to, anything really. Just something good that I could have to keep me going. That day, I saw a poster for Theater In London in Kimpel Hall, and I figured that might be a good option. I don’t remember much from the last year of my life, but I do remember the excitement I felt as I anticipated this trip, and also the nerves…and also the fear…
But all that to say, it truly has been one of the best choices I could have made for myself at a time when I didn’t even know how to put on foot in front of the other. This trip had hard moments – moments where I missed my mom, my family, my friends at home, the things that were normal to me! But my cup has continued to overflow with the love of the people around me, the incredible adults on this trip, and the late night talks and Tesco runs.
Part of my heart really did heal in London.
Spending the last few days of our trip in Stratford-Upon-Avon was the most perfect ending to our time together. It was a chance to calm down after being so caught up in the hustle and bustle of London, and it was just a gorgeous, quaint town with something completely unique to explore – Shakespeares birthplace!
This was one of the favorite parts of the entire trip. Seeing the home, and the exact room where Shakespeare was born was an experience that I do not take for granted. It was almost impossible to imagine that he really stood in these rooms, really lived within these walls. I kept trying to look in the corners and see if I could picture him standing there, just talking to his mother, or reading a book. Its hard to imagine such an icon as a real person, especially one that lived that long ago. His home was full of real artifacts and creaky floors, and was exactly what I expected it to be. Anne Hathaway’s cottage was the same deal – just what I thought it might look like. It was a gift to see such a generational treasure for her family! We found out that they still have family reunions there, the latest one being a couple months ago, with the youngest child in attendance only at the age of one.
The cottage had so many pieces of furniture that were original to the Hathaway family/Shakespeare, including Shakespeare’s writing chair, and the Hathaway bed original from the 1500’s. It was incredible to see furniture this old and belonging to such significant historical figures – especially something like a bed, so intimate. It makes me wonder how they could have ever known that 500 years from their lives people would be flocking in just to get a look at their humble bedrooms and kitchens. I guess we never really know the impact we leave, and I think in a lot of ways that is beautiful. They really did just exist, and love and cry and work and then finally die, just like we all will. It makes me feel so nostalgic, even though this wasn’t my life, but almost like they’re looking down and seeing us imagine what their lives were like. I wonder what they think about that.
We also saw the New Place, which was bought by Shakespeare after his marriage to Anne to raise their family there. Sadly, it is no longer standing in the spot it once was, but there is a beautiful garden and a very cool exhibit there to memorialize the spot.
Our time in Stratford-Upon-Avon, though short, was enriching and fun and very laid back. We had a blast at our final group dinner all together, and had a sweet night of packing and watching Glee with my roommates!
This trip is something I want to tell everyone I know to go on. It was a growth experience in so many ways – and seeing such incredible theater for a month straight was a huge privilege. I will miss everything about this trip, but especially the late nights with roommates, getting on the wrong bus with Anna and going all the way to Kensington at midnight, the mean waiters at Honest Burger, being endlessly confused after My Master Builder and Here We Are, crying at Benjamin Button, writing blog posts at 3am, the dirty plates at the Royal National, discovering the water filler at the hotel 2 weeks into the trip, Anna falling down the stairs not once – but twice, the lady that came to our door to tell us to be quiet when we weren’t even talking, seeing Arty from Glee in person, knowing where Hamlet lives, my extra special ice cream topping, eating at Franco Manca (freaky moo moo) at least 5 times, blisters in Italy, stealing free samples from Whittard every single day, discovering Farmer J, endless vanilla matchas, and some of the funniest people I will ever know. Thankful for a month of memories that make me richer!!
As this trip comes to an end, I am incredibly grateful for all of the experiences gifted to us throughout. From a stressful arrival, to finding a groove in the city, to the last few days of a slower pace, this study abroad experience has filled my cup infinitely.
We just finished up our last few days in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace! While there we got to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s cottage, the home he built for the two of them called The New Place, and Trinity Church where they are both buried. Both Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage are still standing to this day. In many of the rooms they still had original pieces such as Shakespeare’s writing chair, bed frames, and even original windows! It is insane to think that these buildings that were built almost half a millenia ago are still standing strong enough for us to go inside. I think about the buildings we make today, the homes and skyscrapers and theatres, and can’t imagine any of them still standing 500 years from now. Some of the flooring we walked across was the original stone flooring, and I was struck by walking in the literal footsteps of Shakespeare. Because he, too, was just a man. He had no idea of the legacy he would leave (or at least certainly not to the extent he would leave it), and he was just living his life the best way he knew how. And really, what more can any of us try to do than that?
The New Place unfortunately no longer stands, though the grounds on which it was built are now covered in beautiful gardens. There are markings on the stone pavement that give an idea of which rooms might have lived in which part of the garden. Once again, I was struck by the connection to history. Only this time it wasn’t just about the connection to these historical figures, but rather to every person who had walked along this path. The friends of Shakespeare’s children who came over to play, the owners who moved in after, the ones going through the ruins once the house no longer stood, the ones who decided to plant a marvellous garden. We are all connected in ways we cannot begin to comprehend, and I am ever thankful for the way that energy flows through the universe in one never ending loop.
Trinity Church was absolutely beautiful. The stained glass, though it would not have been present during Shakespeare’s time, was marvelous. Within the church lay the remains of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. There is also a bust of Shakespeare up on the wall in full color that shows him writing with a quill and ink. While these death memorial statues were common in the day, it was not at all common to have them in color or to have any notion of the person’s profession. This to me says that Shakespeare’s faith truly was in his writing and his connection to humanity, rather than to any connection to the divine. I can’t say I blame him – I’d rather be known for the ways I impacted the world around me than whatever faith to which I hold.
All in all, I could not be more thankful for this experience. From theatres to gardens to museums to quaint little towns, I’ve gotten to see the world through so many different lenses. I have learned so much about the creation of art that I cannot wait to bring into my future work. More than anything, I am grateful for the people with whom I got to share this experience. Good times are only made better by good company, and this most certainly was good company. I think Juliet said it best – parting is such sweet sorrow.
