"Do you not know that I am a woman? When I think, I must speak!" (As You Like It 3.2.240)

Day12:

As an English major and a language arts teacher, William Shakespeare is one of my favorite people.  That means Stratford-Upon-Avon is definitely a bucket-list kind of place for me.  I have been looking forward to going to Stratford for years, perhaps even decades!  The first thing I saw as we drove into town were Tudor-style houses.  As we reach the car park and disembark from the bus, I found myself getting excited to just walk the same streets as William and his family did so long ago.  As we reach the start of High Street, I notice a statue of a jester with quotes from a few of his plays inscribed around the base.

"On noble fool! A worthy fool!" ~As You Like It

We decided to wander down High Street and browse in some of the shops along the way.  We weren't really looking for anything in particular, just trying to see what was available.  I love that everything is so picturesque.

Eventually, we made it to the public library, and headed inside to see their children and young adult section.  After perusing their collection and picking up a few flyers about programming, we stopped to talk to a librarian at an information desk.  She told us that they didn't have a specific person responsible for the children/young adult section and that the library worked closely with the community to run programs.  I enjoyed talking with her and hearing more about the way public libraries work in the UK.  The four of us bought canvas bags, and she was really excited that we wanted to purchase them!  (They're really cute!)

Once we left the library, I picked up a lemon-poppyseed muffin (delicious!) in a local restaurant, and we carried on with our wanderings.  At the end of High Street, we decided to head toward Trinity Church, which is where William Shakespeare attended church and is buried.  The walk there along the river was lovely and relaxing.  There was a park where people were hanging out listening to music, the theatre we were going to see the play in later, the shops, the river with boats to rent, and a mini-golf course on the other side of the river.

The boats were named for Shakespeare's female characters.  There was no "Kate."

View of the Avon

When we reached the cemetery at Trinity Church, I noticed how peaceful and beautiful it was with the sunlight floating through the trees.  Again, I made my father proud by taking pictures of tombstones!  Here are some pictures from the cemetery and the exterior of the church:

 

 

This church is where William Shakespeare and his family attended.  He and his family are also buried here under the altar floor.  Shakespeare's grave has a curse inscribed on it that says, "Good friend for Jesus' sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man who spares these stones and cursed be the he who moves my bones."    Here are pictures of the interior of the church including Shakespeare's grave.

 

 

Shakespeare's grave with the curse.

 We left Trinity Church and headed back toward the main part of town to get an early dinner.  We decided to sit in the park and nap, read, or blog after eating our burgers and milkshakes.  Overall, the day was beyond relaxing and idyllic, which was exactly what I needed after a hectic Paris weekend!  When it was time for the play, I was ready to see a fantastic production of As You Like It, and the Royal Shakespeare Company certainly did not disappoint!

The production was not a traditional one, but that is what made it unique and wonderful!  The actors playing Rosalind and Orlando were brilliant and believable together. The costuming with the contrasting dark clothing for when in the duke's court and colorful for when in the Forest of Arden and set design using the rotating stage and the pit of gravel were clever and added to my overall experience.  I thoroughly enjoyed the production, and I was raving about it afterward.  The best thing I can say about the play is that I heard non-Shakespeare fans talking about how much fun it was and how much they had enjoyed it.  At the end of a long, but idyllic day, we headed back to the buses and began our journey back to London.