Yesterday, I had a revelation moment--I was on a coach ride, listening to a British guide crack jokes about British ghost stories and Winston Churchill, leaving The Eagle and Child pub at Oxford University for Stratford-Upon-Avon, in England, on a beautiful spring day. It does not get any better than that.
We left our lodgings at Earl's Court for good and set off for a two-day stay at Stratford, the birthplace and burial site of William Shakespeare (they say Disney is the happiest place on Earth; they have obviously never been to the city of Stratford before). In all your Christmas puzzles and ideal dreams of the rolling green hills and quaint village towns of England, Stratford surpasses them all. On our way, we stopped and toured part of Oxford University, a gorgeous bubble of history and ancestry. Here are a few pictures from the past few days!
 |
| Balliol College at Oxford |
 |
| Oh hey, the Great Hall from Harry Potter anyone? (This isn't where they actually filmed it but it certainly looks like it was the inspiration) |
 |
| There was a competition to design new gargoyles at Oxford, and the one on the right is Aslan! |
 |
| A picture in front of Britain's first round library |
 |
| A "falconry" exhibit at Mary Arden's Tudor farm; this lady, Thalia, was posing hard (and she also flew over our heads when we were the "volunteers") |
 |
| A picture with the Falconer himself! |
 |
| Thank you for being the Portia to my Bassanio, even if you do look scared to death of me. |
 |
| Group photo on the streets of Stratford |
 |
| These were the original floors in the house where Shakespeare was born; I literally walked in the footsteps of the smartest man to ever live! (don't argue with that) |
 |
| Shakespeare's birthplace from the outside |
 |
| A Shakespearean actor in front of the great poet's birthplace |
 |
| Two English majors plus a Shakespeare statue = two happy ladies |
 |
| The Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare and family members are buried. |
 |
| Anne Hathaway's Cottage (William's wife) |
|
|
|
 |
| Just for fun, being in Harry Potter country, here's a shout out to everyone I introduced myself to in college that replied with "Dobbins? Oh, like Dobby on Harry Potter?" |
 |
| Dear Hamlet, even though you were a bit of a cad, I would pay the price of madness to be your Ophelia any day. |
|
|
 |
| My fellow English major/roommate/partner-in-adventure |
Truth is has brought back my glorious memories of my time in Stratford-on-Avon in 1965! That is where I saw Merchant of Venice! They were also celebrating the 200th birthday of Shakespeare. It was a great time to be there!
ReplyDelete