Now, we're getting to the really exciting part of the trip that I've been looking forward to writing about for quite a while. I'm not exactly sure if it was in chronological order, or close, but the 2nd week of our trip started out with the only overnight excursion that we would take as a group, to Stratford-upon-Avon. For you history buffs, that's better known as the birthplace of Shakespeare. This is something that Peter, one of our instructors, referred to as Disney-fication, where the attractions themselves were made to look less realistic in the name of capitalism, as of course would have been with a lot of major attractions in the area. In this case, this location was bought and curated by the same people who run Madame Tussauds wax museum, which is sufficiently creepy enough in itself and not worth it for us to make the trip after viewing the displays in Warwick Castle, which I'll get to in a minute.
The journey started off with us missing the train by about 10 minutes The good thing about this was that I found out once again how helpful the transportation staff would be, which is a recurring theme, unlike here in America where I usually have to deal with paratransit providers, or at least I used to. Thankfully, we were able to catch one that gave us only a couple hours delay and missed the tour of Mary Arden's farmhouse. One thing I do remember, though, when we switched trains, was that the conductor aboard the first train seemed to know this very friendly man who tried to approach us on the platform while he waited. Apparently he had some sort of intellectual disability and he frequented the platform often. At this time, my friend was more concerned for my safety and tried to get in between us, but I was more concerned for my friend at the time. He eventually went on his way and we went on ours.
A couple cups of tea and some gorgeous greenery later, we had arrived. Our accommodations were located in the community and were some of the quaintest little B&Bs I had ever seen. it was really lovely. The next thing we did was join the group for a walk about town, which involved talking about the architecture of not only Shakespeare's home, but many of the churches and parks and schools in the area. We visited Shakespeare's grave site and discovered that many famous members of the family also lived nearby. After this walk through the simultaneously quaint and touristy town, we were free to explore on our own for a while.
At this point, some friends and I decided to go into a magic shop, I believe it was called the Creaky Cauldron. They were offended that we would ask if they were around before Harry Potter, which it turns out they were, by a long shot. Most of us spent the equivalent of $4.50 on butterbeer, which in my opinion was disgusting (only to be outdone by a local Ballard favorite a year later–one of the best things I've ever tasted!). After this, we adjourned for dinner, and then one of the greatest shows ever-Henry IV part 1 as the Royal Shakespeare Company theater.
Now of course, we knew that most people would give their front teeth to see the show we were about to see. Of course, I had had my fair share of Shakespeare (thanks Gifted and IB English!) But this was actually my first time studying it in college, so I was surprised how simple the crash course we got was in the class the day before. Granted, it was still enough to understand what was going on on stage.
This stage was in the middle of stadium style circular seating with a central platform and walkway on all 4 sides, which means that some of the cast went directly through the audience on their way to the stage, creating an incredibly unique viewing experience. I think most of us, though, were too busy looking at the incredibly handsome and talented Alex Hassell to care! ( am I right?) Nevertheless, it was a fantastic show with fantastic acting and special effects, which I will remember the plot of more clearly once I have a chance to read the play again! :) It all has to do with becoming king, greed, cunning, and trickery, of course, oh, and a few witty one-liners thrown in, as any good Shakespeare play will do.
Most of our group met together at a pub afterwards, which marked the 1st time that the group had helped me to ascend a flight of stairs in my wheelchair. I think the pub was called the Dirty Duck if I remember correctly. This made me think that my last post is almost certainly out of order, but that's okay. The good news is I made it down safely and a good time was had by all!
After a lovely breakfast at our B&Bs the next morning, the group headed to Warwick Castle, one of the oldest castle sites still standing, I believe it was built somewhere around 1186 if I remember correctly. That being said, this was probably the part of the trip that I was the most concerned about accessibility wise. There were many different types of attractions available including the launch of a flaming trebuchet, archery, birding, the dungeon of doom, which I didn't go into, and the main part of the castle which had all the rooms set up in period decoration with these creepy wax figures à la Madame Tussaud's with recordings of the people talking about how the woman had cheated on her husband while eating little wax pastries, etc. There was also one about a bunch of men gambling if I remember correctly. And then this building had a lot of period armor and weapons, which was cool. I had a plan worked out that 2 guys in my group were willing to help me get up to the top of the castle tower, but my professor talked them out of it because he was too concerned about safety and me taking the risk, so instead there was some video footage taken for me, which, come to think of it I don't think I ever saw. While everybody was busy climbing 27 flights, I hung out with the peacocks in the castle gardens, which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Many an iconic picture was taken here.
And finally, as if we thought Peter was truly a man of all trades already, what with being a professor, a published author, a historian, a B&B owner, and a theater critic, we also learned that he was an acclaimed chef as well. When we came back from our day trip to his B&B, there was some of the most wonderful food I have ever tasted in my entire life, only to tell us afterward that he actually had made most of the entire thing. As if that weren't enough, while we were eating, we found out that our meal would be completed with Hal (a.k.a. Alex as mentioned above). Turns out he was a friend of the family and was gracious enough to sit with us for over an hour. I can't remember most of the things he said *swoon* but I do remember how he said he enjoys playing complex characters because he does not do any 2 performances of a show the same. He said every day he is still trying to figure out who Hal is, that's what keeps it interesting.
After lunch, everybody was brought back to the coach, and us to the train, for the three-hour return trip to London, where the only eventful thing that happened was I had to be carried up a flight of stairs by a stranger because there was no actual disability assistance on-site to get us to the other side of the tracks, only by phone. Other than that, though, I can say without a doubt that the people in Stratford were lovely, and that you are exhausted from reading this post! So until next time, my friends!
(Image: an arch in the beautiful gardens of Warwick Castle, covered in pale pink roses and surrounded by a circle of grass at the bottom. It is surrounded by gravel trails and lush greenery in the background)
(image: a medium shot of Warwick Castle with its tall stone tower standing tall in the front right corner of the photo. There is green grass on the lower third of the picture and surrounded by blue sky speckled with cumulus clouds)
(image: the front exterior of some shops in Stratford-upon-Avon, complete with Tudor wood paneling of brown designs on a white background. Some tourists and the road are visible in front of the shops)
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