Surprising Stratford

Stratford-upon-Avon is a tiny little town in the countryside with a big history.  It just so happens that Shakespeare lived there and was buried there, so lit lovers from around the world tend to flock to the countryside in droves.  It also happens to be where the Royal Shakespeare Company has its theatres and homebase, which quite honestly was the only real reason why I wanted to go in the first place.  I was going to see Richard II and that was that.  I certainly wasn't buzzing all year about staying in a town much the same size as the one in which I currently reside.

Oh boy was I surprised!  Yes the town is tiny.  Yes, there's really not much to do there.  But that's not really the point. It's beautiful and quiet and exactly what you expect a town in the English countryside to be.  It might well be one of my new favorite places; definitely itching to go back there more than Paris.  

For one thing, the Shakespeare connection is everywhere you look: cottages, businesses and even boats are inspired by his works and plays.  And you get the feeling, it's not just a ploy. This isn't the world's largest ball of string attraction.  All of the properties are filled with tons of information on the man and his life.  The Royal Shakespeare Company specifically makes it its mission to spread his works and inspires others to learn, read and relish this classic literature.  On top of all this, the town itself is so walkable.  You can reach pretty much every property or business on the High Street by foot.  While walking you could take in the beauty of the Avon river, check out the kitschy shops on the High Street, admire the church where Shakespeare was buried, or even celebrity spot the players from the RSC who are moving about town (I personally saw Oliver Ford Davies and Jane Lapatoaire - alas, no David Tennant though I did try unbelievably hard...) It's no London of course, but the fact that such a quiet, beautiful, idyllic area is reachable within 2 hours, is quite appealing especially for a Bard lover like me.

What We Did: Shop (quite a bit - their shopping area is quite well stocked!), Canal boat ride on the Avon, Holy Trinity church where Shakespeare's grave resides, Richard II at the RSC (Sublime, Brilliant, Gorgeous and about 30 other good adjectives, I can't say enough good things about this performance), and statue hunting (I found the one inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream: woohoo!)

What We Ate: Aubergine au Gratin and a to die for Brownie Sundae at The Dirty Duck/The Black Swan, Chocolate Banana Pasty and an Egg Tart at Pasty Presto, Ravioli and Prosciutto at Carluccio's and a Banoffle (Banana and Tofee Gelato a top a Belgian waffle covered in hot fudge and banana pieces - I'm still dreaming of that dessert!) at Hooray's.

Surprises Along the Way: For someone who craves the lights and sounds of a big city, I found the quiet of the countryside quite relaxing and enjoyable.
~ The Shakespeare properties are dotted around the town like gas stations and McDonald's are here.  You can literally walk down the street and just bump into the Bard's Grammar School.

Verdict: With the Royal Shakespeare Company, all of the literature connections, the small cottages dotted along the waterside, London within a train ride's distance and the green space surrounding the Avon, I found that I could live out my days quite happily in one of those adorable little cottages named after some Shakespeare play.

 The big ball of white light there in the center is David Tennant (spotlights and cellphones - not really a good combo...)

Trip Planning is Under Way

The planning for the European Adventure is under way.  The itinerary has gone through quite a few iterations since I first began in January.  Edinburgh had come off the list but has since been added back in.  Hay-on-Wye was on the list then not, then on again, only to be scrapped (regrettably the drive is just too long).  Dorset, Oxford and Land's End were added in but have been scrapped as well.  For the time being, it would seem that it's London, Edinburgh, and Stratford-upon-Avon. 

Now that that's worked out, I'm realizing the absolute best part of trip planning: what to see, eat, and do while we're there.  And I'm here to share a secret, the coolest tool to use when planning these fun things is Pinterest.  Ok, this may not be such a surprise, but I'm having a blast pinning all kinds of fun places and restaurants and parks.  Seeing all this wonder, gets me even more revved up for the trip.  Some of my favorites are below.  If you click here, you can see them all.  But since this is an activity I partake in quite a bit, I'm warning you, there are quite a few pins.

RSC Theatre where I'll be seeing Richard II!

Graffiti on Abbey Road - I've always been in love with this song, though finding particular graffiti in a city covered in the stuff may be slightly difficult...

Churchill Arms in Notting Hill - Not even sure what the menu is but I'm in awe of the flower boxes.  Of course I'm sure they won't be as beautiful come October...

Heart of Midlothian outside of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.  I'm not sure what the story is but it's a beautiful little Easter egg in the "heart" of the city.

I must be honest, I'm a little too excited about these mini libraries.  I may or may not have been planning exactly what book I'm taking with me to trade in and what the message inside said book will be...

Royal Mile in Edinburgh - Our hotel is right on this gorgeous strip!

Spatially Challenged

As a 30th birthday present to myself, I think I've finally decided to give myself the trip I've always wanted: London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Hay-on-Wye and Edinburgh.  10 whole days to do the things I've been dying to do and see the places I've been dreaming about.  Since I've decided on October, I have 9 months to do the planning but since this is all very exciting, I've already started.  Here's the thing...I am apparently spatially challenged when it comes to these things...

After an hour last week, I had a list of everything I wanted to see, and a detailed map of where I needed to go and how I was going to arrive there.  I had train stations marked and in the case of Hay-on-Wye, connector buses since there are no train stations in the village.  I had it planned out to the hour, and everything I wanted to see worked into my timetable perfectly. 

Then I thought, "maybe I should actually look at the rail map and an actual map of Great Britain to see how much it would cost and if my calculations were correct."  This is where the trouble started.  For a country that's roughly the size of a few of our smaller states jammed together, towns and cities are VERY far from each other.  And it just so happens that the 4 places I want to see are EXTREMELY far from each other.  Now that shouldn't be problem because they have a fantastic rail system, right?!  Well they do but the map for the rail system I believe has been concocted by some sort of masochist who really likes his job.  Exhibit A: Stratford-Upon-Avon is no more than 2 inches from Hereford (the closest station to HoW) on the map but there is absolutely NO convenient line that will take you between these 2 cities.  I can't even figure out a loop in which I could change trains...What is wrong with me?!

Then there's the issue of in which order to visit all 4 places.  I pondered this one thought for a good 20 minutes straight with about 100 iterations until my head started to hurt and I gave up.  If I were smart, I'd pick 4 other relatively close knit places and go there but I'm picky and I want what I want.  So while I foresee quite a lot of research and headache in the coming months, I'm positive it will be for the best.

 I was one of those people who never wanted an itinerary, choosing rather to leave travel up to chance, but it seems that with this trip, I'll need to plan to the last second.  Do you think it's too late to hire a personal secretary to go with me?