Shakespeareland

When I moved to Europe, Dr. Wallace informed his parents and they made me promise to visit them. I finally delivered on that promise and so I left a glorious 33C Muenchen day to experience a typical English summer - a rainy 18C. Hoo yeah! After flying in quite early, they decided that we should maximise my visit to Warwickshire by taking me to the home town of one of their most famous sons, Shakespeare's Stratford upon Avon.

At the end of my visit, I was asked by some students completing a survey to rate the town. My assessment was that it was *Supercute* (much to their disdain - they wanted a 1-4 ranking). But seriously, SuA is Super-kawaii! It was all cobbled streets and Tudor-style buildings. Check out the pics.

The mini houses and pedestrian road on the way into town.

The house that Shakespeare was born in.

The queue waiting to get into the house that Shakespeare was born in. When given the choice, I decided that we shouldn't join them. 

And now the house Shakespeare died in + the archaeological dig site in the garden.

Check out the Tudor houses!

More Tudor housing!

And even more!

I was told that this is the oldest urinal in England. Truth of this statement is yet to be verified. 

But SuA isn't just a museum town, it is actually a living town with schools and businesses. Here's proof!

Dad Wallace pointing out where Dr. Wallace went to school.

It was commented that this was the place that crushed his spirit - child photos on display in the house proved that he used to laugh a lot! Those wooden supports and small windows do give it the appearance of a prison...

The school chapel. I noted from my own experience that all school chapels seem to smell the same, no matter which continent. 

We strolled on into the town and I admired how pretty and English it all looked.

The home theatre of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Those bricked up windows are due to the Window Tax!

Looking down the river Avon.

I stupidly asked "What's the name of this river?" *facepalm"

But my feeling of stupidity was ameliorated by watching the people in this canal boat try to get through the canal. Trust me, it was very amusing. 

Walking through the streets, we saw this bear dressed in Tudor clothes so I needed to cuddle it.

As you can tell, it was a pretty cold so to end our visit to this very English town, birthplace of a very English writer, and experiencing its very English weather, we did a very English thing - we had some cups of tea with cake.