We started off the day early with a 7 am breakfast made by the wonderful Wilson sisters. After breakfast we hopped in the minivan ready for a near two hour drive to Stratford Upon Avon to explore Shakespeare's Birthplace. Most of us took advantage of the long drive to catch-up on some much needed sleep so we would be fueled for the exciting day ahead. Nearing the end of the drive, Connor and Angela gave very thorough and interesting site reports on Shakespeare's Birthplace and Shakespeare's New Place respectively.
Our first stop, Shakespeare's Birthplace, was the starting point of our journey beginning with us making our way through an exhibition dedicated to Shakespeare. After learning a little about Shakespeare, we headed to the building where he was born. We got a quick history of the cottage and were free to walk around after. It was truly amazing to be able to walk through the room where such an influential person was born. To follow up with exploring the house, we had the privilege of watching a few scenes from a variety of Shakespeare's plays performed by actors. Connor was asked to help play out a scene from Hamlet by acting as the uncle begging on his knees for forgiveness, which he was great at. Additionally, here at Shakespeare's Birthplace we walked through our first garden of the day!
We then walked to our next stop, Shakespeare's New Place, where his home originally stood but later demolished in 1759. To commemorate the importance of the site, a garden was created for people to be able to trace the footsteps of Shakespeare. The garden was uniquely beautiful and filled with vibrant flowers, sculptures, peaceful sitting areas and paths not seen in most other gardens. We all enjoyed walking around the garden especially with the blue skies, sunshine, and singing birds, all of which made it a magical place.
Next, we hopped back on the minivan for a quick drive to Anne Hathaway's Cottage. We learned that Anne was the wife of Shakespeare and married him when she was 26 and he was just 18 during our drive, Callista gave her site report on the cottage and some valuable history behind it. From entering the cottage grounds we were greeted with an extensive garden lands with cozy sitting places integrated into it. Before walking through the cottage, we received a brief lecture about the cottage and Anne. From this, one surprising fact we learned was that 13 generations lived in the house! After the short lecture, we made our way through the cottage then out to the gardens. We all appreciated the nature and beauty of the gardens as it was very relaxing to walk through.
After exploring, we were all hungry so we ate at Anne Hathaway's Cottage Cafe where we had a delicious meal providing us with fuel for the rest of the day. When lunch was over, we were back in the bus for a longer drive to Hampton Court Palace. Similar to before, a site report about the palace was given during our drive but this time by George.
Upon arriving at Hampton Court Palace, we found the ticket center closed and we only missed it by 3 minuets! We almost turned back when Mr. Grisbee saved the day by asking if we were allowed entrance with our London Passes. With our passes we got to explore the section about Henry VIII. We ended our time at the palace by walking through the acres of garden land. I think most of us agree that this garden was the most spectacular garden we have ever seen.
To make to the day even better, it was North's 18th birthday and we celebrated with delicious cake!!
Happy birthday to North!
- Sierra
Our first stop, Shakespeare's Birthplace, was the starting point of our journey beginning with us making our way through an exhibition dedicated to Shakespeare. After learning a little about Shakespeare, we headed to the building where he was born. We got a quick history of the cottage and were free to walk around after. It was truly amazing to be able to walk through the room where such an influential person was born. To follow up with exploring the house, we had the privilege of watching a few scenes from a variety of Shakespeare's plays performed by actors. Connor was asked to help play out a scene from Hamlet by acting as the uncle begging on his knees for forgiveness, which he was great at. Additionally, here at Shakespeare's Birthplace we walked through our first garden of the day!
We then walked to our next stop, Shakespeare's New Place, where his home originally stood but later demolished in 1759. To commemorate the importance of the site, a garden was created for people to be able to trace the footsteps of Shakespeare. The garden was uniquely beautiful and filled with vibrant flowers, sculptures, peaceful sitting areas and paths not seen in most other gardens. We all enjoyed walking around the garden especially with the blue skies, sunshine, and singing birds, all of which made it a magical place.
Next, we hopped back on the minivan for a quick drive to Anne Hathaway's Cottage. We learned that Anne was the wife of Shakespeare and married him when she was 26 and he was just 18 during our drive, Callista gave her site report on the cottage and some valuable history behind it. From entering the cottage grounds we were greeted with an extensive garden lands with cozy sitting places integrated into it. Before walking through the cottage, we received a brief lecture about the cottage and Anne. From this, one surprising fact we learned was that 13 generations lived in the house! After the short lecture, we made our way through the cottage then out to the gardens. We all appreciated the nature and beauty of the gardens as it was very relaxing to walk through.
After exploring, we were all hungry so we ate at Anne Hathaway's Cottage Cafe where we had a delicious meal providing us with fuel for the rest of the day. When lunch was over, we were back in the bus for a longer drive to Hampton Court Palace. Similar to before, a site report about the palace was given during our drive but this time by George.
Upon arriving at Hampton Court Palace, we found the ticket center closed and we only missed it by 3 minuets! We almost turned back when Mr. Grisbee saved the day by asking if we were allowed entrance with our London Passes. With our passes we got to explore the section about Henry VIII. We ended our time at the palace by walking through the acres of garden land. I think most of us agree that this garden was the most spectacular garden we have ever seen.
To make to the day even better, it was North's 18th birthday and we celebrated with delicious cake!!
Happy birthday to North!
- Sierra
Comments
Post a Comment