Warwick Castle/Stratford-Upon-Avon

So the week after that excursion/tour filled week, we took an all-day excursion. We started with Warwick Castle, which might have been the most surreal castle I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to far more than my fair share of them...) due to it’s incredible condition. Most castles in England suffered some damage around the time of Oliver Cromwell, but this particular castle had the good fortune to be on the “right” side of the war, or the side where it would get the least damaged (Parliament). 

I took more than plenty of photos and enjoyed myself greatly. We started by going through an exhibit on “The Kingmaker” which was on one of the Earls, who helped depose and set up kings, and well, it’s very complicated. After that, we climbed the battlements, from which we got the loveliest views! Lots of photos were taken in the process of the climbing. 

At this point (finishing the battlements) our group split up. Everyone but me, and Penelope (program’s administrative director and pretty much the go-to person for everything over here) went to tour the exhibit on “The Dungeon!”. It had been described on the website as being rather ghoulish, gory, and all-around disgusting. Actually, just reading the description out loud while I was on the phone with Mom grossed out both of us, completely. Apparently Penelope doesn’t deal well with the gore either, so she and I decided to tour the State Rooms of the actual Palace section, and to watch the trebuchet exhibition. Because you couldn’t do both the dungeon and the trebuchet, I feel like I came out on the winning side there. 

I also took a walk through the exquisite gardens on the grounds, and was able to snap several pretty photos. After this it was time to climb the Castle Motte (built in 1086!!!), visit the gift shop, and say goodbye to the castle. 

But our day wasn’t over, oh no, still more to come!

From the castle, we went on to Stratford-Upon-Avon, where we started at Anne Hatheway’s Cottage (as in Shakespeare’s wife). After touring her house and gardens (a tree spoke sonnets to me!) we moved on to Holy Trinity Cathedral, where Shakespeare is buried. We unfortunately couldn’t get close to his actual burial site due to church renovation and scaffolding blocking everything, but I did manage a picture through said scaffolding. We then toured “Hall’s Croft” the home of Shakespeare’s son-in-law and daughter Susanna, and then Shakespeare’s birthplace. After a brief respite for some souvenir shopping and supper at a local pub, we attended the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of “The Winter’s Tale” at the Courtyard Theatre. It was an interesting production (I was with them until the bizarre dance from the second act) but we were all exhausted by this point. It was a 16.5 hour day from the time Lora and I walked out the door til the excursion bus dropped us off at our street. Eek!

But all in all, it was a fabulous day, and so wonderful, warm, and sunny (all rarities for England) and I was able to snag some amazing photos of the castle, the gardens, and everything in between!

Photos of the Day!