Stratford-upon-Avon

Today we explored the life and times of this man...

William Shakespeare.

...on our own little walking tour of the pretty town of Stratford.

The River Avon.

We started at the end with his ongoing legacy and visited the Royal Shakespeare Theatre which has recently undergone a multi-million pound renovation and extension.

Then we visited his grave in Holy Trinity Church, a lovely little church where he was baptised, married (probably, they're not really sure - did you know that he was 18 and his wife 26 and three months pregnant?!) and buried.

There are five Shakespeare houses in Stratford, the first we visited was Hall's Croft, the former home of Shakespeare's eldest daughter Susanna and her husband Dr John Hall. The house was restored in the 1950s and gives an insight into what life was like in Tudor times. For a house built in the early 1600s it's in pretty good nick but in need of repair, you can see where they've had to brace the beams and install extra supports. The gardens are really lovely but the most incredible thing about Hall's Croft was that we ran into one of the girls that I (Col) went to uni with - bizarre!!

Hall's Croft.

From here we continued our tour which took us past the King Edward VI school which Will attended between the ages of 7 and 14...

...and the site of New Place where Will lived upon his return to Stratford from London about 1610. He continued to write in this house where he spent the last few years of his life. The house was demolished in the 18th Century.

Our last stop in the town centre was the house where Shakespeare was born, grew up and lived for the first five years of his marriage to Anne Hathaway. All three of his children were born here. His father was a glove maker and operated a shop from the windows facing the street. Adjacent to the house is the Shakespeare Centre where a modern audio visual display features information on Will, his life and works.

Shakespeare's Birthplace.

Our last two stops were Anne Hathaway's family home with its gorgeous gardens...

...and the family home of Will's mother - Mary Arden's Farm.

Stratford is a gorgeous little town and we enjoyed our time there - it's steeped in Shakespeare with quotes, images and statues of characters from his plays throughout the town. However we hit the road again to journey from the Cotswolds to the Peak District to explore film locations from Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre as we continue our literary tour of England!

 

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Bath!

Our stay in Bath was great but ironically our hotel room had the smallest bathroom we have had so far, therefore no bath!!!

After arriving yesterday evening we went for a meander along the streets and found the Abbey and the Avon River before heading to Bill's for tea - he even had his own beer which was good!

This morning we found a coffee shop above the river and enjoyed breakfast and the view! We then headed for Bath Abbey which has a very long and interesting history, as does Bath.

Bath Abbey

The original Anglo-Saxon Abbey Church on the site was built in the 700s with the first 'King of all England' crowned in the church in the 900s. Among the many memorial stones around the abbey we found one for Admiral Arthur Phillip who died in Bath. We were not the only Aussies checking this one out!

Memorial stone for Admiral Arthur Phillip

Ten steps from the Abbey found us at the Roman Baths - we thought you can't really go to Bath and not see the baths! They are amazing - the springs themselves bubbling out of the ground, the structures the Romans built around the site as early as 49AD and the archaeological site that exists there today. The site was a social and religious monument for the people of the times and must have been an amazing discovery. The exhibit and information presented was very well done (what did the tourist industry do before audio guides?!!!).

 

We then skipped a few centuries and went to visit the Jane Austen Centre. Jane lived with her family for a few years when her father retired from his parish. She wasn't particularly keen to move away from her family home to Bath but found a lot of inspiration in the streets and people she met for her stories. Alas, Mr Darcy was not there today!

No, we didn't have tea as there was a half hour wait!

The Bath Circus (Latin for circle)

Another picturesque drive and a stop at some alternative tea rooms has brought us to Stratford upon Avon. Tomorrow we are off to find another Bill who was not known for his beer making!

 

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Oxfordshire.

We spent this morning exploring the university town of Oxford. We joined a walking tour where our guide told us all about the history of Oxford which has been a seat of learning for over one thousand years! There are 38 independent colleges at Oxford and 22000 students, almost half of these are post grads. Only one in 7 applicants are accepted.

 

Our first stop was Jesus College, a college established by a Welshman with the assistance of Elizabeth I, it was originally for men from Wales but now accepts people from anywhere. Famous past students include Lawrence of Arabia, later a fellow at All Souls College.

The Outer Quad and entrance to the Chapel at Jesus College.

We also visited the Divinity School, an amazingly ornate building that plays a key role in the decision making at Oxford and the many graduation sessions held throughout the year. It also moonlights as the Hogwarts Infirmary and Library!

The incredible ceiling at the Divinity School.

Oxfords own Bridge of Sighs!

After a morning exploring this lovely, historical town, we jumped in the car and headed to Blenheim Palace.

Blenheim Palace.

Blenheim Palace is the home of the Duke of Marlborough, the current Duke is the 11th. The family who holds this seat is the Spencer-Churchill family and as such it is the birthplace of Winston Churchill, grandson of the 8th Duke. The palace includes an exhibition on Churchill where we learnt a lot about him as a politician, artist and writer. Blenheim was one of his favourite places to visit.

The Palace was a gift from Queen Anne to the first Duke, John Churchill, as a sign of gratitude for his many triumphs on the battlefield. The palace was named after the battle of Blenheim where Churchill's forces defeated the French troops.

The Palace gardens are extensive and beautiful but the weather wasn't so beautiful so we had to admire the grounds from afar.

I think these guys enjoyed the weather more than we did!

Another car ride has brought us to Bath!

 

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Have wheels - will travel!

There has been a cathedral on the site of St Paul's since 600AD. The current Christopher Wren design is a beautiful church built in the 1690s following the Great Fire of London. He was a very busy man after the fire and received a knighthood for his efforts. He is buried in the crypt below the cathedral floor and is marked by a single block of sandstone and a plaque that, in part, tells the reader that if they wish to see a grand monument to him to take a look around them. A very interesting place which holds a lot of the history of England.

St Paul's Cathedral, just outside our front door!

The rest of our day was spent travelling to Heathrow Airport to collect our set of wheels and then hurtling down the M4 towards Oxford - yes Collette was driving!! After a couple of laps, including a street we shouldn't have gone down, we arrived safely at 'The Bear and Ragged Staff' pub for the night.

Our wheels for the next few days!

 

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The heights of London.

We had a great plan for today: the Tower of London for a couple of hours, then off to the Tate Modern before a trip on the London Eye. We never made it to the Tate Modern!

 

There was so much to see at the Tower of London, it has been a royal residence and refuge, an armoury, a prison and, first and foremost, a fortress. It is said that whoever controls the tower controls the kingdom. Over the centuries, since the 11th Century, the Tower has been added to, expanded and strengthened. It has had many famous residents and prisoners. It is the place where Anne Boleyn, St Thomas More and many others lost their heads.

The Tower of London.

We were able to visit parts of the Royal Palace, the White Tower and the Crown Jewels - an impressive collection of diamonds and other precious stones. It's amazing to think that these aren't just museum pieces, they actually play an important role in many key ceremonies to do with the government and royal family. Many of the crowns looked really heavy - I think you'd get a sore neck wearing them!

Throughout the day there are many entertaining reenactments around the Tower - a fun way to learn more about the history of the place.

Sir Isaac Newton and the King!

Tower Bridge from the Tower of London.

We also learnt about the Yeomen who guard the Tower, we were very surprised to hear that they, along with their families, actually live at the Tower and it's a real little community!

After a very long day we headed to the London Eye where we were treated to some amazing views over the city.

 

When we headed back down to earth we discovered...

And then we went in search of...

Look carefully at the street sign.

...here we found a chocolate shop, a coffee shop, a tea shop, a pub named Bonds and Tiffany & Co. Perfect!

 

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Don't you love Sunday!

Today's weather was a huge contrast to the cold and rain we had a couple of days ago!

We headed to Westminster Cathedral, not to be confused with Westminster Abbey, for mass this morning and were excited to be going to another mass in English - we are in England!! The Cathedral was completed in 1903 and the interior is quite different. The upper walls are totally unadorned while the lower walls are decorated with coloured marble. There are no stained glass windows or big paintings but it was still attractive. The choir was singing at this mornings mass and the singing and a large part of the mass was in Latin! We sang along anyway!

Westminster Cathedral - the Roman Catholic Cathedral of England

A short stroll found us entering the metropolis of Harrods! A bit like Gallery Lafayette in Paris, there are many floors of designer everything! After a long browse and a bit of a shop we enjoyed a 'roast' Sunday lunch in the gourmet food hall, purchased some takeaway and headed for the Underground again.

Harrods

We took a detour to Kings Cross Station on the way back to the hotel and found...

Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter!

Col was excited but wouldn't have her photo taken!

We basically couldn't be stuffed doing anything else for the day so we got ourselves a beverage, English Breakfast, walked around the corner to the St Paul's Churchyard and enjoyed the sunshine and our Harrod's purchase.

Yum!

 

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Today we...

...went to the Portobello Road Market! Great market. Lots of different stalls, some with gorgeous handmade items. The food smelled amazing and they even have live music on Saturday afternoons. We could have wandered for hours, it just keeps going and going and going!

...then we made a quick trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum. We would have had more time in the actual museum but we got distracted by all the nice things in the shop! We may have bought a few bits and pieces. We only saw part of the museum which included the amazing jewellery collection and the huge collection of silverware! Can you believe that many of the museums in London are free?!?!

Outside the V & A.

Part of the spectacular interior of the V & A.

...then after an afternoon of doing jobs we went to the West End to see Les Mis! It was the first time either of us had seen it on stage and we loved it! We had brilliant tickets in the second row, right in the middle - not bad for tickets we only purchased this afternoon!!

...after the show we walked back through the very busy Picadilly Circus which was filled with people, including the many, many German soccer fans! Apparently there was a big game today...

 

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London - surprisingly wet and cold!

Isn't it summer here next week?! The top temperature today was 9 degrees and it rained and rained and rained... It was COLD!

The view from the HOHO bus

We started the day by visiting the spec shop to get Col some new glasses. The bandaid first aid was not really cutting it.

Then we went to visit Betty (although Col says that now we are in her backyard we should show her some respect!). She was so glad that we, along with thousands of others, came to check out her pad that she provided a show for us - no cuppa though! Anyway, the Changing of the Guard was quite impressive and we managed a good vantage point on the monument to Victoria. Amusingly, the band entertained us with 'Somewhere over the rainbow' and the 'Star Wars' theme!

Guards band exiting the Palace

Queen Victoria

We hopped on the HOHO bus for the rest of the day to see the sights of London. We did get off at Westminster Abbey for a visit and saw graves/memorials of Darwin, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Handel, William Wilburforce, Chaucer, Dickens ... The Abbey is overflowing with dedications to people from all walks of life and is very impressive.

The Cloisters of Westminster Abbey

We travelled the HOHO route until they kicked us off and had a cold and wet stroll back to the hotel from Picadilly (our hotel is on Ludgate Hill which turns into Fleet St which turns into The Strand! Good location - we walk out the front door and are practically on the steps of St Paul's - not many pigeons and no lady feeding them!)

After fish 'n' chips and a couple of pints/Scotches at Ye Olde English Pub (yes, it's real name) a few doors down we are done for today!

 

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