Days 28th and 29th

May 11th:

Our first full day in Stratford!  We started out by going to Shakespeare's childhood home, which sadly was already crowded with students.  The format of the tour moved me away from their copy of a First Folio faster than I would have liked.  A First Folio... one of the most valuable books in the world.  The birthplace itself was not particularly remarkable.  It was an old building, but it had gone through so many different owners I didn't know what was from the period and what was repaired or a recreation.  The floor in the parlour was the genuine part of the house I knew of.  So I started my day by walking in Shakespeare's footsteps.  Next we went to Nash's House and the excavation of New Place, which really wasn't that interesting, really.  I don't care about his descendants that much.  No connection to them.

Then we toodled past Shakespeare's school, which is still a school, so no tour there.  We stopped at the chapel next to the school, that was cool.  I really like churches and cathedrals now, apparently.  Then we walked to Hall's Croft, where I looked at the house and the things they had and it was mildly interesting.  Last, but not least, we went to Holy Trinity where Shakespeare is buried.  I sat in front of his grave almost an hour, thinking deep thoughts and whatnot.  I felt like that was the end of my pilgrimage... I am ready to go home.  I have paid homage to the author who I studied, seen his town, seen his houses, seen the streets where he walked and now have visited his grave, the most concrete thing we have of him, except for the legacy of his work and our language.

We finished up the day by watching a production of Two Roses for Richard III, in Brazilian... review upcoming (I'll get to my reviews).

May 12th

Me and mum went to Unwrapped, an hour's discussion with the directors of Two Roses, then killed some time before the 1:30 showing of King John (review upcoming LOL).  After the show, we got hungry and bickered, fed us, then I slept.