A Little Flower Grows

Catholic Blog by Stephanie Peter

{England Trip} Part 2: Shakespeare, Tolkien, + a Palace

During our stay in Oxford, we took a day trip to the adorable town of Stratford-upon-Avon, home to Shakespeare’s birthplace as well as his grave. There we toured his Birthplace (pictured in the first four photos above), and then visited Holy Trinity Church, where his grave is located (pictured in the last four photos). Since my high school puts on a Shakespeare play every year, this was a special day for everyone in my group. Shakespeare holds a very dear place in each of our hearts, so it was exciting, unforgettable, and quite an honor to visit the place where he was born, walk through the town he lived in, and pray at his grave site.
Our day became really special when some of the kids in my group had the opportunity to perform at the Birthplace! There were a few actors in the courtyard outside the Birthplace performing scenes from Shakespeare plays on the spot + by request. At some point, it came out that our group had just put on a production of King Lear in May, and the actors invited us to perform some scenes, if we wished. I of course was not in King Lear, since I graduated two years ago, so I did not perform, but I excitedly and proudly spectated as the kids (my sister among them) acted out four of their scenes. How cool for them to get to perform Shakespeare, right there outside his birthplace, in Stratford-upon-Avon! It was a pretty unforgettable experience. 

Earlier this same day, on our way to Stratford, we made a quick stop at Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke of Marlborough. There we had lunch and had time to explore the beautiful grounds. Though it was a blustery, chilly day, we had fun burning off some energy while wandering around outside the gorgeous palace.

Oh, and I almost forgot. At the beginning of this same amazing day, we visited J.R.R. Tolkien’s grave. Yup. 🙂

As a perfect end to a perfect day, I had some of the most amazing fish + chips of my life at a restaurant in Stratford called Loxley’s, accompanied by a delicious rose wine and followed by a divinely delicious brownie + ice cream dessert. I still can’t believe it, but I ate every bite of it all. And I even got to dine with Shakespeare.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more tales of my adventures in England!
~Stephanie

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Comments

  2. Stratford-upon-Avon's tudor style buildings and mullioned windows are so cute! And Blenheim palace is one of my favorites too. Out of all the places/cities you visited in England, which was your favorite?

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  4. Aren't they adorable?! The buildings are one of my favorite things about Stratford-upon-Avon! And yes, Blenheim Palace is gorgeous!
    Oh my goodness, it's so hard to choose a favorite place/city… But I would definitely have to say Oxford, and also the Lake District. I haven't posted about the Lake District yet (I will soon!), but we went hiking through some trails + mountains there, and it was so breathtakingly beautiful!

    Reply

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