Good day readers!! We hope you're having as good of time in the states as we are in England! We're so glad you decided to tag along via our blog and we hope you've enjoyed reading and listening to it as much as we've enjoyed creating it. Our time in England is coming to an end and it's very bittersweet for us. With that being said, let's catch you up on our Sunday events!
We started our day with an early breakfast at Brown's Guest House. Rosemary enjoyed cornflakes, toast, fruit and yogurt and orange juice while Winston had a very light breakfast of wheat-a-bix, toast, orange juice and coffee. It was decent, just as the day before and from there we finished packing up our belongings, checked out of the guest house and grabbed a cab to the train station. We were about to embark on the final leg of our trip. Can you guess where we were heading?
It's a small town, northwest of Oxford. It is the birthplace of one of literature's greatest figures; part of it's name is an American cosmetic company; the Bard walked on these grounds. Any takers? 5...4...3...2...1, okay, no guesses? Stratford-upon-Avon was our next stop. We took the 9:40 train from Oxford, had one change to make and arrived in Stratford just after noon. We had a short walk to the tourist information center and they helped us book a room at The Cymbeline Guest House. Fortunately, there was not a college week or weekend going on and it was rather easy to get a room. The guest house was just a short walk and we went to check in from there.
When we arrived, we were greeted by an older English gentleman by the name of Keith. He had us sign the guest book and then he lead us to our room. The guest house was very authentic. Lots of antiques, English and Shakespeare memorabillia and every single room was decorated in a different color. We were a bit excited about the authentic and cute nature of the house until we realized that we had to ascend four flights of narrow stairs with all of our luggage! Yes, we had to lug Rosemary's 90 lb. suitcase up those stairs. After we made it to the room, we were pleasantly surprised. It was the fifth and final room in the guest house and it sat at the top of the stairs. The room was decorated in blue and quite roomy compared to our room at the previous bed and breakfast. What made this room quite fitting is it was blue and there were flow blue plates on the wall; very similar to the "blue room" in Rosemary and Chloe's childhood house. After climbing all of those stairs, we took a quick break and tried to access the complimentary wi-fi, which we quickly realized didn't work:(
After the break, we decided to head to the centre of town in Stratford, explore and grab a bite to eat. Rosemary and I weren't feeling that great and it was a very slow and sluggish day. We walked around and saw the historic buildings that were very representative of Shakespeare's time. They were very charming and definitely brought a different feel to the town. Much different than the other areas we visited. It was great because London, Brighton, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon all had their own vibe, culture and feel even though they were just hours away from eachother. Each place was historic in it's own right and it was embedded in how the inhabitants went about their daily lives.
We were getting hungry after walking around a bit, so we decided to grab a bite to eat at the oldest pub in town, The Garrick Inn. We had to wait about a half hour for a table, so we headed to the bar for a drink. Rosemary had a coke and I had the cask Old Speckled Hen; which was fantastic. After our drinks, our table was ready. Rosemary opted for the cheeseburger and I went with the beef and ruddles ale pie with mash. The food arrived and it was absolutely delicious. The beef and ale pie was one of my all-time favorites on the trip and Rosemary enjoyed her burger. After dining, drinks and chatting, we decided to head back out and explore Stratford before the shops closed early. We visited a few stores, saw Shakespeare's birthplace, took some pictures and generally enjoyed our afternoon.
After everything closed down, we headed toward the Church of the Holy Trinity to view Shakespeare's grave. We paid three pounds to go view the gravesite and take a few pictures of the oldest part of the church. Afterwards, we walked through the very old cemetary and sat on a bench in a shaded area. We then headed back to the guest house for an afternoon break. We didn't really head out after the break because we didn't feel very well. There wasn't any "take-away" places in town, so we settled with some snacks at a convenience store and called it an early night.
For our adventures across the countryside closed and we were heading back to London the next day to spend our final night in the place where our journey first began.
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