Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare

Being creative writing students, this was the part of our trip that we were looking forward to the most. Stratford-Upon-Avon was the birthplace of Shakespeare who I'm sure needs no introduction. Hannah had been to Stratford when she was a kid and had lovely memories of the place. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time here but we tried to make the most of the two hours.

This was the first sign of Shakespeare we spotted in the town. This statue of a Jester was standing tall right on the top of the market street. Words "O Noble Fool! A Worthy Fool!" from Shakespeare's play 'As you like it' were inscribed on its pedestal.

We came across a shop of witchcraft and magic and there were many mock-Harry Potter merchandise being sold here. The recipe for Butter Beer, the drink that the magical trio at the centre of the series often had, was apparently available here and so were many wands and cloaks.

And here is the platform 9 and three quarters, the stop of Hogwarts express clearly visible through the glass of the shop. To be honest, we were a little disappointed with the shop. We were expecting to see some real creepy spell books and potions for real magic. But all they had was merchandise.

I clicked this picture of the Celebration Garden behind Shakespeare's house (the place he was born) from the adjoining visitors' centre. The charges for entry in to the house and the garden was unbelievably high and moreover we hardly had time on our hands to explore everything in details. So we decided to see more of the town than just one house.

The Garrick Inn. The building is Tudor identified by it's oak frame and low ceilings. The Inn itself was the oldest pub in the town.

Operational since 1594, such pubs are common in England. But this one had extra charm because of its architecture. We decided to have our lunch in here. That is right, 2 hours included lunch.

The inside of the Inn was as charming as the outside with a solid and authentic timber frame and excellent aroma of food. I ordered a burger with chips here and wasn't at all disappointed by the service and the food quality. At the end however, we almost had to swallow our food because we were running out of time.

We clicked this snap of the Shakespeare hotel on the way back to the bus. This is a 4 star hotel and can accommodate up to 100 guests. The building is again Tudor.

This is the river Avon with narrow canal boats resting on the waters. such boats can be seen on many rivers in England. I saw similar boats in Bath as well.

This was the last destination in our trip to Warwick, Cotswolds and Stratford. And after this, we boarded the bus for the long journey back to Newcastle. Following are the links to all posts about this trip:

A chance stop at Banbury
Warwick castle, worth a short visit
Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick
Moreton in Marsh, the first stop in Cotswolds
Bourton on the Water, A lovely little town in Cotswolds
Stow on the Wold, the last stop in Cotswolds