We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

It seems that the adventuring never stops for this girl - at least not while I am trying to pack in the sightseeing in this summer of fun. Today was an enjoyable trip to Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon, which is Shakespeare's Birthplace. It is always nice to take a little foray out of London, which can sometimes get a little overwhelming!

Oxford was a little underwhelming, possibly because it was raining when we were there and also because we didn't get a ton of time to look around. I didn't realize that there is no campus exactly in Oxford, there are 38 different colleges which all have their own separate buildings all over the city. There are a few main buildings, like the library and halls and things, but mainly it's the town itself that is the university. It was also home to SO many writers at one point or another, like C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, and Oscar Wilde, just to name a few. So it was cool to visit the city that has been home to and inspired so many great thinkers. Another fun fact: every elected British prime minister has graduated from Oxford...conspiracy???

Then it was off to the lovely city of Stratford-upon-Avon, Avon being the river that passes through Stratford. We visited Anne Hathaway's cottage (above), which was the home of Shakespeare's wife. Parts of the building are exactly as they would have been four or five hundred years ago when Shakespeare was courting Anne. It was very cool and very eye-opening as the cottage is tiny and life would have been very, very different back then. The Hathaway bed (apparently it's famous?) was there which is a mattress laid on top of ropes which would be tightened every night before bed. This is apparently where the expression "sleep tight" comes from.

I also viewed the site of Shakespeare's birth, and his grave which is in the Holy Trinity church at Stratford. It's really a bit surreal when I think of how incredible it is that he actually once lived in that village. Of course the tourism there now is insane, but it's still a beautiful little spot in the English countryside and definitely gives a better understanding of Shakespeare and his plays. I'd love to go back and see a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company, which has a theatre there in Stratford.

In all, a fully satisfying foray into the realm of history and culture for today. I am grateful that my roof is not made of thatched straw and therefore no bugs or mice will be above me while I sleep (I should hope) and grateful also that I have had the chance to see such awesome places. It so far has only increased my appreciation of all the blessings in my life and made me wonder at how incredibly interconnected the world really is.