Today was a day spent out and about, and it was absolutely amazing. This morning our whole group woke up bright and early (around 6:30) and met up in front of the girl’s flat where we all loaded up onto a coach (a bus) that would be taking us on a three day trip to Stratford Upon Avon. It has been a great experience because the only time that we’ve really spent together as a group have been in classes and at the shows that we attend, neither of which are really conducive to building up relationships methinks, due in part to the fact that in those situations other people are usually doing the talking. We didn’t get right to bonding, as most of us fell asleep during the bus ride, myself included.
We did not go straight to Stratford, but stopped at some incredible places along the way. Our first destination was a brief visit to Coventry Cathedral. It was a cathedral that was bombed out during World War II, but many of the walls were still standing. It reminded me a lot of St. Dunstan’s in the East, though this was had a different feel to it. It has some tragic history behind it and felt like a very sacred place still. Winston Churchill actually knew that the bombings were going to occur on Coventry, but eventually had to decide not to prevent them. They had figured out the code to the German bombers, but did not want to reveal that they had that sort of information. It was a difficult decision, but Churchill decided to hold his hand and let the bombing occur. We were only at Coventry Cathedral for about twenty minutes or so, but it was a very beautiful site and I am glad that I got to visit.
The exterior of Coventry Cathedral
A view of the walls inside Coventry Cathedral
A fun shot trying to depict the tall tower and myself
Following the cathedral we hopped back on the bus and had two back to back castle visits. The first was Kenilworth Castle. I had not been to this one before, and it was quite amazing. We arrived just as the gates opened and had the grounds almost entirely to ourselves. This castle was not very well preserved as those that inherited it originally actually began to take it apart to use the supplies in their homes. Most of what is standing now are the outer walls. The weather was perfect to go exploring! This was quite a fun location because they let us walk through many of the towers and up on the walls. Raeni and I frolicked through the grass and I think we all enjoyed the gorgeous view of the English countryside that was available there. It was so peaceful and it was a struggle forcing ourselves to leave when the time came. We all returned to the coach and made our way over to Castle #2.
Kenilworth Castle
I stormed the castle and claimed it as my own
The stairways to heaven the upper wall
Incredible gardens
I was very content to spend the day in that one spot
The next destination, Warwick Castle, is quite different from Kenilworth. While Kenilworth had a very peaceful and removed feel from society, Warwick definitely feels like a tourist attraction. The castle is surrounded by a large area that has so many activities to participate in. There are viking exhibits, peacock gardens, bow and arrow ranges, bird shows, food stands galore, catapult launches, stocks, and many other things to be done. I have actually been to Warwick once before, but this felt like quite a different experience. The last time it was raining and many of the things were shut down. Today the whole area was up and running at full speed. We watched an amazing bird show that featured a bald eagle named Archie, two buzzards named Dyson and Bertie, and two stella eagles named Nicki and Martin. Their trainer was very entertaining and the birds were quite the performers as they flew above the crowd and around the castle. We then broke into little groups and explored the inside of the castle that features many wax figures and exhibits. They were simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. We also had some amazing donuts, shot arrows, and caused general mischief. It was all so perfect, and was only slightly ruined when my eyes began itching like crazy! Allergies have been kicking my butt these last few days!
Peacocks!
Archie the Bald Eagle at the Bird Show
Those donuts were incredibly good - Freshly made and still warm
Jeeves the Wax Man - Giver of Coke
Learning some archery skills
I think the sign behind us says it all
The view from atop Warwick
We had a lot of time at Warwick (about four hours) and I think it exhausted all of us. We returned to the bus and made our final leg of the journey to Stratford. I was out the moment we started driving, though we didn’t really have far to go. When we arrived we all split up and went to our assigned Bed and Breakfasts. The guys and I are staying at an adorable little place called The Quilt and Croissant. It feels like a home that has been converted into a B&B. The two owners live here as well and they are both so nice! I am so excited to see how the breakfast will be tomorrow, because everything else has already proven to be quite excellent! There are a few other people in our program in this building, but the guys got the room at the very top! We carried up our luggage and then I found myself sleeping again!
For dinner the guys and I met up with Ellen, Amanda, Delanie, and Raine and made our way into central Stratford and had fish and chips at a great little restaurant. Delanie was also an amazing girl scout and was prepared for everything! She gave me some allergy medicine and it was wonderful! Though it made me feel a bit foggy at first, my eyes stopped itching and I was fine the rest of the day! Hooray! Stratford is a gorgeous little town, and it’s been really fun exploring it! It has such a different feel from London. While London is huge and bustling, Stratford feels so incredibly peaceful by comparison.
In the evening we all went to see a production put on by The Royal Shakespeare Company. We saw Henry IV Part I. The show was fantastic! The theatre that we went to had a really interesting layout where we all felt really close to the action. We were in the upper circle, but the stage is almost in the round, so even though we were about two stories up we were right above the action. It was performed incredibly well and though I got a bit blurry eyed during some of the more historically heavy parts, it was a fun performance overall!
We are all settling down for the night now, and I think we are all quite exhausted, even with our little naps spread throughout the day. We are all also a little sunburnt. It was on the cloudy side today, but I always forget how deceptive that can be. The sun will still get through and burn you! Fortunately no one is too badly burnt. We will sleep it off and continue the adventures tomorrow! Here’s to hoping this excellent little place will provide an authentic English breakfast!
Discovered this Mini Cooper. Fell in love
Dinner in Stratford
No comments:
Post a Comment