We rode from Inverness throughout the night, spending a most uncomfortable time trying to sleep. At 5:00 am we changed trains at Crewe, making our way to Birmingham next. We fell asleep in the train, and awoke startled when we realized we had been sitting at the station for a God-knows how long. This was followed by a literal mad-dash through Birmingham as we made our way from one train station to another across town. We made it in time, though, and caught the little commuter train to Stratford. This little train stopped at a number of small towns along the way, including one called Wooten Wowen, a name which really gave us a laugh and which we would remember for the rest of the trip. Not even an hour later we were in the hamlet of Stratford-upon-Avon.

We arrived before the work day had begun, and so we had to walk from the train station to the edge of town, hoping to find a place to eat something and ask how to get to the hostel. As we walked, Val suddenly asked, "Why are we here again?" Danny stopped, looked around at the number of signs hanging from stores proclaiming "Shakespeare's This" and "Shakespeare's That" and "Shakespeare's Other Thing," then looked at Val and said, "I don't know. Some writer was born here, guy named Shakespeare or something." True story.

We eventually found a bakery across a bus stop with a sign for the YHA Stratford Hostel, so we loaded up on pastries, and made our way to the hostel, which turned out to be only nominally in Stratford, being actually about a mile out of town. The place was cute, though, and big, offering lots of options for us backpackers. After eating our breakfast, dropping our packs in our room, and playing with some hares that were quite interested in our food, we made our way back to town, and to explore the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Yvette & Yvonne in front of Hall's Croft,
the house of Shakespeare's daughter.
Day 8: June 5, 2001

Our first impression of Stratford was that, for all the beauty of the place, for all the quaintness, at its core, it was a tourist town. Not that we cared that much; we were there to experience Shakespeare, and the town was all about that. In all fairness, it truly was a great little town, if somewhat crowded. After stopping at the Tourist Office and grabbing a map, we started wandering about town, hitting all the Shakespeare locations that did not cost anything, like New Place (the site of Shakespeare's last house) and Hall's Croft. We did a quick tally of our money, and decided that we could only afford one paying location, so off to Shakespeare's Birthplace we went.

The Elizabethan house was in great shape (no doubt because of renovations) and housed a very informative exhibition putting you in the right time, place and context. After the exhibition, you then walk into the house, going through the various areas. The inside has been renovated and staged to present a snapshot of mid 1500's England, when Shakespeare would have been a boy. Of specific interest was the attic, in which the walls were covered with tons of graffiti from visitors in centuries past which are now covered by plexiglas, since many are famous in their own right. We slowly made our way to the gardens, and these were wonderful enough to be worth the entry cost. The garden was an explosion of color and scents, and though it was pretty crowded, it wasn't stifling. The gardens provided a perfect way to catch our breath while really reflecting on the fact that we were at the house in which arguably the greatest writer in the English language had been born and grown. With this in mind, it became time to pay our respects.

Danny and Yvette in the garden at Shakespeare's Birthplace.
Day 8: June 5, 2001

The walk to Trinity Church was just a few minutes long; rarely anything in Stratford is more than 10 minutes way. Located downriver from the center of town, the churchyard felt like it was in another world altogether. There was an eerie tranquility in the air that made everyone lower their voice and slow their pace.

Larissa, Yvette and Yvonne in front of Trinity Church,
where Shakespeare has rested for the past 400 years.
Day 8: June 5, 2001

Cameras were not permitted inside the church, which although was annoying, as we wanted to document our visit to this writer's Mecca, in retrospect was a good decision, as it allowed visitors a quiet time to ponder the moment without the problem of camera-happy tourists pushing and shoving to snap a shot. It was a sobering moment, standing in front of the plaque on the floor under which rests the Bard. We each had our moment at the site, communicating our thoughts to this wonderful man who quite probably thought he was just writing good plays to earn some money and had no idea that four hundred years later his words would have changed the world.

Leaving Trinity Church behind (after grabbing some postcard at the souvenir shop), we made it back to town, passing by the Royal Shakespeare Company. We didn't go all the way to Stratford not to attend a play at the RSC theatre, so in we went and got tickets for that night's performance of Twelfth Night. With our great prize on hand, we just hit the town, walking it up and down, seeing places like the King Edward VI Grammar School, where Will would have most likely studied and taken the firsts steps of his wonderful life.

About mid-afternoon, Larissa, Yvonne and Val headed back to the hostel, while Danny and Yvette remained in town, having come couple-time in this romantic hamlet. Marks & Spencer provided some tasty snacks, and the river Avon provided all the atmosphere any couple could ever hope for.

The spire of Trinity Church rises like a sentinel over the Avon river.
Day 8: June 5, 2001

After taking showers and getting ready for the theatre, we arrived late thanks to the bus, missing almost all of the first act. Unfortunately, we were just so tired after a very long day that we all fell asleep during the second act. Once the intermission rolled around and we were able to get something to drink and some fresh air, overlooking the moonlit Avon, we were ready for some Shakespeare and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the performance. It truly was the best way to cap our day at Stratford-upon-Avon, remembering and honoring William Shakespeare.

To Day 9: Warwick Castle (Stratford-upon-Avon)