Day 5
This morning was spent in the bus, wending our way firstly through lovely Yorkshire countryside, then onto the motorway where our campers had their first introduction to British traffic! After sitting in a traffic jam for an hour, we broke free, and found ourselves at the Edwardian house outside Stratford-Upon-Avon that is the newly-renovated youth hostel and our base for the next two days. We dropped off our bags, climbed back in the coach and our driver dropped us off a few miles away at Charlecote Hall. This lovely Stately Home has been the base of the Lucy family since they landed with William the Conqueror in 1066. These days, the family still owns one wing of the house, while the rest of the house and the beautiful gardens are maintained by the National Trust. We explored the treasures of the house, which has been carefully restored to represent the 1860s, and wandered through the kitchens, and a number of out-buildings. The landscaped gardens were designed by Capability Brown, and the extensive deer parks are said to be where Shakespeare was caught poaching. At the end of the trip, we caught a local bus back to our hostel.
Back at the hostel, we enjoyed dinner, then met to prepare for our day in Stratford tomorrow. We shared favourite Shakespeare sonnets, and discussed the plot for Anthony and Cleopatra, which we will be seeing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre tomorrow. Previous evenings have also included storytelling (English folk tales) as well as writing prompts and readings from other English writers. Our hope is that campers will be inspired to follow some of their new interests in more detail once they get home.
Tonight we had an early night – tomorrow will be busy, for sure!
Day 6
This morning we took taxis into Stratford-Upon-Avon and began our day there with a walk through the parks, enjoying views of all three world famous theatres, and to the church where Shakespeare is buried. Much of the church dates back as far as the 12th century, and was interesting in itself. We saw Shakespeare’s grave, and the entry of his name in the baptismal records. Next, we headed back into town, and campers had a few hours of free time to explore the town centre in groups. As the morning went on, we saw them walking along the river, viewing the Tudor buildings, and shopping for souvenirs. Later, we all met at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for a special backstage tour, which included entertaining anecdotes about the theatres’ histories, and actors of the past, as well as a chance to watch a set being built, to view the stage from the lighting booth, and to handle wigs and beards made out of yak hair. Our guide was incredibly informative, and the tour ended in the gallery of The Swan, where we viewed an amazing sculpture of Shakespeare’s face, formed out of thousands of silver stars.
Later, we walked together to Shakespeare’s Birthplace, and afterwards had dinner in a famous fish ‘n’ chips café. Campers explored the theatre bookstores, and the parkland, and we all took our seats for the evening performance of Anthony and Cleopatra. The performance was a hit with the group and led to animated conversations as we walked through town, looking for taxis. We arrived back at the hostel just before midnight after a day packed full of new experiences.
Julie Hartley
Director
Centauri Arts
416 766 7124