Last month, the team from
stationery brand Viking very kindly invited me to a Shakespearean themed event. The evening was meant to celebrate Britain's most famous Elizabethan writer and his contribution to literature and culture including a poem writing workshop and learning some
badass calligraphy skills. Silly me double booked herself so had to drop out very last minute, however, as I've studied literature at university for many years Shakespeare certainly has been a part of my life.
My Shakespeare Excursion To Stratford-Upon-Avon
About ten years ago, I went on
a very special Shakespeare course trip with my literature class from
university. My lecturer at the time had excellent
connections to the RSC, so she treated us to a full week of Shakespeare
hard-core experience in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Each day would be filled with
interactive literature workshops at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, followed by
visiting the sights of the town and the day would end with a performance at the
RSC Theatre. It was bliss!
I remember as if it was
yesterday. I had just finished my academic ERASMUS year at Lancaster University.
My bag and suitcase were packed, the keys to my student room handed over and farewells
to friends have been made. I was ready to leave an amazing place behind and travel south into a brand new adventure. In Stratford, I would meet with my classmates from my home
university which I hadn’t seen in over a year.
It was a warm, sunny spring
day in early June when I left Lancaster. One last time I would take the bus from the university down the green lush grounds into town for the train station. I had
booked my tickets in advance and knew I would have to change in Birmingham. The
journey itself was smooth and straight forward for about 2h. There was one
minor interruption in Wolverhampton when the train got to a halt and passengers
had to board a slow service into Birmingham New Street. Luckily the delay was only a few
minutes and I caught my connection train from Birmingham Moor Street.
By then it was early
afternoon, the sun was heating up and the train literally stopped every ten
minutes. It felt like forever. However,
when the train was moving, it would go past golden wheat fields and green dark
forests under a bright blue sky. I felt like I was going to the most idyllic
place in the countryside and Stratford did not disappoint.
I remember in the late
afternoon, the train came to its final stop: Stratford-Upon-Avon. Back
then the station hadn’t been renovated yet, so all you ever saw and knew you
were in Stratford, was an aged sign with letters peeling off under a golden
late afternoon summer sun. In the middle
of nowhere everyone had to get off the train. It was quite a hot day and though I was prepared with notes (back then
there were no smartphones so I researched instructions beforehand) I had to freestyle it somehow and find my way. In the end, I ended up in a very quiet and leafy residential
area and found the address that my lecturer had given me.
I knocked on the door of a
lovely pale greenhouse on Shottery Road and…..
There was no answer.
So I knocked again.
No answer.
This went on for a bit till I
found the phone number from the B&B and gave it a ring on the house phone.
After a while, a lady picked up and informed me she would be “over” in a few
minutes. Sure.
So I waited.
And waited.
And then she finally arrived
and gave me access to the house. It turned out that the B&B my lecturer had
booked for us had two houses, one on Shottery Road and the main house on Rother
Street. The house in Shottery Road was entirely booked for my class so we had
the house to ourselves.
As I was the first to arrive, I got to choose my
room. And I literally went up to the third floor and worked my way down,
checked every room, which I would like best. I ended up with the one on the
ground floor away from the kitchen and entrance at the back which led
onto a nice stone terrace with the most adorable British garden ever. The birds
sang outside and I’ve never felt so calm and relaxed. This was gonna be a
great week.
Making Great Memories During My Shakespeare Week In Stratford
And it was! As soon as my
classmates arrived, we had the best time ever. We would have breakfast together
and cook dinner in the evening, sat on the terrace and enjoyed the
evenings before the performance at the theatre would begin. It was a wonderful
reunion with friends and new classmates and it was one of the main reasons why
I have this Shakespeare Week in such fond memory.
Our first day started off at
the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Here we had interactive workshops,
even met the cast of the RSC theatre group or got to view important historical documents and
first folio editions. The learning centre made sure, we would take something
valuable out of each session and be fully prepared for tonight’s show.
Whilst in
Stratford, I remember we watched A Winter’s Tale, Julius Caesar and As You Like
It. The longer I stayed in Stratford, the more idyllic and romanticised I made
this place. Every house there is simply gorgeous and boasts full of history. There's always a hint of literature in the air and every corner carries culture. I really fell in love with Stratford and to this day it would be the only place in the UK where I would consider buying a house (but that's a story for another time).
After class, we got to venture out to explore the sights, so each day we visited a different building. A very memorable day was when we all went on a quest to Anne Hathaway’s cottage which lies a bit outside of town centre and leads you through residential areas of Stratford and partly through unspoiled nature. Our group had a wonderful dynamic and we truly enjoyed our time together, hence why each day felt pretty adventurous.
After class, we got to venture out to explore the sights, so each day we visited a different building. A very memorable day was when we all went on a quest to Anne Hathaway’s cottage which lies a bit outside of town centre and leads you through residential areas of Stratford and partly through unspoiled nature. Our group had a wonderful dynamic and we truly enjoyed our time together, hence why each day felt pretty adventurous.
Apart from the sights, we also
ventured out and about in town. Stratford has a lovely shopping mall in the
North with all the High Street shops, you could think of; the surrounding fields
and woods around town hold something magical and especially the river
is of incredible beauty. Let me just say: the golden hour by the church - what a magical moment! When we saw the As You Like It performance which is
placed in the fictional forest of Arden, we all felt like we’ve been there as
we all had experience Stratford’s charm and had been under its spell. After the
performance, we would have drinks at The Dirty Duck pub and reprise another incredible
day.
The last day was quite sad, to
be honest. My class would head back to the airport in London and I was off to
Marylebone station in Central. One last adventure was yet to come. As I
mentioned earlier, my Stratford visit happened before they renovated the
station, so at the time, it was in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by
dusty sandy pathways.
On the day of departure, there was heavy rainfall so the road had
turned into a muddy disaster with a massive deep puddle blocking the way to the
station. I couldn’t get a taxi to take me over the puddle, so the only way to
get around it was to walk back up the street, up to the bridge for the under passage for the train and walk down the steep hill to access the station.
Actually, I slid down
the hill as it was raining and muddy and I was in ballerinas with a 20kg suitcase in tow. It was
quite adventurous and I certainly never forget how I sat on that 2h train journey
down to London, wet, muddy, a bit cold but with a heart filled with lasting
memories.
Thanks for reading,
Till next time,
Carolin
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