Stratford-upon-Avon

It was my first ever morning in England, having home cooked English breakfast. Its amazing how a simple toast with butter and scrambled eggs and coffee tastes over there! Was sitting at the table in our friend's cozy home at Dunstable, looking at the garden through the sliding glass door, feeling pretty fresh after a good sleep since we arrived there. I managed to call Nantha to inform him that we have all arrived safely. So, i was totally at ease.

That's when our friend asks "so, you should all rest today, but tomorrow we can go sightseeing.Where would you like to go first?" and she looks at me. I was staring blankly at her, coz firstly i am not those kind of tourist who would browse out for the entire list of "places to go" when you go travelling. I like surprises and also prefer to simply go with the flow. So apart from the basic ticket bookings and accommodations i did not really browse for places to see. 

Secondly i wasn't sure where exactly Dunstable was. I mean apart from the distance from the airport i wasn't sure how far it was from the other popular London's attractions. So i didn't want to suggest a place which was too far away or troublesome to get to. She must have sensed that i had absolutely no idea where i wanted to go. So she asked again..."how about Shakespeare's Village?" And my eyes widened!  Almost choking on my toast, i stared at her in disbelieve. 

...Shakespeare's village?? It exists? And we can go there?? how come NO one i know who have been to England EVER mentioned this place? All i hear about is...Oxford Street, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Windsor Castle and so on...but NEVER this? Of course i did not say all this aloud. It was just the thoughts going on in my mind while i managed to calmly answer "Really? Shakespeare's birthplace? wow! That will be so interesting!! lets go!"    

OK! we leave tomorrow morning after breakfast then, she says. I was delighted! Then i found out that the place is called Stradford-upon-Avon. Now please tell me honestly if you have heard a name of any other place which sounds more poetic or musical or romantic as that! Of course, it is where Shakespeare was born! It has to be romantic, i thought :)

So, the next day, off we went after breakfast. She drove us all the way there and i remember it took about slightly less than an hour to reach. 

And wow, i don't think i would be able to explain the place in just one post. It was simply out of the world. It was like you have just walked through a time machine and got out in the 1560s! With all its ancient buildings and farms and even the way people dressed was like they had just popped out from the past.

Life performers acting his plays 

Seriously, that was the day i truly wished i did English literature in school! Because i could imagine how anyone who knows Shakespeare's work might feel when they visit this place. It is simply magical. You can watch life performers acting out his plays as you walk around the cottage gardens. You can see everything and anything about Shakespeare.  

Aunt and friend outside Anne Hathaway's cottage

The cottages looked like paintings that had come alive.The farm animals and people working there and how they were maintaining the farm in the traditional way, exactly how it was done in the 16th century! 

Inside Anne Hathaway's cottage

Me dressed like a farm worker :)

Me with cousin and friend outside Shakespeare's house

Where little baby Shakespeare slept :)

The awesome fireplace !!

The cozy dining room

The Best kitchen in the world....erm i wish the duck was alive though :)

The sheep and pigs roaming happily. No cruel cages or cramped up factories to torture them. Life as it is...


...just beautiful.

And you know what the best ever part was, after roaming around the whole morning, at about 2pm we were all hungry and decided to have some English tea and scones at a tea house. And honestly, I love it! again, the view we had made every sip worth it.

At Mary Arden's House

What a lovely day it was and what an awesome beginning of my holiday. So you see? This is why i love surprises! A place i never knew existed ...and that turns out to be the best!

Me signing the guest book , i think i wrote something like
"Simply Magical" :)

My favourite picture, standing inside Shakespeare's house:)

Hmm, so when i get to go to England again...this place will be a sure visit. Because there were more places to see in the village which we had to miss during this first trip as we made a day trip and had to get home by evening. You might need two full days to see all the places. 

So, when you visit England, please keep this place in mind. You will so love it! For me, it sort of gave an experience of a real ENGLISH world, a traditional one. That was truly special.