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Monday; Day 14! 2 weeks in the MotherLand! Last night I arrived at Aunty Coral's where I will be staying for the next 4 days. For the first time, I get to meet her husband who she's been married to for 7 years, and they have both taken time off work to spend some time with me (how lucky am I!)
I'd mentioned to Coral a few days before arriving that I'd love to go to Stratford upon Avon while I was down and she said yes so the three of us head down the motorway Monday morning and arrive in Stratford only an hour later. Of course I want to go to visit good ol' William (Shakespeare). I have always been fascinated in his life, his poems and his character so I was definitely excited that I would be finally visiting his home town!
Of course, I thought it would be quiet being a Monday but apparently not; there were families and school kids on excursions everywhere!!! The town is like a couple of streets just full of little cottage-style bars and cafés filled with Shakespeare monuments, shops, buildings and scriptures in every direction.
We have a quick coffee-stop at Costa (of course) and whilst we are there I receive a Skype call from my Dad and for the first time since I've been away, I can finally hear them speak as they've got round to sorting their speakers! Dad says hello to his sister (my Aunty) and seems rather happy that we are all together in Stratford.
Coral and I head to the tourist desk to purchase our tickets (while her husband heads off for a bit of sightseeing and the pub) which will get us into 1. the birthplace of Shakespeare and where he lived for half of his life; 2. the ruins of the house he bought a few streets away when he was in his 40s with his wife and family (called New Place but the last owner got it demolished, what a party pooper) along with 'Nash's house' which is where his granddaughter and husband (mr Nash) lived. 3. the house that his daughter and husband lived in and was then renovated by the Smith family (yes!) and 4. the church where he was attended and was buried along-side other members of his family....
It might sound all a bit borin' but it really wasn't! I loved every minute of it and learnt so much about his life, his family and the details you don't learn when you study Shakespeare at school.
I'm so glad I got to come down to Stratford to experience this as it's always been on my bucket list. So I can tick this one off now!..We enjoy lunch at a cute little cottage-style cafe just down a few from Shakespeare's birthplace and listen to an incredible busker nearby playing Michael Jackson classics on his electric guitar!
Back at home I quickly throw a cardigan on and give my hair a brush before my cousins come to pick me up. These cousins are also on my dads side but I always forget who's the direction relation that makes us cousins! I think my Grandad is related to my cousins Mum (Shirley), but who knows! So Shirley, Gary (Shirley's son), Tarnya (Gary's wife), and their son (Joe) (lol!!) and I, head to a lovely pub called the Sump for a good catch up and a drink. We then head to the local fish and chippy for a quick late dinner for Joe and I to find the shop don't want to let us sit inside because they're closing (they were no where near closing!) They also ask a million questions about how I'd like my chips and mushy peas to be but that's another story! So we go back to the car (truck) and pull down the back bit and sit on the edge eating our fish and chips before Gary brings out his work fluorescent jacket to which Joe ends up wearing so I of course, grab the other fluorescent jacket and wear it too! We looked like a right pair but it kept us warm and it was a good laugh!
I was going to be staying with Gary and Tarnya for a couple of nights while in Burton but with Spain spontaneously coming up it didn't happen this time round.
I'll see them when I come back to England sooner or later though so I say ta-ra and crash out in bed straight away back at Coral's after another busy bit lovely day :)
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