Thursday morning we were off to Stratford-upon-
 Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, the English Bard.
 Most of the properties associated with the Bard are under
 the care of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The Royal
 Shakespeare Company's main theater was under renovation,
 so we picked up tickets to The Courtyard Theatre for The
 Merchant of Venice, then took a walk around Stratford. 

         The top picture is Shakespeare's birthplace.

         The second picture is Anne Hathaway's Cottage.
 Anne was William's wife and this was her birthplace. Her
 father was a farmer, so the inside is simply furnished, but
 the gardens are beautiful! The cottage is located one mile
 from Stratford in the village of Shottery.

         We believe the third picture is of a police station,
 but couldn't resist taking it because the building looked
 like it was melting. 

        This clock tower, in the Victorian Gothic style, was a gift to the town by an American. The tower
  includes American eagles, English lions, and fairies from Midsummer Night's Dream. It is known as the
  American Fountain because it was from an American and there had been a working water fountain.

              Before going to the play we shared
      plates of bread and cheese and appetizers
      at the Dirty Duck, just down the street
      from the theater. I caught mom as she
      was leaving the restaurant.

 
        We enjoyed the play very much--it was a treat to hear Shakespeare performed by
 British actors, as it would originally have been done. This play was unusual because they
 didn't wear costumes. It reminded me of looking at black and white pictures--without
 the color distracting you, the textures and play of light stand out more. And without the
 costumes to distract us, I believe I listened more intently to the play.

        Later we walked to the Holy Trinity Church, in Stratford, where
  Shakespeare is buried. It was a very beautiful church, and there were 
  memorials as in the larger cathedrals. In this case, Shakespeare's
  grave is in front of the altar, and what we recognize as his likeness is
  looking down from the wall above. I understand this image has been
  redone more than once and there are questions about both his
  appearance and identity, but doesn't this look like the bard whose
  work we've come to love?   

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