I gotta get myself to Stratford, and it's gonna be Totally Awesome.

I’ve been excited for my pilgrimage into Bardolatry for weeks now. Even so, we got up too early and everyone was tired. There was a lot of refectory water-coffee before departure. We gathered for our coach—my first double-decker since coming to England—in the morning and we were in Stratford by lunch.

Once we arrived we were given our theatre tickets and given free reign. That’s an emerging theme I’m finding with Harlaxton travel: “Do whatever you want for the next 10 hours, and if you want a ride home, show up on time.”

We split off and wandered. Our passes allowed us entry into three of the Shakespeare properties in town—his birthplace, his home of retirement, and the home of William’s daughter Susanna.

At the Birthplace, we learned a bit of history and saw the First Folio. Famous authors and other tourists who visited long ago had scratched their names in to the windows. In the gardens, Shakespeare’s work is performed daily. Speaking to the actresses between performances was enlightening in how people from Stratford view the Bard. There’s a bit of reverence involved. She's trying to memorize something from every play by the end of this season, and is halfway there.

This was Helena and Hermia, still in Athens.

The outside of the Birthplace and grounds.  

New Place, the house Shakespeare lived for nearly his last two decades, was demolished long before there were statutes to protect it. The gardens, however, have been restored and visitors can walk through the archeological dig where historians are searching for relics of the Shakespeare family.

Image of Shakespeare and two muses.

Hall’s Croft is probably the most impressive of the three houses in terms of the physical house and grounds. It also has an exhibition of Royal Shakespeare Company items and costumes. However, by this point we were hungry, and didn’t stay long. Instead we wandered back to Hathaway’s Tea Room for tea and scones. We sat in the courtyard out back. This was both awesome and delicious.

We wandered around town a little, marveling at the many small shops and inns and bad Shakespeare puns. These poor shmucks rowed their rented boat backwards all the way down the Avon:

 

They had a really hard time and didn't know why.

Later we ate our sack-lunch food on a little abandoned pier on the Avon, overlooking the magnificent Royal Shakespeare Company’s Theatre.

Next we wandered to Holy Trinity church, the place of Shakespeare’s grave. There he is buried alongside his family. Also there is his baptismal font and the church records of his birth and death. I believe that is as close to a pilgrimage as I will ever come.

 

Our day ended with a performance of Macbeth by the Royal Shakespeare Company. This was the first performance made specifically for the newly remodeled space. I thought it was incredible. Everyone could at least agree that the performance was like no other Macbeth they’d ever seen or heard of. The script was slightly reworked, but it was effective and true to the feeling of the original. It was also a little terrifying. I wish I could see it a second time.

All in all, Stratford is definitely a tourist town. Go in expecting a little bit of cheesy and a good chance of over-charging. However, it is also quaint, and pretty, friendly, and a great town to walk through. Unlike London, I felt a short trip was sufficient to see everything, but I’m still so glad I went. I’m even glad I spend too much money on Shakespeare souvenirs.