Stratford-Upon-Avon

The Stratford trip started out with a train ride. For some students this was the first train ride they'd ever taken. Once we arrived in Stratford-Upon-Avon we grabbed a quick lunch, dropped our bags at the hotel, and started our tour of the quaint, pictureque town. The students loved this small, historical town and visiting the sites linked to Shakespeare.

We saw the cottage where Shakespeare was born and raised. Through the courtyard we paused for a performance of Shakespeare's plays by local actors. Then we headed to the New Place where Shakespeare had built a home. This location saw many changes over the centuries and has now become a local garden. 

We also spent time at Susanna's cottage (one of Shakespeare's daughters). We learned about Susanna and her husband, who was a very accomplished phyisician and one of the first to figure out a cure for scurvy. In addition to seeing the accomodations we also saw many intriguing medical devices from the era.

The next morning we woke up well rested and pampered by our stay at the hotel. We took a bus to Anne Hathaway's childhood home (Shakespeare's wife). Below are some pictures from inside and outside of the cottage. We noticed some of the students were nearly hitting their heads on the ceiling beams. In addition to short life spans, people were generally shorter on average than they are today.

After wrapping up our visit at the cottage we stopped by Warwick on the way home. We watched a riveting performance of Falconer's Quest featuring several birds of prey flying from perch to perch, diving through the audience, and returning to their falconers. Some students roamed through the castle grounds, explored the dungeon's, and navigated through mazes around the castle.