Day #104 - Warwick Castle @ Stratford-Upon-Avon

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle

William Shakespeare's birthplace and boyhood home

Shakespeare's boyhood home

Sunday, June 27th

So, I'm staying at this hotel which sits atop a bar in Forestgate, England - a hotel aptly named Forestgate Hotel. You don't want to stay here - I would not put it on the 'must do' list.

This place is in a housing area without anything else nearby. No stores, restaurants, shops - these are all located about 1/2 mile away. About 2:30am last night, the afterbar crowd had finally gone and I was slowly drifting to sleep. Then I hear a lady's voice from the street below: "Hello". I had my window open because most places have no air conditioning in England, same as Ireland. (I realize I'm writing this as one of the hottest times of the year is making it's presence felt in the midwest back in the states. Temperatures here aren't that bad - mid to upper eighties. But, no A/C and no fan - it's no treat to sleep.)

Again - "Hello". I could now here this girl and guy talking somewhere below on the street. About 10 more 'extremely loud' - "Hellos" - and a guy from a couple rooms down yells out "What do you want?" The girl says: "Who are you?" Now, this guy was much nicer than I would have been. He said: "I'm up on the 2nd floor, in the hotel". She then says: "We have a reservation here tonight, things are all locked up, any advice for me." Wow - that's an open door. I wanted so badly to yell: "Get a brain!" I chose to stay out of it. The guy a couple rooms down says: "The bar closed at midnight. Everyone's home for the night, can't help you." The girl and guy on the street mull over their options. It's safe to say that they are not Rhodes Scholars. The last thing I heard them announce was: "We're definitely gonna ask for a refund" After all this - I finally fell asleep about 3:30am. I'm out of here in a day - no worries.

Today has been aggressive. I chose to use one of the brochure days as a guideline - and do it myself. I first took a 2-hr train north to Warwick, England. I visited Warwick Castle - the second most visited castle after Windsor.

Described by Sir Walter Scott as 'the most noble site in England', the castle sits above the River Avon. This castle was highly focused on families. There were different activites you could participate in: shooting a bow & arrow, watching a bird show, going in the Princess Castle, etc. The layout was fairly simple, a courtyard surrounded by the exterior castle walls. I climbed up into some of the towers. Impressive sites.

I double-timed it back to the train station. Next stop - Stratford-Upon-Avon ---- the birthplace of William Shakespeare. The town was really great. I got to the house where Shakespeare was born and grew up. I took the tour through the house. Shakespeare was the oldest of 5 surviving children. He had 2 older sisters but both had died. His family was considered wealthy - his father made gloves and sold them right from the house. Alot of details are unknown about Shakespeare's life. Many things are assumed through evaluation of his words used in his writings.

Shakepeare married Anne Hathaway and had 3 children. An older girl and then a set of twins (boy/girl). He had moved from Straton and spent time in London. He was born on April 23rd, 1564 and died on that same date in 1616 (52 years old).

I have to admit that I know very little Shakespeare. I'm not even sure I ever read any of his books/plays fully. Because this trip is about expanding my mind, I decided to buy a book in the shop next to his house. It's a general overview of his life, with highlights from all his works. I had just finished my last book - why not learn more from the 'world's greatest writer'.

I had to run/walk back to the train station. I'm on a 2-hr ride back into London right now. We are going through a section called the Cotswalds. This area of countryside is the epitome of rural England. Small towns everywhere. Wool, once Britian's biggest industry, was the big trade here in the Middle Ages. Almost every prosperous town in the region had a Sheep Street and an impressive church built from the profits. Good stuff.

Tonight - 7:30pm - US vs. Ghana. It's somewhat sad for me to admit that I'm totally into this World Cup thing. I even planned my day to be back for the game. I'm trying to get into the European culture - football is a huge part of it right now. I'm hoping to report Elite 8 status for the Red, White & Blue come tomorrow.