Oxford and Stratford day trip

The First Stop

Today (July 11) was our first class trip to Oxford and Statford-upon-Avon. Oxford was very quaint, the quintessential English village I had imagined. We left before the rooster crowed though, 7:00 in the moring. The bus trip was rather uneventful. Plenty of beautiful scenery, I'm sure. I tried to keep my eyes open but the lids were weighing heavy. What I saw when I did manage to peek out from under my eyelids was just lovely though. Upon entering Oxford, I was jolted awake by a blustery voice, excuse my prose but we are getting closer to Shakespeareland. The Professor from the theater group graciously explained the meaning of the colleges at Oxford. My understanding is that when someone said they studied or read at a certain college at Oxford it would not have to do with the subject he/she studied but rather what family legacy or home they were from. I hope I got that right. Please feel free to correct me, anyone. He also mentioned the continuous controversary surrounding the legitimacy of Shakespeare as a playwright. He explained that there are those Oxfordian theorists who feel that proof to the contrary lies in the fact that the 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere an Elizabethian playwright and poet had on his person athe the time of death the Bible that had underlined passages which correspond to Shakespeare quotations. This somehow gave proof that this particular person may have been the real shooter oh I mean writer, sorry. Kennedy, Shakespeare will we ever know?

Anyway, moving on. We had a couple of hours to explore on our own in Oxford before setting off again to find the real Shakespeare. First on the agenda was to find Blackwell's. I never thought I would be so excited to find a bookstore and have my picture taken in front of it. Wait till the folks back home see this!!! Just time for a coffee and a snack before heading back to the bus. Those bookstore will really take it out of you. Well here we go on to the final destination.

Statford-Upon-Avon

If you can believe it an even quainter English village than Oxford. I liked that cars were only allowed with a special permit in the main walking area. We were provided a ticket which allowed us to enter three Shakespeare houses his birthhouse, the Nash house and Hall's Croft.

Each house of course was more impressive than the first. The Nash house is where Shakespeare lived from 1597 until his death in 1616. The most impressive house however was Hall's Croft. This house was especially built for Shakespeare's Eldest daughter Susanna and her Husband Dr. Hall. Apparently, from the guided tour Shakespeare got along well with Dr. Hall and bequeathed him the Nash house. Dr. hall was ahead of his time using natural herbs and plants for ailments such as scurvy which was quite common even among the wealthy due to their hearty meat and virtually no vegetable diet. The Hall house was really impressive, furnished with period furnishings, just beautiful. Hall's Croft is not far from Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried so how could we pass that up. The Church still holds services and is supported from donations including those who would like to view Shakespeares grave. The headstone is actually inside the church which I was not expecting. There is also of course a nice little gift shop as you walk in. I was tempted but prevailed. I had just spent £39.00 on a new memory card for my camera. A little glitch in the journey I forgot to mention. I'm new to the digital camera game, yes a "mature" student and I assumed the memory card that came with my camera would hold a sufficient amount of pictures for this little excursion. Apparently 10 is the magic number. I couldn't believe it when the screen read "sorry memory full". Luckily Libby, again London Libby to the rescue, spotted a camera store. I was able to buy a new memory card but I think the salesclerk kept my precious card with the 10 photos, yikes. So those 10 precious memories gone forever : (. Well I forged ahead unknowingly, just so pleased to find a new card.

Our Secret Find

Perhaps, the most exciting find of the day though was the Shakespeare Library. We knew of its existence but not sure of its accessibility. A simply inquiry though got us in, who knew? Libby asked the salesperson at the shop of Shakespeares birthhouse if we could possibly go into the library. His response, "If you ask the receptionist nicely she might let you in". Well I guess we were nice enough. Actually, come to find out the library is open to the public so not really all that difficult or secretive. The woman at the front desk though was very helpful providing brochures and handouts and even gave a demonstration of the online catalog which goes back to September 2001. Everything before that date is in the card catalog. We spoke briefly with the librarian Sylvia, who was just as helpful. She gave all of us her card and offered to set up a tour. It was a great little find and someplace I would like to research further. Hopefully I can get back there, but if not thank goodness for email.

Macbeth

After spending the day exploring shakespears birthplace, we of course had to stop by the Royal Shakespeare Theater for their production of MacBeth. I found the seats a little uncomfortable but I liked the view from the top (and I mean the very top). The play was very good. I usually prefer something a little lighter, but Macbeth is one of my favorite shakespeare plays. Actually, it's the one with which I'm most familiar so that's why it's my favorite. The costuming or dress was interesting. The male characters all appeared to be wearing leather trench coats giving it a "Matrix" look. The sound was excellent in the theater, very loud but effective. Apparently there was a sign, which I missed, outside the theater warning of the violent and graphic nature of the production. It was graphic and violent, but then again it is shakespeare.