Day Thirty-eight Stratford and Castle Day

So much to do and so little time! Mom and John Luke just have one more day with us. I’m already sad! We’ve promised John Luke a free day on Saturday so we’re trying to stick to that promise. BUT, the world’s first university museum, the Ashmolean, opened in Oxford in 1683 and after a year of remodeling to the tune of 104 million dollars, opens tomorrow. So, we HAVE to go to that exciting event in. Other than that, free time, baby!
But, today was no free day. We boarded our tour bus at 9:20 this morning and headed to Stratford Upon Avon, the home of William Shakespeare and then to Warwick Castle. The stop at Stratford was perfect. The weather was a little chilly, but we loved the walk around this charming little village as well as the well-done educational tour of Shakespeare’s birthplace (photo above). My only disappointment was that all the film clips of Romeo and Juliet were of the 1996 version, when I thought the 1968 version was so much stronger. Still, it was a great presentation and tribute to an incredible playwright. We also managed to shop, getting mom some new boots and a few souvenirs.
Next, we traveled to Warwick Castle which is the finest medieval castle in England. The history of the castle is impressive with many defeats and then a major conquest, hence it is still standing. It is amazingly well preserved and the handsome young man (photo above) dressed in period clothing made the tour extremely interesting. He had memorized about 25 minutes of dialogue to give us a true feeling of life in the castle. Also, it is now a property of Madame Tussaud’s of wax museum fame, so the rooms of the castle literally come to life with wax figures in each elaborately decorated room. It’s a little Disney-ish, but still great.
The last event of the busy day was formal dinner at college. John Luke was so NOT looking forward to this, but I wanted him to attend for educational purposes. He admitted as we left that it was way better than he thought. He definitely represented the teens of America with absolute perfection. He politely visited with people from all walks of life, shook hands and smiled at each introduction, put his napkin in his lap without prompting, held his fork appropriately during dinner, made small talk with the people around him at the table and looked fabulous in his new shirt and 2 Papa’s tie. We were so proud of him. Mom did all the above as well, but we kind of expected that.
Our tour guide for the day is so amazing. If you are interested in some of his more informative facts, keep reading. If not, good night and I love you.
• When the Romans invaded England, they asked the name of a certain river. The Celts answered with their word for river which is Avon, leaving the Romans to believe that the name of that river was Avon, hence there are several River Avons in England and they are distinguished by the town they are in such as Avon Stratford.
• Winston Churchhill’s mom was visiting Blenheim and decided to go horseback riding. Now, my gynecologist let me water ski, but not horseback ride. Apparently, Winston’s mom didn’t get this memo, and after falling off the horse, went into labor, delivering at Blenheim Palace.
• The beautiful and elaborate stained glass in the churches was not just for beauty. It was to educate the congregation about the Bible. Very few people could read so having a Bible in their hands wouldn’t have done any good. The vicar would simply point to the stained glass that illustrated the story he was telling.
• 7% of children in England attend a private school (called public schools here), 90% attend a state school and 3% are homeschooled.
• Doctors during the 18th century believed that putting a frog in the mouth of one who has a sore throat would cure it. Hence, the expression when someone has a sore throat, “I have a frog in my throat.” Apparently, the frog has secretions that could help, but I will not be trying it.
• Frances Scott Key’s patriotic poem was put to an existing popular British pub song and then became The Star Spangled Banner. We actually had an Englishman sing us one of the five verses of the pub song today. Cool.
• The home of Mary Arden, Shakespeare’s mother, has been on display for many years because of her famous son. But, nine years ago, when the Shakespeare society decided to purchase the home next to Mary Arden’s home, courthouse records indicated that the neighboring house was actually Mary Arden’s home and not the one that had been on display for a few hundred years.
• Two American Presidents actually visited Shakespeare’s home on the same day in the late 1700s and etched their names in the window glass.
If you continued to the end of this long blog, you’re a real blog-trooper. There is just so much to tell!
It’s almost unbelievable that for hundreds of years people believed what we now know was simply hearsay or, perhaps, a tradition about the true identity of Mary Arden’s home. Yet, many people do not want to believe that Jesus lived, died, and is coming again.
“That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.” Romans 14:6
Have a great evening. Love to all.
Hugs, 2 Mama