Shakespeare's Birthplace

Stratford upon avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare. When we had a car a couple of weekends ago we decided it would be a nice day trip. Neither one of us are big Shakespeare's fans, but we do appreciate his work and the history surrounding him.

This is the front of his house, Shakespeare and his seven other brothers and sisters lived in this house. It actually seems like a he was from a wealthy family.

The back of the house and the garden

There were actors outside the house doing pieces from Shakespeares' plays.

 The surrounding town of Stratford Upon Avon was so cute.  A local Shakespearean pub.

 

Apartments you could live in.

In the town of Straford Upon Avon there are five different places that are linked to Shakespeare. We only visited two of the houses, but we have tickets that we can use for up to a year. So I am sure we will be back.

We also went to Shakespeare's daughters house. She married the local doctor and was also very wealthy.  In the garden with the house in the back. 

Me and the the cherry tree

We walked to the church were Shakespeare was buried

the church yard

inside the church

the organ was amazing.

Grave of William Shakespeare buried right by the alter with his wife.

We also walked along the Avon river which was so beautiful.

Row boats with names of women from Shakespeare's plays.

A living staute of Shakespeare himself.

We had a lovely day!

Sherwood Forest

Last weekend we had Monday off of work so Kit and I decided it would be a great time to rent a car and explore surrounding areas of the UK. On Saturday we went to a local village and had some lunch which was really nice. Then on Saturday we went to the Sherwood Forest and on Sunday we went to Stratford Upon Avon where Shakespeare was born. It was a really nice relaxing weekend and we actually got to see the sun for a bit.  We have had a month or more of rain and cold weather. Kit and I were both feeling a major lack of vitamin D (maybe me more than him) so it was nice to feel the sun on our faces even if it was for an hour or so.

One thing about England we can't get enough of is the Rapeseed fields in the countryside. The yellow fields pop up everywhere and we are always amazed how yellow they really are. Here are some pictures of the fields below.

We are always stopping and taking pictures of crop fields or at least commenting on how beautiful there are. Maybe it is from growing up in the Mid West where we are surrounded by corn and soy bean fields or maybe it is living in a city and any nature of any kind is a comfort to us. I know my dad would be proud of me for doing this.

When Kit and I were growing up we both loved the Disney cartoon version of Robin Hood. So Sherwood forest was one of the places we were excited to see.

When we got there we were excited that there was a Medieval Fair going on. There was a lot of tents set up with medieval objects to buy- yarn, swords, food, baskets, knives etc. We bought some really yummy vegan tofu jerkey and some elderberry apple fruit leather- yum!

All of the people in the tents were dressed in Medieval clothing.

 There was a blacksmith making a sword

People eating lunch, that they made with medieval gear.

We saw lots of children dressed up like Robin Hood and there was this one kid who was dressed up in Medieval clothing who was practicing his archery. A young Robin Hood.

There are also acres of woods which we walked through very happily.

The five hundred old oak tree, which was around during Robin Hood times.

Near the visitor's center there was a little muesum about Robin Hood. 

A bit cheesy but a good laugh.

While walking around the Sherwood Forest we saw some hedgerows being made. They plant small trees/ bushes and then start to bend them and shape them into fences. They have been making hedgerows this way since before the Victorian times.

 

We found a field of blue bells that was so beautiful.

As you can see it was still cold out but we had a fantastic time and the sun was actually shining!

Stirling Castle

After our bus tour to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, we visited Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle is one of the most important castles in Scotland. Many Kings and Queens have been crowned here including Mary King of Scots. There have been at least 8 sieges against the castle during the Wars for Scottish Independence. William Wallace was one of those many people to us Stirling castle.

The view of the Castle from the bus. It was built on a cliff to help with invasions.

The castle was fantastic. They renovated the castle to make it look like the 17th-18th Century and it was done well.  It really made you feel like you walked back into time.

Views of the countryside around Stirling- Absolutely beautiful

My mom and dad in a tunnel between buildings

These were the old prison cells

The Great Hall

Around the castle they had people dressed up in period piece clothing. This family was dressed up just for fun, to visit the castle. I was in love with this idea! There was a little girl who was with them but at this point she was sitting in the Queens chair. So cute.

This was one of the actors dressed up in the bedroom

the King of Scotland's throne

The gardens and countryside were so beautiful. I wished we had more time to explore the town of Stirling and the countryside. Maybe next time!

This is where they had jousting tournaments.

If you know me well you know I am in love with history and castles. 

This is the William Wallace Memorial, which I am sad we didn't get to visit. I have heard that the views from the top are breathtaking. 

That ends our bus tour and trip to Edinburgh. We had the most amazing time and I can't wait to go back and explore more of Edinburgh and Scotland.

Our train ride home was uneventful, which was great. We did see some amazing sights from the train though.

The yellow rapeseed fields 

Sheep and the North Sea. 

The views of the North Sea in Scotland/ Northern England are so beautiful.

Small fishing villages on the border of Scotland and England. 

My visit with my parents was, as always, amazing. We are so thankful that they came to visit us and that my mom spent her 60th birthday with us. It was sad to see them go, but I am sure that we will see them again soon. We love you both!!

We also love visitors so if anyone else would like to visit, we have an extra room!