Day 24: Visiting Shakespeare’s hometown

Hello everyone! It has been another incredibly busy day here in England! Today we went to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s hometown. We spent time walking around and visiting his birthplace, various houses, and gravesite. The weather was incredibly hot, record breaking here in England, but thanks to being raised in Illinois, I’m used to record breaking weather and was prepared for it (both with heat and this crazy winter in DeKalb!) It was about 100 °F, so we spent as much time ducking into ice cream stores on our walk between sites as we did actually walking! After a full day of walking around the quaint town, we went to another play, As You Like It. (I think I’m addicted, but at least this one was for class!) 

This play was so much fun! It is one of Shakespeare’s comedies and it was so entertaining! My favorite character was Touchstone, the court’s fool. His character is a bit sleazy and the actor was incredible! He was robed in classic Mick Jagger-esque flamboyance with outstanding and bright clashing colors and patterns. He also had long, thinning hair that was bald on top, except for a small section that was combed over. It was both gross and fantastic! He was hilarious and really brought Touchstone to life! Every scene he was in was captivating! I wish I could have taken pictures to show you. I guess you’ll just have to come visit England yourself and see!