Stratford-upon-Avon

I love Stratford. Of the places I actually went to in England this and Glastonbury were my favorites. There were so many places I didn’t get to see though :( I did not get to Cornwall or Tintage :( or to the southeast Kent, Dover.

Stratford is definitely a must-see. It is so beautiful and clean. I did see all the sites but just to go to the town is enough. It is such a pleasant town.

It has been 16 years since I’ve been so I don’t know if it’s changed much.

I thought it was funny the way the whole town was done up to look all ye olde even when it included some really new buildings. Do you think Shakespeare would have shopped at marks and spencers and had coffee at Starbucks? My personal opinion is that he was too romantic a person for something so standardised, and would have preferred wine anyway.

Very touristy. Cute, but just so touristy.

I was there for Global Gathering UK 2007 for work. What was supposed to be a crazy rave weekend turned out to be a cultured tour of Shakespeare’s birthplace in a quaint beautiful little town. I enjoyed walking in town looking for Wellies (they were soldout as the place was flooded just a week before I arrived). And found a great 2 pounds breakfast at Winterspoons! I really like the park near the river, it creates a beautiful setting of the place.

We were in the Cotswolds for the bank holiday weekend so we decided to make a day trip up to Stratford-upon-Avon on the local bus. It’s an attractive town – quite touristy but worth visiting all the same.

We visited Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Nash’s House and New Place, and Hall’s Croft, all houses associated with Shakespeare and his family. It was particularly interesting to see how big the houses were in an era when most houses were a single room. Shakespeare’s father was the son of a poor tenant farmer but he married his landlord’s daughter, thus lifting the family fortunes, and Shakespeare himself became immensely wealthy in life. http://www.shakespeare.org.uk.

i was in stratford on my 16th birthday, and despite nearly running out of money and spending the day calling my parents back in the states, it was still so wonderful. i want to live here one day.

There was something ridiculously gorgeous about Stratford-upon-Avon. Everything was vibrant and ten thousand people milled around underneath the clear morning sky with a song in their heart.

The year: 2002
The main character: A Shakespeare-obsessed 8th grader(me)
Objective: Revenge on my mother, who made me see Mamma Mia! in London

We stayed at an adorable little bed-and-breakfast within walking distance of lots of the town, and to buses for the rest of it. The walkability of the town was a great feature—and great exercise! I dragged my mom through all of the Shakespeare’s birth place stuff, which I LOVED and she tolerated. We had tickets to see As You Like It at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (booked way in advance), and it turned out it was in the first few weeks of the show! We sat a few empty seats away from a few people from the production team—every so often, a runner would come and get notes from them to deliver backstage. As I am a technical theatre geek, it was the thrill of a lifetime!

The most surprising bit of our time in Stratford-upon-avon was the International Teddy Bear Museum. My mom dragged me in, but I found it really well-done and fascinating. They had Jim Henson’s(the creator of the Muppets) original Fozzie Bear!

I loved Stratford-upon-Avon, and would love to go back someday. But maybe without a mother who complains through a whole Shakespeare show….

Foreigners will love this place as it contains everything associated with the English, plus the surrounding countryside is beautiful.

If you get a chance, check out the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It isn’t cheap and the they building isn’t that impressive, but the performance makes up for all of that.