Sunday in London

There are few nicer ways to spend one's Sunday than with a bit of a drive out to Stratford. As you probably know from days gone past Stratford on Avon is the birthplace of The Bard, our friend William Shakespeare. We started out early on a chartered bus and drove nearly two hours out into the countryside. Not all of the kids paid to go on his trip, so Jody took three with her for trips around London. 

All of us had been up really late the night before, so a long bus ride was quite welcome for that morning. Within ten minutes of setting off, our bus was silent with all students sound asleep. I snuck Ina thirty minute nap and woke refreshed and ready to go. I caught up on my blogging but best of all, I was able to finally see that beautiful green countryside that I heard about for so many years. Fields of cows and sheep, absolutely gorgeous along the way. 

Once we arrived in Stratford, we picked up our tour guide Joyce, and she gave us a quick overview of the town. We drove to the outskirts of the town and out to Anne Hathaway's home. It was tiny but absolutely beautiful. The gardens were amazing, and I am certainly putting this on my list of places to return to where I will spend hours roaming. I know that 14 year olds really don't care about beds of hollyhocks and so many other gorgeous plants, but I loved it.  The kids probably appreciated more the discussions of the living conditions, especially the fact that the families had canopies over their beds to prevent creepy crawlies from falling out of the thatched roof onto them in the night. 

We drove back into the town where we parked the bus and made a plan for the day. We met in front of he Shakespeare birthplace where Joyce gave us another quick talk. We then sent kids out to grab some lunch and to meet us back in two hours where we would tour the birthplace. Some kids made a quick dash to Starbucks or Subway while others knew they wanted something a bit more traditional. Several kids joined me in Presto Pasty which turned out to be one of my fave meals on the trip. A pasty is a small pastry filled with a variety of yummy goodies . . . meat/potatoes, cheese/meat, mushrooms/onions. Basically it is easy fast food. But, I also picked up a delicious cheese scone. I'm defy going to have to find a recipe for these when I get home.  I've made scones for years but these were amazing. 

I roamed through the gift shop of the Royal Shakespeare  Company and then made my way back to our meeting point with the kids.  We got a quick overview meeting and then a full tour of the home where Shakespeare would have been born. I continuo be amazed that so many of these buildings are still standing! How is this possible!  Again, the gardens were fabulous. I found myself enthralled Ina conversation with one of the gardeners who said he had collaborated with a woman who had been writing a book about the gardens in Stratford. I can only imagine what it would be like to be able to work in gardens like that on a regular basis.

So I have babbled on enough about he flowers. When I came through much behind the others, I was thrilled to find the Hand kids seated in a courtyard completely enthralled by a trio of actors performing random scenes. I have heard my whole life that Shakespeare was always meant to be performed and not just read, and these few moments solidified that for me. I wish every parent could have seen his/her child hearing/living/breathing those words written so many years ago. These images will stand for me as one of the most beautiful and memorable from our trip. 

Our ride back into London was much livelier than our ride earlier in the morning. Charlotte designed a test for the kids and divided them into teams. She asked basic questions that we heard throughout the week, and I was amazed at how much of it so many of the kids remembered. The quiz was topped off with each team writing a sonnet about their trip. Ours was much more like a limerick, but it was fun and the kids really seemed quite involved.  

Dinner this night was our curry night. I always wonder how many kids are going to try the meal, but these kids dove right in! Few picky eaters here. Many plates were scraped clean, and I think they would have taken seconds had they been offered.