I had the day off from school today so with only one full day to be a tourist I decided to make the most of it. When I get back home, I fully expect Gary to ask me if I had seen a real castle. I didn't want to disappoint him with a no, so I set out bright an early this morning - skipping breakfast so as to catch a train before 9:00 - to Warwick Castle. The castle spent last year celebrating its 1100 birthday and it is one of the best preserved castles in England. I arrived in Warwick an hour before the castle opened which enabled me to wander around and get acquainted with the town. I stopped into a coffee shop for a pastry and my daily dose of caffeine - why does coffee taste better in Europe? I stopped in to a post office buy stamps so that I could sent Gary a couple of postcards. And many of you know how much Gary loves his postcards. By the time I circled down to the castle the ticket window was opening. The beautiful thing about being a tourist in the winter is that you get to avoid the crushing and suffocating crowds that swarm places like castles all through the warmer months. The bonus today was that it was pleasantly warm and felt more like early spring than mid-winter. Alone - I had the place to myself for at least fifteen minutes - I entered the castle grounds. The stone towers rose up into the rising sun and passing through the gate I felt like I stumbled back in time. I strolled around the grounds, thrilled to be taking pictures in a foreign city. I wandered out to the Avon river and up to the conservatory where I saw lots of peacocks. At 11:00 I joined a tour of the castle and twenty minutes into the tour my peace was shattered when about four dozen school children - ages seven or eight - invaded the castle screaming at each other and their teachers. The tour guide, obviously used to the distraction simply raised her voice to compete with the miniature army. After the tour, I wandered up one of the towers and got stuck in the middle of a class. The teachers were even louder than the kids but the kids were much more steady on the windy, narrow stairs which nearly caused one teacher to plummet to her death.
By the time I had walked and viewed every inch of the castle my stomach was rumbling. Since I'm in England, I felt compelled to get some fish and chips. Normally, my body rebels against fried food but I'm not in England long enough to worry about it. I washed down the food with ginger beer and then rounded off my extremely healthy meal with a Cadbury bar. In one meal I easily consumed more calories and fat than I generally do on a daily basis but before the day ended I would walk at least ten kilometres so I'm fairly certain my output was greater than my input.
From Warwick, I caught a train to Stratford-Upon-Avon. I am here in England for a writing course, and since Stratford is so close I felt it would be sinful not to pay homage to one of the great English language literary gods. I could have spent an entire day happily wandering aimlessly around the Stratford. A half a day wasn't nearly enough, but it was better than not getting there at all. I sprinted off the train and down to the house in which Shakespeare was born - or so they tell the tourists. There is no historical evidence that the house I went to was the house in which William drew his first breath. The wonderful thing about England is that there are student discounts everywhere. I purchased a discounted ticket that would allow me access to three historical houses. I didn't have much time until they closed, but there was no way I was paying for something and not using it. Luckily all the houses were close enough that I was able to quickly move from one to the other, shooting entirely too many photos as I went. Even if Shakespeare wasn't born there, I still enjoyed walking through the old houses.
After the houses, I drifted down to Holy Trinity Church which is on the banks of the Avon River. The church is surrounded by an old cemetery with headstones in serious disrepair. As I walked through it the sun started to set which lent the cemetery and eerie feel. I kept expecting the ghost of Shakespeare or someone else to tap me on the shoulder. I ended my day with a walk along the river before turning back into town and doing a bit of souvenir shopping.
The day flew by entirely too quickly but I enjoyed every moment of it. Now, I need to find a job so I don't have to wait another five and a half years before I can set off and explore another foreign city.
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