This morning I got up early to explore stratford. I biked into town and walked around the whole day. I forgot what it was like to ride without a heavy weight on the back! I felt like I was walking on air! ::sings theme to greatest American hero:: so I got there right on time and was the first one into Shakespeares birthplace! One of the staff asked where I came from so I said warwick. He was less than amused, I sense a town rivalry! Definitely not the "what are you doing here!?" Reaction I get when I say I'm from NY. So after that I went to the museum of wizardy. That was cute, had some witch and wizard stories. Then they had a potion puzzle where you decipher a riddle to choose which potion it was referring to. I guessed right so I received a certificate for the witch of Henley st!! Either I suddenly learnt to decode riddles or EVERYONE of those potions were the correct one. After that I went to the nash house and new place, shakeys last home. They are excavating the site so I was able to see a cellar from the victorian era deep in the ground. Then I went on a walking tour around stratford which was real nice. We of course went to shakeys grave and I didn't want to pay again since I already did when I went to stratford last year, so I told the lady that I just visited the grave "the other day" so she let me go by for free. Yeah, lying to old church ladies, I feel like a good samaritan! Breaking news: there is an incredibly sexy English dilf in the tv lounge of the YHA, but god is his crying baby annoying!! Ok focus..so where was I? Oh yes, cheating a church out of money. So when we left, our guide showed us 12 trees on each side of the walkway to the church entrance. They represented the apostles and deciples, but the last one of the deciple side was set back out of line from the others and that represented Judas!! Just goes to show the symbolism that we pass by everyday and have no idea that its even there cause obviously I wouldnt have done a double take to that tree if I hadn't known that fact. So all the while there was this guy traveling alone and was from LA (lots of Americans on the tour actually, including people from Boston) and I wanted to talk to him but the cat had my tongue, so we both walked next to each other for the 2hours in silence. I am really kicking myself because although he looked a bit older than me, he was by far the youngest tourist around stratford today, other than me. So it would have been refreshing to talk to someone of my generation and maybe eat dinner with. Not to mention make a friend from cali! But oh well, looks like ill be at the pub alone tomorrow! So after the tour I went to the falstaff experience which had displays on life during the tudor era. Then it was time to head back to the hostel and get ready for my ghost tour tonight. When I got back to my room, both grannies had gone. Maybe I was sending them brain waves in my sleep telling them to travel together and they heeded. I am such a matchmaker!!! At 6 I got a phone call from the company saying the tour was cancelled due to lack of interest, yet the other ghost tour by the wizardy museum people was all booked up until after Halloween. So riddle me that Batman. But hopefully the tour will go on tomorrow. Now I have 2 German girls in my room, much younger!! I'm so glad I'm not the only one under 70 who can appreciate Shakespeare history, although it looks like they belong to a school group. So Ive been in the lounge for a few hours, spoke to some old guy (surprise surprise) and he gave me travel tips for going around Europe and advised I check out the cotwolds tomorrow. I hope to go on Sunday before I head for Birmingham. Ok my neck is hurting from looking down at my phone for so long.
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