Treading Softly in the Steps of Shakespeare

I'm currently on the train from Birmingham to York with the most awesome ticket inspector ever who is today annoucing himself to the commuters with "Tickets, passes and excuses please!" :p

But I've spent the last couple of days in Shakespeare country - Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and the like. I must admit it hasn't really been educational - although Stratford-upon-Avon (that's Shakespeare's home town) has become something of a Shakespeare factory I found myself curiously uninformed about the great bard as I shuffled through his birth home, his daughter's home and his granddaughter's home along with about a million other tourists. I mean sure old Tudor style houses are cool but I really fail to see how they really evoke any memory of Shakespeare (although they have tried uber hard by placing Complete Works and quills etc on every other table).

However one thing I did in Stratford-upon-Avon which no visitor should be allowed to miss is catch a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company. It's really, really good. I saw Coriolanus, which is obviously not one of Shakespeare's better known works as I had never heard of it before (despite owning a complete works). And it's pretty clear WHY it's not really one of his masterpieces - the characters are all fairly one dimensional and the play lacks the really eloquent and insightful dialogue that marks so many of his greater plays. However I personally found the performance excellent. The thespians, particularly a couple of the older ones, were masters at treading the boards and kept me enthralled for the full three hours. I also had no trouble understanding the dialogue despite it being in ye olde English which I always think is the mark of a really great Shakespeare performance. I'm so addicted now, I think I will try and go catch The Tempest in London when I get back there AND try and see the performance of King Lear with Ian McKellan in the titular role. (Ian McKellan may be better known to you as Gandalf, Magneto or Leigh Teabing)

I should also note that in Stratford-upon-Avon I indulged by staying in B&B accomodation rather than hostelling it (mainly because I didn't want to walk 2 miles out to the nearest hostel at 10pm in the evening). Now have you ever seen that episode of Gilmore Girls where Lorelai and Rory accidentally end up in a B&B and spend the whole time skulking around for fear of being drawn into chit chat with the oldies? Well I didn't think B&B's like that existed in the real world. But they do! The lady who owned the B&B I stayed at, Carlton's, would basically lurk in the dining room (which you had to pass on your way out) and then ambush you as you exited for chit chat. Now she was really nice, and I don't mind chit chat so stayinbg there was actually quite nice for me. Plus the HUGE English breakfast that I was served the next morning made me really rather forgiving.

Now Warwick doesn't have much except a giant castle. Now I personally think this castle would have been ABSOLUTELY AWESOME if I had have been 15 years younger. The kiddies there were so cute and having an awesome time dressing up in plastic suits of armour and waving plastic weapons and, when bored of that, sliding across the overwaxed floors on their tummies. They also have these actors dressed in period costumes reprimanding you whenever you tried to treat them like they came from the 21st century. Although I found the whole castle experience a little kitschy I did love the grounds which offered a perfect retreat from the hubbub of tourism in the main castle. A personal highlight was the Peacock Garden which contained live peacocks as well as shrubs pruned to look more like peacocks but in actuality look more like seals.

oh I also visited Birmingham, and no offence Anna, but it's pretty boring tourist country there!