Day .05: Mary Arden, The KINGMAKER, and Don John

This day started off with an English breakfast...that I didn’t attend because I was sleeping haha...and then a drive to Mary Arden's House. Mary Arden is Shakespeare’s mother (in case you didn’t know....I didn’t). It’s on a farm with cows and sheep and roosters and pigs and hawks and owls and geese. There’s also a living history aka people who act like they live there and dress like it and cook the food the same and feed the animals and everything. It’s kind of like Plymouth Plantation...Euro style.

The best part of the Arden Cottage was the falconry part of the farm. We actually got to have a hawk fly onto our hand. I thought I would be scared but nope, I just walked right up there put the big leather glove on and had a hawk fly at me. It was incredible...and scary all at the same time...especially when the hawk looked me right in the eye. So intense.

After that we went to Warwick Castle (pronounced War-ick, the 2nd W is silent). It was the official residence of the Earls of Warwick and William the conqueror made it into a fortress around 1066. We walked up this spiral staircase with very steep stairs...that had about oh you know 500+ stairs...it was never ending. But the view from the top was breath taking. The sun was breaking through the clouds and the rays were beaming down. It was amazing and COLD! The wind-chill was ridiculous.

After climbing the outdoor towers we went inside the castle. It was verrry interesting....full of wax people...that looked remarkably like real people...scary...there was even one room that a fake person was supposed to be there....and wasn’t....we were afraid she might pop up behind us.

We saw the dungeon...very erm...pleasant...in that okay let’s get out of here kind of way.

Then we went through this creepy thing called "The Kingmaker" yeahh...it was like a 20 min long short of some king who had a trippy dream when he was young and it was weird...and scary...and not worth the 20min.

After Warwick we grabbed some lunch and then we went to go see our first show:

Don John. It’s based off on Don Juan but set in the 70s and it is really intense and I can’t even begin to describe/explain it because it was too good...and too awkward....and too dlkgjdfsklgjdg I don’t even know.

After the show we stopped at "The Dirty Duck" and grabbed some drinks and met the actors because that is where they went for drink....and then we went to bed.

Thats all ...and now PHOTOS!!

With all my love, from across the pond,

L.E.S

Mary Arden house:
Dried apples inside the Mary A cottage:

Light from a window in a smokey room:

ME AND A HAWK!!!

Dave and a cow:


The view from the tower at Warwick Castle....soo high up.again another view
A nice view of MP!
The tower from below:
Rudie's hair blowing in the wind....to bad he was blinking...
Me and my new friend....they are so realisticcc creepppyyy!!

A suit of armor/a horse inside Warwick castle

Chris:

One of the many majestic rooms...this one looked like Freud was sitting there at the back of the room:

The Grand Hall and Steve:

A cool staircase with nice lighting:

Another part of the castle:
Rudie and i in the stocks:

Rudie was blocking the way of Shakes birthplace:
...yes:
His father (Shakes dad) was a glove maker:

More of the house:


I was very excited about plush Shakes:

The garden outside of the center:
Rudie, Tara, Myself:
A tree:
A sculpture of a midsummer night dream, in the sclupture garden:
Our wacky tour guy in the house:
At the grave of Shakes:
The grave itself:

Some nice natual light from a stained glass window and Elizabeth:

And Krystina:

Candles in the church:

Inside the church where shakes is buried: