Upon arrival in Stratford, we went on a tour of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, which included his home and gardens. It was quite beautiful, and very surreal to be in the home of one of the most well known literary geniuses in the world. A bunch of the English majors in our group definitely felt like they were in heaven! We even got to see some actors reenact famous Shakespeare scenes, which was entertaining and super funny. Because it was a sunny day, we took lots of photos in the beautiful gardens, too. Learning so much about history and being in the place where some of that history was born (literally) was an incredible experience.
After the visit to Shakespeare’s Birthplace, we had some time to explore the quaint town and enjoy a delicious lunch. The cobblestone streets, solely for pedestrians, were so much fun and made it feel like we were in Shakespeare’s time. It was a beautiful place to be!
We only spent a few hours there, as our ultimate destination for the day was to be
London. So, we boarded the buses and spent another few hours sleeping and bonding on our way to the city.
Approaching the city of London was surreal; seeing the landmarks as we drove through the city felt like a dream. I was one of the people that had never been to London, and it was a place I had been dreaming of visiting since I was a little girl, so it was crazy to finally, finally be there!
The very first stop we made was at the lovely Berkeley Square. The Chamber Singers had the opportunity to sing “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” right in the center of the beautiful scenery. It was so much fun to hear them sing about a place we were standing in! The looks of pure joy and wonder on their faces were priceless as they took in the fact that they were in London and singing in Berkeley Square ABOUT Berkeley Square.
What an incredible experience to have!
After that mini performance, we explored London more. We visited Buckingham Palace (unfortunately the Queen was not in at the time, as noted by the type of flag flying). We walked through a beautiful park and were able to see Big Ben and even pay a quick visit to Westminster Abbey. The city was beautiful, sunny, and welcoming, and we were all so happy to be there. We ended our night with a group dinner at Bella Italia in London. We were served delicious food and got to enjoy drinks and quality time with each other for a couple of hours, which was an absolute blast. After dinner, we checked into our hotel and were fast asleep, as the day was packed with excitement. The tour has been amazing so far!
--Trisha O'Donnell, CLAS 2017
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