Shakespeare's England: The Beginning

Shakespeare’s England

Welcome

Looking for Shakespeare

Time Traveling

Tour Guide

The Play’s the Thing

Leaving London

The Beginning

Day 2

The journey to Stratford began on a stressful and chaotic note for the ProjectExplorer team. Our rental car was packed and we were highway bound. Just three minutes out with Jenny at the wheel, the front, left tire popped.

One hour later, the tire was changed and Jenny was shaken from the experience. It was decided that I would take the wheel for the trip.

This might sound dramatic, but this will go down as one of the most difficult things I have ever managed to pull off. I felt like I was learning how to drive all over again. Everyone helped me navigate and occasionally had to remind me that I was veering too far to the left. In England, they drive on the opposite side of the road. We arrived in Stratford with me gripping the wheel with white knuckles, but we made it!

Lights, Camera, Action: In the middle of Stratford-upon-Avon lies Shakespeare's Birthplace. This is the house William Shakespeare was born in. It is oddly situated among modern shops and restaurants, but still stands today. Sallie, who works at the Birthplace, met us before the house opened to the public and showed us around.

The home was large for the time period and by today's standards would still be considered of good size. Especially if you are accustomed to tiny NYC apartments as I am! The house even held his father's workshop and would have housed several apprentices.

Today, I was given the duty of taking lots of photographs. I am thankful that I did not go from the stress of the car to being immediately in front of the camera. I spent several minutes privately meandering around. If you hear creaking and footsteps in the video, that's me upstairs while Christopher and Sallie chatted downstairs.

Although the early morning light and the glass windows were unfortunate at times for photography purposes, I really enjoyed getting an up-close look at the home. I think the workshop was the most interesting. Here, I was able to see different items that would have been made and sold during Shakespeare's day.

We also learned from Sallie where the term “Good Night, Sleep Tight” comes from. I love finding out about things that connect the past to the present and “Good Night, Sleep Tight” is the perfect example, as you will see.