United Kingdom - England - Stratford Upon Avon

Stratford-Upon-Avon is nestled along the banks of the River Avon and is a picturesque market town in the heart of England. It is best known as the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

What did we do?

Holy Trinity Church -- the final resting place of William Shakespeare. This beautiful medieval church houses the playwright's grave and a memorial. The churchyard offers a reflective space and no shortage of ancient tombstones.

Bancroft Gardens and the River Avon -- a peaceful park that offers views of the River Avon. You could take a leisurely boat ride or feed the resident swans. The gardens also feature a sculpture of Shakespeare.

Stratford-upon-Avon Canal -- We walked along this every day. There were three locks and we had fun helping the narrow boats get through the locks. One couple even invited us aboard for a ten minute boat ride from one of the locks to a place they were going to tie up to for two nights. It was interesting picking their brains about the boat and canal travel.

Lock Video

Watched an outdoor play -- the Taming of the Shrew. This was something different and fun.

Built a puzzle -- actually TWO 1000 piece puzzles. Did I mention it rained alot?

The Gower Memorial is a statue of William Shakespeare seated on the edge of a cruciform chair, with his left arm over its back and a rolled up manuscript in his hand.

Sir John Falstaff

Prince Hal

Hamlet

Lady Macbeth

Miscellaneous

 

Where did we eat?

For some good sushi we went to Sushi Land 🍣 

Take the damn picture look 

Paradise Combo

We chose El Toro for small plates. It was not what we expected and very disappointing. (Maybe we're becoming 'foodies'. lol)

Olives and nuts provided free with drinks

Filetitos de Cerdo Iberico con Salsa
MOJO Picon
Pan-fried Iberico pork loin & spicy
red pepper sauce

Cecina de Ternera con Rocket you Parmesan
Cured beef Carpaccio, rockets & parmesan

Albondigas en Salsa de Tomate
Meatballs in tomato sauce
Gambas Pil Pil
King Prawns in a garlic & chili butter

Pimientos Rollenos de Morcilla y Manchego
Spanish peppers stuffed with black pudding &
Manchester cheese

We went to Loxleys for lunch. We chose the chicken and fish classic lunch selections. They were okay but not spectacular. We were both surprised that Sharon, who does not like peas, really enjoyed the pea puree.

Lemon, Thyme, & Garlic Half Roast Chicken
with Loxleys Caesar salad, anchovies,
skinny fries & bernaise sauce

Hooky Ale Battered Fish with
pea puree, tartar sauce and 
double cooked chips

Please just let me eat

We always seem to get Italian everywhere we go so we chose Zizzi's.  Food and service was good.

Pasta Crisps

Spaghetti Bolognese

Six Layer Lasagna 

At Home Charcuterie, a puzzle and Presecco Friday on a chilly rainy night. 

Where did we stay? Our AirBnB this time ⏲ was Jonathan's Place. It was centrally located and again the perfect size for us. We are definitely enjoying the separate living space and believe  it or not the AirBnB's are cheaper than hotels.

How did we get there? Not sure if I mentioned we decided against renting a vehicle for many reasons... 🤔 one being they drive on the wrong side of the road. Having a vehicle does give us more flexibility but we thought the train was a better choice. So we took the train from Cardiff to Birmingham then to Stratford-Upon-Avon.

When did we visit? July 24 through July 31, 2023

Stratford-Upon-Avon offers a blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. If you're a Shakespeare enthusiast (which we are not... the only Shakespeare I ever attempted was in Mr. Haag's English class and he had to explain what we were reading), a history buff, or simply looking to experience a charming English town, Stratford-Upon-Avon has something for everyone.

"Do something you've never done, go somewhere you've never been."