Having blown big bucks on our last two family outings, our 1997 vacation budget was in austerity mode. Unfortunately we had all gotten a bit spoiled as well and no one really wanted another boring trip to visit the great grandparents in Florida or Arizona. So we were really in a bit of a quandary until a lucky set of circumstances evolved solving our dilemma.
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| G as Olivia (and A as Viola/Cesario), Twelfth Night |
As it happened, G's 5th grade IPI class happened to be studying Shakespeare and decided to put on "Twelfth Night." This interest in The Bard spread homeward and I took to reading various Shakespeare plays to the girls as their bedtime stories. Coincidently, my sister-in-law was posted to London and, courtesy of the US government, had moved her family into a lovely 4 story flat right outside of Kensington Gardens. To add fuel to the fire (in my devious little brain) the reconstruction of the Globe Theatre had advanced to the point where they were allowing tours. O Fortuna! A free place to stay in the heart of Shakespeare Country! An Educational Adventure! We booked our airline tickets faster than you could say, "MacBeth!"
As this was the girls' first trip to Europe (not counting G's sojourn to Portugal at age 2) I wanted to make this vacation as "kid-friendly" as possible. Thus we did many good ole fashioned touristy things. We immediately visited the Natural History Museum, thus reassuring everyone that the UK had dinosaurs too (just like the US). We took a boat trip down the Thames, saw Big Ben, Buckingham Palace with the changing of the guards, Piccadilly Circus, etc. We spent a lovely wet day at the Tower of London - this is an excellent place to bring children who enjoy good gory tales of princes locked in towers and queens losing their heads (literally) as well as a chance to see the Royal Jewels. I don't know if it is still there but across the street from the Tower was a "Sights and Sounds of Medieval London" ride which advertised "smellavision" as part of the attraction. A tad Disney-esque but perfect for teaching some British history in a gruesome yet amusing way.
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| London Bridge |
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| Big Ben |
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| The Tower of London |
Of course the highlight of our London stay was getting to see the new Globe Theatre. For those of you who don't know your Shakespearean history, the original Globe Theatre is where Shakespeare's plays were produced in the 1600's. The new Globe theatre was being built as an exact replica of the original and, when it was finished, would be the home of new Shakespeare productions (weirdly this was started by Sam Wanamaker, the American actor/director). We were able to take a tour of the theatre and learn how the seating was almost in the round with the cheaper admission price entitling one to stand on the floor in front of the stage. You can get a feel for what it looked like in the day by watching the "Romeo and Juliet" scenes in the movie
Shakespeare in Love.
Inspired by our tour of the Globe, but disappointed we couldn't actually attend a performance there, we opted to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of the Bard. The girls were excited to explore the house in which WS was born as well as Anne Hathaway's cottage where the Shakespeare family resided. We were also lucky enough to catch a performance of
MacBeth by the RSC during our stay.
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| Shakespeare's birthplace |
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Anne Hathaway's cottage
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Ain't nothing like watching Shakespeare in his hometown! We felt like Willie's homeboys checkin' out his 'hood!
And as we happened to be in the neighborhood (the county of Warwickshire, that is) we HAD to stop at Warwick Castle. If you have children and happen to be in the area you MUST go. Warwick Castle has basically been around, in one form or another, since the year 914 AD. It has a tumultuous history that, thanks originally to the Tussaud Group (which later became the Merlin Entertainments Group), truly is brought to life right before your eyes. This is what started my family's infatuation with British (and later Scottish) history and castles in general.
After reading about all the new stuff they have added I WANNA GO BACK!!!
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| Peacock of Warwick |
Our first London adventure whetted our appetites for more medieval history and castle exploration. Thus began the next phase of our travels: the European years....
Of course the highlight of our London stay was getting to see the new Globe Theatre. For those of you who don't know your Shakespearean history, the original Globe Theatre is where Shakespeare's plays were produced in the 1600's. The new Globe theatre was being built as an exact replica of the original and, when it was finished, would be the home of new Shakespeare productions (weirdly this was started by Sam Wanamaker, the American actor/director). We were able to take a tour of the theatre and learn how the seating was almost in the round with the cheaper admission price entitling one to stand on the floor in front of the stage. You can get a feel for what it looked like in the day by watching the "Romeo and Juliet" scenes in the movie Shakespeare in Love.
And so the sword infatuation begins!
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