Kate in the UK!: It's nice to meet ya, Shakespeare!

These past two days have been, simply fantastic!! So much to tell.

So yesterday was a day full of my good friend, William Shakespeare! After class we hopped on a coach (which is really just a big bus, but they call it a coach here because they’re cool like that) and set off for a drive! We were originally supposed to go to Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, which I was STOKED about, however, our Coach driver got a little mixed up and took us to Chipping Norton instead. Ever heard of it? Me neither. But it was still great! The town was really cute and we found some scrumptious ice cream, so it’s all good. We’ll have to do Chipping Campden another time. (and ohhh yes we will!)

So back to Shakespeare. Our first REAL stop was at Anne Hathaway’s cottage! (Clarification: Anne Hathaway as in Shakespeare’s wife, NOT the film star.) The cottage was so quaint. We got some solid background info about the Hathaways, Shakespeare’s time there, and his relationship with Anne. Which was quite the scandalous relationship if ya didn’t know! The garden surrounding the cottage was very pretty, too. I would totally live in that cottage.

So next we went to Shakespeare’s real stomping grounds: Stratford upon Avon! I loved it. First we went to his birthplace. They had a nice tour of his house and once again a great tour guide! England is just full of them I guess! We also went and saw Trinity Church. Which is the church where Shakespeare and his wife Anne were buried! The church was super cool, once again because of how old that thing is! And how pretty it is! Want to hear a fun fact I learned while in this church? Okay so Shakespeare died when he was 46, and during this time the King James Bible was being edited. So, In psalms 46, count down 46 lines and you’ll find the word “shake.” Count up 46 lines from the end of the chapter and you’ll find the word “spear.” Ooooooo! Coincidence? I think not!

So to finish out our Shakespeare day we went and saw his play “Twelfth Night.” Luckily, this happens to be the play that one of my favorite chick flicks “She’s the Man” is based off of, so I totally understood what was going on and thoroughly enjoyed the play! I also enjoyed the theater, it was so neat inside! The whole experience was just new and interesting. Stratford upon Avon: Check plus!

TODAY might have been my favorite day thus far. Today we made our way to Hampton Court! Oh man, I just loved this place! It was incredible!! It was massive! We got to tour Henry VIII and William and Mary’s “apartments” and the Kitchens there! I loved touring the Kitchens. It was incredible how they managed to cook for and feed over 600 people. That is often how many people were living in the palace. It was so cool to be walking in a place that housed so many Kings and Queens. They were so lucky to live somewhere so incredible! The formal gardens surrounding the palace were BEAUTIFUL. I didn’t want to leave because it was just oh so gorgeous. I loved every minute of it. Can you imagine having that be your backyard??? Oh and, guess what! Mr. Sunshine decided to finally grace us with his presence for a little. And he couldn’t have picked a more perfect day! It made the gardens even lovelier.

Tonight, I was lucky enough to go and see “The Lion King!” Love love love this show. The staging, costumes, puppets, dancing, music, just all of it, is so fun! I get chills hearing Mufasa’s deeeeeep voice and Rafiki was hilarious! And who doesn't love good old Timon and Pumba?! Hakuna Matata.