Shakespeare Houses

Right at this moment, if someone would ask me if I wanna relocate somewhere -- it's gonna be Stratford-upon-Avon in the United Kingdom. Being in that place is like being inside a fairy tale story (or perhaps I'm just really a big Shakespeare fan! He didn't write fairy tales but that's the feeling I got for being in his hometown.)

The best thing that I love in Stratford is the Shakespeare Houses. I had the chance to visit 4 of 5. I was the happiest when I found postcards for the two houses in one of the gift shops at the town center.

The first postcard is the Anne Hathaway Cottage. Anne was the wife of William Shakespeare. The cottage has a lovely garden, full of different flowering plants. I wouldn't mind working as a gardener there. I felt like there's a fairy hiding somewhere, wishing to play with me (if only there were fewer tourists). Oh well, a lady can still dream of girly things. :D

The second postcard is the Shakespeare's birthplace. This one is right in the town center, just a few steps away from where I got these postcards. Oh, some explaining here, Anne's place is not called Anne Shakespeare's Cottage cause she was still unwed to William while living there. Anne's place is where the courting happened (perhaps it's the reason why it's the most romantic of all the Shakespeare houses, sans the garden.) When she got pregnant and William married her in a rushed ceremony, she transferred to William's birthplace house to spend the early 5 years of married life with him there.

I highly recommend this town for tourists who want to visit the UK. Aside from the Shakespeare houses, there's also the Royal Shakespeare Theater for watching a play or two.

I am sharing this with the Postcard Friendship Friday blogroll, check out Beth's page by clicking the photo below. Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ maria