Stratford, Bath, and Stonehenge

Last weekend, the entire group embarked on our last trip together to see all sorts of castles around England. We also made stops at other places of historical significance. It was a great last trip for everyone to take together, and we had a lot of fun.

First, we stopped and visited Warwick castle. There are many different parts of the castle that were built and rebuilt over the years, some by the Normans, some during the Tudor reign, some much more recent. The oldest part of the castle, however, dates all the way back to the Anglo-Saxons, who lived in England before William the Conqueror and the Normans invaded. It was fun to climb the towers and walk around the outside of the castle.

Our next stop was in Stratford-upon-Avon. This was where William Shakespeare was born and lived with his family. We went through the house where he was born, and visited other houses of various family members, such as his daughter Susannah. He was probably one of the most wealthy in the town, because the rooms in the houses were huge (for that time) and had real glass windows. Most people would not have been able to afford glass, so that just showed how wealthy he and his family were.

The best part of the day was when we saw the Royal Shakespeare Company perform “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” This play is not nearly as well known as many of Shakespeare’s other plays, and was only recorded to have been performed in England three times during the 1800s. They set the story during the early 1900s in England, and had amazing sets and costumes that resembled those of Downton Abbey.

In Bath, we visited the Roman Baths. Bath was a very different kind of English town, because it really didn’t feel English at all. I felt like I was back in Italy, which makes sense, since this was an old Roman city. It’s amazing that the baths are still in such good condition for being as old as they are. They still had the natural hot spring running nicely, and it was cool to get to see something that old and that historical.

On our last day, we stopped for a cold and rainy hour to see Stonehenge. After that, we travelled to Surrey, right outside of London, and visited Hampton Court Palace. This was by far my favorite thing that we did. I am especially interested in history surrounding the Tudor monarchs, and was ecstatic that I got to see Henry VIII’s rooms. One of the hallways is said to be haunted by the ghost of Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, and people have reported seeing her ghost running toward the chapel to beg for her life from King Henry, and hearing her screams as she’s dragged away.

It is getting right down to the end of the semester, and I think everyone is excited to go home, but sad to be leaving Cambridge. We have done so many things and experienced so much that our perspectives have changed, and we have truly made Cambridge our home. It’s been a thrill so far, and I can’t wait to see what these last few weeks have in store for us!