Trebuchet and Twelfth Night

Top of the tower at Warwick Castle

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Yesterday was another full day excursion that ended with weary feet and a Shakespeare comedy. We woke up early to travel to Warwick Castle where we climbed the towers, went to gaol (jail), and posed with Queen Elizabeth (a wax statue). We also watched a demonstration of a launching of the trebuchet. I thought of a good list of things that I'd find more entertaining to launch than just a rock. (For one, the service man who has failed again to show and fix our heat).

Outside Shakespeare's birthplace

When it started to rain, we took a break for tea and lunch and then made our way to Anne Hathaway's (not the actress) cottage. It was a thatched roof, cozy home, tucked in a garden. Like magic, when we got out of the car the rain stopped and didn't begin again until we got back in to go into Stratford where we first stopped at the Holy Trinity Church to see where Shakespeare was baptized, married, and buried. After seeing his grave, we walked to his birthplace and saw the house he grew up in.

We were then on our own until it was time to meet at the theatre after dinner. Being hungry and tired, we went straight to a pub called the Black Swan (also known as the Dirty Duck) and FEASTED! We then met Francis and Penelope with full bellies at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre where we took our seats to see a production of "Twelfth Night."

Adrie, sitting next to me, noted that there was a computer on stage and we realized that this was a modern take on the play (which was a very different experience than at the Globe).

Once the play was over, we headed back to Oxford where I crashed once I hit the pillow.

And now I'm waiting by the window, soaking in the solar heat while I watch for the heat repairman (this is the third day I've spent doing this). The video below depicts his fate if he fails (again) to show up. (It's also the video I took of Warwick Castle's trebuchet!)