Portals to the Past

This Saturday, we took advantage of £5 tickets on Chiltern Railways, and embarked on a day trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace and home of William Shakespeare. Graced with absolutely gorgeous January weather (albeit quite cold, but beautifully sunny), we bumbled along on a self-guided historical walking tour of the town, ate lunch at Vintner Cafe Wine Bar, housed in a building dating back to 1492, and visited three of the town's homes associated with the Shakespeare family, including Shakespeare's childhood home, parts of which still contain the original stone flooring! Settled on the River Avon, Stratford is about as charmingly historical as an old English town can be. The streets are lined with old-world facades, with architecture steeped in both documented tradition and historical speculation, several buildings claiming supposed ties to the life and family of the famous playwright. Modern businesses and cafes have nestled into buildings with original door frames and stone-laid floors, allowing visitors to very easily imagine life during the Elizabethan era in England. As evidenced by the majority of photos taken during our day, the town boasts many, many unique and enchanting portals to the past....


-B&B

"What's past is prologue." - William Shakespeare