Today we took an early bus to the Bard's place of birth and burial, Stratford-upon-Avon. Another student and I had some amazing bagels and coffee, then spent the rest of the day wandering around this tiny town. We walked past Shakespeare's home, which has been fenced off and is now a very expensive tourist site. We also found a Beatrix Potter shop and had a little fun.
Our strolling took us to the church where Shakespeare and some of his family are buried. While we didn't visit a library or an archive on this trip, it became clear that the job of keeping famous remains—like Shakespeare's—intact is very much like an archivist's job. For a while, his body was buried in the churchyard, but plenty of thieves and even curious scientists almost got their hands on the bard's bod to sell or study it. The keepers of the remains, like many archivists or librarians with valuable items on their hands, had to find a way to keep the body safe while allowing the public to continue visiting and paying their respects. They placed him in a little alcove in the church, and partitioned it off, but Bill and his relatives have been neatly labeled, and information about each grave is clear to visitors. The little church was lovely, and I was glad we stumbled our way to it.
Shakespeare's House:
Inside the church where Shakespeare is buried. I think these were sort of half-seats you could lean your butt on during long services.
A chained Bible:
The church was a little crooked. I liked that.
"Search me, we're just the knockers!" Labyrinth (I couldn't help myself!)
In the afternoon, we saw a lively and interactive version of "As You Like It," that ended with an enormous puppet (which I love - more puppets!).
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