Hi Bill, fancy meeting you in Stratford-U-Avon

March 20th - Visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon

We decided to meet at 5:15 in the lounge with Corey and Hannah, which meant we got up around 4:30.  4:30 came quite fast and we got up and ready to head out.  We made it downstairs just a little after 5:15 and no one was around except the receptionist.  Time started ticking away and still no sign of Hannah or Corey.  Thankfully Hannah told me what bus we were taking to Merlybone station so finally around 5:30 Rachel and I headed out.  It was a dreary morning, still dark of course but sprinkles off and on.  We made it to the station and bought Rachel a ticket, now to just wait for the bus.  A few minutes later Hannah and Corey arrived, having slept in and not heard their alarm.  We hopped onto the bus and headed to Merlybone.  We got off and were a little early for our departure time so we sat around.  Finally we boarded the train and took off, I slept part of the way and sat around for the rest of it.  The train ride was a little more then two hours. 
When we arrived into Stratford-Upon-Avon it was raining, we walked into town from the train station and made our way to the Shakespeare information center.  We spotted a Costa Coffee so we stopped and got something warm to drink and Rachel and I shared a chocolate muffin.  We headed to the information center where we bought ourselves tickets to four of the Shakespeare sites; it is actually a lot cheaper to buy them that way instead of going to each one individually.  We headed first to Shakespeare's home,  then to Elizabeth and Nash's home which used to be next to Shakespeare's old house before a previous owner demolished it.  Elizabeth was Shakespeare's granddaughter and daughter to Suzanne whose house we visited next.  Suzanne was married to Croft who was the towns doctor at the time, he treated many well known people, don't ask who they are because I do not remember.  We then headed to the church that Shakespeare is buried in, or has a grave in.  People were filming a documentary on him while we were there so we didn't get too many good pictures.  Then off we were to Anne Hathaway's Cottage!  Not the now famous Anne Hathaway, but Shakespeare's Anne Hathaway.  We had maybe been walking for about five minutes or so when we see a sign pointing us in the right direction saying the cottage was in one mile, fantastic.  We did get to see some parts of the town we wouldn't have otherwise though.  We finally made it to the cottage, it was nice enough not to rain on us while walking there, and we walked around some.  We headed back to the town, yay another mile walk.  We ate at Subway for lunch and then headed our separate ways for about 3 hours before meeting for supper.  Rachel and I walked around some, went to some bookstores, some shops and then sat in a book shop for a while looking at books.  I purchased a spring-ish type coat and a dress from H&M and then a Python Autobiography by the Python's book at a book shop.  That is Monty Python, by the way :)  It's a big book but when I get around to it, it will be amazing!  Rachel and I then headed early to the pub/restaurant where we were going to meet Hannah and Corey.  We ordered some water and chips to tide us over until they arrived.  When they did we all ordered our food; Rachel and I got chicken in a red wine sauce with potatoes, it wasn't too bad.  Our train wasn't leaving until almost 7:00 pm so we had a long time to do nothing.  We got bored of sitting at the restaurant so we walked back to the train station where Rachel and I stood inside where people can purchase tickets.  The weather was cold and windy outside.  Most of the day it had rained off and on, which is no fun when doing tourist things.  Finally we hopped onto our train and headed back to London.  I again slept part way and then sat around for the rest of it.  When we arrived Hannah and Corey decided to take the tube back to VH but I didn't want Rachel spending  5.60 pounds on a one way ticket.  We opted for the bus instead.  While buying a ticket the bus we needed came and went.  We then stood around for more than 30 minutes waiting for that same numbered bus to come back.  We saw one pass a few times on the other side but it never came to our side.  I was very close to just forking up the 5.60 pounds so we could get back.  One finally arrived and we hopped on.  When we got back to VH I checked my email and received some from my father and sister.  We found out that Rachel's flight doesn't leave until about 8 pm on Sunday instead of in the morning!  So another day of some site seeing and walking around, which is good news for us.  After a long and tiring day we finally made it to bed and slept excellent.  Here's to Sunday, cheers.