Visiting This place changed my mind! Stratford upon Avon-Shakespeare Country (Travel Vlog)

Visiting This place changed my mind! Stratford upon Avon-Shakespeare Country (Travel Vlog)

Welcome back we are in a very windy Stratford upon  Avon and we’re parked up next to the canal side   absolutely beautiful let’s go discover a bit of  Shakespeare country we left Bristol and travelled   up sort of North through the Cotswolds stopped  at a couple of lay-bys and service stations and  

That kind of thing so let’s go see what Billy  Shakespeare is all about shall we. so Stratford   upon Avon is located in the West Midlands it’s a  historic Market town is that what they call it I  

Think so Travelers that are not really good with  geography I think it’s a historic Market town it’s   medieval anyway so hopefully we’re going to see  kind of lots of medieval buildings and just find   out who William Shakespeare was we’ve both got  our own opinions haven’t we yeah on our little  

William Shakespeare yeah differ differ so we’ll  tell you about those in a bit. I studied William   Shakespeare at school which I’m sure most people  in the UK have done um I don’t know about abroad   I don’t know if they study William Shakespeare  abroad but definitely in the UK it was always  

On the syllabus in my era anyway um and and  I was always really really really rubbish at   like Reading Writing hated reading out in class  I always used to get really upset and embarrassed  

About it turned out I’m dyslexic but back in the  day they used to say oh it’s all right she’ll grow   out of it um and when I read William Shakespeare  it was like opening up a whole new world to me so  

I’ve never really been somebody that can read even  now and get anything from it I’ve done a degree   I’ve done a master’s degree but I can’t read and  get anything from a story in terms of what’s in   my imagination how I feel anything like that and  so reading about William Shakespeare at school  

It opened up that whole new world for me it was  something where because you’re working your way   through the language and you’re figuring it out  it actually created an image in my head I actually   got something from it I could see the play as if  it were actually happening and everybody else says  

They get that from reading stories and I don’t  I can only read factual books that’s the only   thing that I I actually kind of enjoy William  Shakespeare introduced me to literature and I   actually really enjoyed it and I’ve seen so many  of his plays performed as well and really enjoyed  

Every one of them I’ve seen some of them three and  four times over and I just think he is a master or   was a master at language an absolute Master at  being able to use the language of the time and  

Conjure up images and conjure up feelings and  emotions um although some of his content these   days is a bit questionable. I’ve read that people  kind of say he is the greatest writer of all time  

And that’s where I have a bit of a problem I  think he’s the greatest writer of his time but   the greatest writer of all time now this is from  somebody who absolutely loves books I love the   imagination that books bring I love the world  that books bring and so is you know reading  

Macbeth better than reading Philip Pullman’s  Northern Lights I’d say not really um but was   he the greatest writer for his time absolutely.  we’re just wondering what this statue is there   there’s a statue of a guy on top of um on top of  this little thing here with other statues so I’m  

Thinking that that’s probably William Shakespeare  on top of that and then all the other writers are   beneath him. so we got it right it is actually  Shakespeare at the top this statue actually is  

Of um William Shakespeare it was built in 1888 by  a guy called lord Ronald gawa um and it took him   over 10 years to build it he actually used  his own money to put it together and it was   originally built in front of the theatre and  Shakespeare was facing Holy Trinity Church but  

Then the theatre was destroyed by a fire and so  in 1926 it was moved to where it is now and it’s   got four figurines surrounding so you’ve got um  Shakespeare right on the top and then you’ve got  

Hamlet leer Macbeth foul staff and Prince which  are all the way around and then it’s got these   kind of bronze masks and which each have flowers  you’ve got poppies you’ve got Pioneers they’re   representing tragedy um you’ve got comedy which  is represented by Hops and roses and so it’s all  

The way around you’ve got these different kind of  masks. life’s but a walking Shadow a poor player   that struts and Frets his hour upon the stage and  then is heard no more. so you see that quote is  

What I like about William Shakespeare cos you’ve  got to break it down you don’t just read it and   conjure up some image in your in your imagination  you’ve got to really sort of break down what he’s  

Saying and Shakespeare used a lot of metaphors  in his writing so when he’s talking about the um   Shadow what he’s talking about is like the the  the passing of life like how it just kind of   quickly disappears and you know and then when he’s  talking about the actor basically being on stage  

And Performing he is talking about the fact that  what his character that he’s playing is not really   real so when you put that together and you look at  you know life in general that kind of means that  

You know life is so quick and these characters  that we play these things that we pretend to be   in life in order to achieve things is really just  like it’s all pretend is what he’s saying life  

Passes You by so quickly so don’t pretend to be  something that you’re not be true to yourself. I   do think though that sometimes you can break down  things in stories too much like you know because   when you’re studying them at school and stuff  like that and you’re made to break every single  

Part of it down it is open for interpretation  what it means you don’t actually know whether   that person sat down and really thought about  that sentence to that degree whether he just  

Wrote a story for his time I had to study him at  school for the short amount of time um that I had   to endure my miserable existence there but um but  it were uh I didn’t stay very long I’ll tell you  

That story another time. reading Shakespeare  again now just for a story I might I might   enjoy it I might look at it differently think  that there’s an element of where you can sort   of destroy something by breaking it down too much  but also you do have to see like the the wisdom in  

It and the creativity in in the language as well  we’re just laughing because I can’t stop saying it   absolutely and definitely somebody pointed it out  the other day on comments um they said that they   play they sit at home and they play definitely  and absolutely Bingo when they’re watching us  

If something is epic I always say it’s absolutely  epic or definitely when I’m agreeing. It’s at the   point where I’m pulling him up every time he says  it I can’t help it I can’t help it it’s this place  

Here look at this this is absolutely epic cos it  is, we used to say so a lot didn’t we so and um   and we’ve got better at that yeah we’ve got a bit  better at that I think and now it’s absolutely try  

Filming yourselves though and see how often you  say certain words cos you don’t realize how often   you use certain words this is though absolutely  epic it’s absolutely epic wait until you see this that gorgeous you see look at that they didn’t  worry back then did they whether a house were  

Leaning or bulging or whatever that would  get condemned for subsiding these days you   see that’s what I mean that’s not just epic is  it I can’t say oh that’s epic it’s absolutely epic oh you’ve got to laugh haven’t you I think  it’s only in a place like this where you can come  

And there’s a man in a bowler hat that has to ask  the Jewellers to unlock the door before you can   actually go in I mean that is just unbelievable  isn’t it talk about not fitting [Laughter]

In yeah I swear look I’m not joking you it’s  nearly 13 Grand for a watch I’m not kidding   you I just had a look I thought it’s got to be  expensive cos it’s got like a menacing man in a  

Bowler that stood on door with door locked I’m  not kidding you right look at this one £25,000   for a watch 25 grand for a watch that’s more than  a van it don’t even look I’m not being funny right  

But it looks like you could buy that on Market  it’s not even that nice literally that’s insane   that’s a lot of money to tell the time look at  this one Reese look at this one £42,000 no way  

That’s a house no seriously do people really  spend that sort of money I don’t do you you   spend that sort of money no let us know let  us know in comments sorry if I’ve offended   anybody but I just cannot I know it’s a Rolex  and I get the importance behind apparently the  

Name but to me that is just a name or somebody  that made a watch in it right I’m sure there are   other watch makers out there that make just as  good if not better Watches and you don’t have  

To spend 42 Grand on them 42 Grand let us know  in the comments what you think of that have you   got a watch like that I don’t even wear a watch  but it’s just to tell the time surely 42,000 are  

We’re missing something here why would you spend  42 you can literally buy a house can’t you for   42,000 I genuinely did not know they cost that  much I genuinely did not know that’s what they   cost I know people can pay like 10 grand but  God there’s a jumper there for 285 quid though  

So you know wow sorry if we’re offended anybody  somebody’s sat there watching this with the 285   jumper on and a Rolex watch going Reese what  are you doing Emma shut up how rude of us we   haven’t even introduced ourselves if you’re new  here we are Emma Reese and our little dog Daisy  

And we travel all around the UK and Europe in our  camper van called Romany exploring the best that   this country and Beyond has to offer and we have  a canal boat oh yeah and we have a canal boat as well

Little door just for you look it’s a little door  how cute is that oh my God that is actually a tiny house this might fit my sister she’s  about that tall oh that’s [Laughter] this And so yet again I have lost Emma you  can probably hear her actually on the   microphone cos her Mic will  be switched on where is she gone she’s just disappeared I was getting that  shot up there oh she’s there I wondered where  

You gone thought you be in there and then  you won’t and I started to panic I thought   I were going to get lost forever I thought  I were never ever going to be found I get   lost really easily you got to keep an  eye on me otherwise I just wander off  

And and I don’t know where I am look  at this charity shop this looks really cool this behind me is believed to be the  birthplace of William Shakespeare born in   1564 it’s a half Timber house frame it’s not  architecturally like outstanding really but  

It would have been considered quite grand for  its time um William’s dad was actually a glove   maker um and a wool dealer so he must have  had some kind of money to be able to build   something like this it’s situated on Henley  Street in Stratford upon Avon town centre and  

It’s believed that he actually Shakespeare  actually spent his childhood years here as   well as being born here it’s now a museum  that you can go in and visit is it but it   ain’t cheap to get in right next door to it is  the Shakespeare Bookshop the buildings are all  

Tudor and there’s old fashioned sweet shops it  gave us a real sense and feel of what England   would have looked like in Shakespeare’s [Music]  time on these streets you get a real feel of kind   of medieval oldie England um it’s really cool  and you can kind of see Shakespeare’s influence

Use your imagination when you’re here you can  almost hear the old horse and carts going through   these little um Alleyway oh it’s got a very  feel of kind of chesterfield sofas, cigars and   whiskey almost prestigious uh upper class very  kind of feel to it you can feel the literature  

You can feel the writing I can’t explain it it’s  really weird feeling of uh of Shakespeare’s time I guess Oh Reese look at this this  is just amazing look at that fireplace this is just absolutely gorgeous  you can see inside it’s empty wow that’s   amazing beautiful fireplace a really big  old fireplace the ceilings are really low as

Well it’s like if you think about if that  fireplace could tell a story like all the   things it’s seen all the people it’s seen.  love history like being able to look into   all buildings and stuff like that it’s amazing  this is called the Shakespeare hostel so we’ve  

Seen where Shakespeare were born we’re going  to now try and see uh his his uh Memorial uh   if we can so we’re going to go check that  out now this this place is just incredible   I didn’t say absolutely then I did well I’m  getting better it’s it’s so nice as well to  

Come from like the busy cities and stuff  like that and you know just to come into   something where it’s just such a contrast  got a much more chilled out feel to it yeah yeah we’ve seen some amazing Tudor buildings  over years in different places that we’ve  

Been to but I’ve never seen so many  in one place it’s it really is like   stepping back in time because it’s not just  where they’re scattered amongst more modern   buildings which can look interesting but it’s  literally like you’re stepping back back in

Time this is also like a photographer  or filmmaker’s Paradise it really is   like if you’re into your photography or your  cinematography or anything like that this is   just brilliant and you can you can follow like  the Shakespeare story throughout the town and  

Kind of get guided if you want um and things  like that but trying to capture this and it’s   golden hour as well is epic this is Shakespeare’s  School room King Edward the 6th I think still   used for teaching until 11:00 a.m. every day so  this is actually where William Shakespeare were  

A pupil in 15 in the 1570s um and he actually  sat in the classroom that still exists today   and learned in that classroom and it’s where he  would have watched his first ever play with the   famous people of the time performing oh so this  is where he would have got all his inspiration  

From this is where he would have been this  is the place taught yeah and they’re still   teaching here after all this time is absolutely  amazing but you can have a tour around and sort   of step back in time to actually see the  the actual desk where he would have sat It’s dubbed the most atmospheric  building in the whole of Britain is this because of Daisy bless her little heart  there’s lots we can’t actually go in and   see unfortunately which is is a real shame  Daisy just spoil everything (laughing)

Look at this look at the every building is  just look at these look at these trees Emma   going up the building look at that look at that  they’ve all got like coat of arms over them as   well wow sorry Daisy is barking again cos she  seen another dog but every single building you  

Cannot turn a corner without seeing history just  staring you straight in the face it’s literally   around every single corner you don’t come here do  you and it’s just like one Street inspiring it’s   really inspiring I was just saying I never knew  that they had um the high school um so they’re  

Built like a modern High School right behind the  school where Shakespeare went and they still take   the students as I say into that classroom to  be able to learn I mean can you imagine doing   that learning in the same classroom possibly the  same seat where William Shakespeare were there’s  

Nothing more inspirational for life is there I  don’t think you could get anything that would   be more inspiring and and full of culture than  that but it’s you know you’ve got everywhere you   go just feels very inspiring and cultural  doesn’t it yeah it is yeah you you want to  

Pick up a pen and write yeah or a quill look  at these tree branches here wow look at that   that’s what I want in our Cottage inside the  living room look that’s what I keep going on   about yeah it’s all just winding up the house  I wonder if anybody knows if there’s somebody  

That sells like trees like that that you know  cos I want I want some like that in the in the   cottage in the living room to make it like really  fairy you know but you can’t buy them so you see  

This is exactly our point that house with all  the roots outside of it we’re just walking past   and there’s literally a plaque about it and it’s  the oldest house in the town so this is called  

The dower house um and it basically was built in  14 dates back to 1450 um it was extended in 1590   and by 1600 it was the home of Thomas Reynolds  um and Thomas Reynolds son William was actually   Remembered in William Shakespeare’s will this  is actually the oldest part of the house and  

I’ve just come around the corner to have a look  at it and it’s got like a secret garden oh it’s just so that corner bit there  is actually the oldest part the   original part of the house that  dates back to 1400s astonishing I [Music]

I view life as like a kind of collective of  moments you know you have those moments like   we do when we’re traveling where you might meet  somebody and you don’t know what the name is and   you’re probably never going to see him again  but it’s just those little moments that are  

Really important even though you you know you  may never form a friendship with that person   and I think that a lot of people view life as in  like the biggest thing that they’ve achieved in   their life or something like that and I don’t  I view life as like a collective of all those  

Little moments all those little things that have  happened in that person’s life and when you come   into like a place like this and you see all the  headstones and you’re reading about what’s gone   on in their life it you you’re only getting  a snapshot of the things like you know maybe  

How many children they’ve had how long they  lived um you know whether they had you know   brothers sisters that type of thing but you’re  able to kind of get just that little glimpse   into the normal average person’s life years  ago and I think that’s just a I don’t know I  

Just find that really intriguing really really  intriguing. I think memorial stones as well are   something that we’re eventually going to lose  the more people are cremated the more we’re   going to lose this kind of Mark of a person  being here I guess you know what were what  

Was this person’s story what was that person’s  story what were your story mate everybody has   a story and it’s so important that we remember  people’s stories and the time on Earth you know So William Shakespeare died on the  23rd of April 1616 at age 52 years   old and this were his final resting place  and this beautiful building overlooking   these beautiful surroundings it’s  not a bad final resting place is

It so that that were really kind of it shifted  my view that like of what I originally said of   Shakespeare coming here and feeling it that’s  the thing feeling how how this guy created all   these stories and plays and his writing  and being able to come here and picture  

Him writing at his desk and seeing the school  he went to and you know his birth place his   final resting place has kind of put it into  perspective a little bit for me and changed   my viewpoint and to be fair coming in and  feeling it I must admit he probably is the  

Greatest writer of all time so that was William  Shakespeare’s story keep writing your own story   guys see you next week 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday don’t  forget to hit the Subscribe and the notification Bell

#shakespeare #vanlifeuk #travelvlog
This week we explore the beautiful town of Stratford upon Avon the home town of William Shakespeare.
We explore where Shakespeare was born, where he lived, studied and where his final resting place is. We’ve never been to Stratford upon Avon before so we weren’t sure what to expect from Shakespeare country but we were more than pleased with what was round every corner. Emma has always loved Shakespeare plays so this is somewhere she’s always wanted to visit.

WHO WE ARE?
Emma and Reese a married couple who for the last 10 years have been TRAVELLING around in various CAMPER-VANS. Now with our little dog Daisy we TRAVEL around in our SELF CONVERTED VAN showing you how to VISIT the VERY BEST PLACES the UK and EUROPE have to offer. We don’t pretend to be anything but ourselves and believe in always staying positive.

Our CAMPER VAN called Romany is a 2019 FORD TRANSIT VAN that is our TINY HOME ON WHEELS.

We have also bought a 57ft CANAL BOAT which we are currently converting and will be going between the VAN and the BOAT to live life to the fullest and bring you enjoyable CREATIVE VIDEO CONTENT.

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