Next Stop was Stratford Upon Avon. It took us a couple hours to drive from Bath and it was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. We were mainly driving through the countryside, but every once and a while we would drive through these charming little towns. I can't tell you how many times I would say to Scott "What...this is amazing...I want a home just like that with land and sheep and all the charm."
Even the road signs were charming.
As we were getting close to Stratford we started to look for our hotel. We were driving along and I saw this beautiful manor trough the trees and I'm like screaming to Scott "check out that castle - It's incredible!" Then we pass the road that leads to it and there is a sign that says Ettington Park Hotel. That was our hotel! When we walked into the hotel to check in a bride and groom were walking through. The grounds were absolutely amazing - a beautiful location for a wedding!
These sheep were grazing in the fields next to the hotel
It was our lucky day in Stratford. Like I had said earlier, we had not planned anything about our trip other than lodging. Scott really wanted to see a Shakespeare play performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company and I guess we just assumed we would be able to get tickets. When we mentioned to the concierge that we would like to get tickets, he gave us this blank stare and said tickets for those shows basically sell out months in advance. There was a 1 pm showing on Saturday and we thought we would just stop by to check. Well, the ticket office told us they were completely sold out, but that we could stand in this little waiting area and if anyone returns tickets, they would make them available first come. So we stood in the area with about 15 other people and about 10 minutes before the show we got tickets!!! The seat were awesome - like 4 rows back and the acting was even better. So fun!
After the show we head over to Shakespeare's birthplace for a tour and it just happened to be the one day out of the year that they admit people for 1 pound. Normally the cost of admission is like 17 pounds per person. Yes! Before we toured Shakespeare's home we stopped at a cafe for scones and clotted cream - yum! Notice Scott's pinky up :)
On to Oxford.... We stayed at another manor hotel called Weston Place just outside of Oxford in a town called Weston-on-the-Green
Almost every morning of our trip we had a traditional English Breakfast that was included in our stay. The breakfast basically consisted of eggs, ham, sausage, sauteed mushrooms, a roasted tomato and toast. Instead of coffee, Scott usually requested hot chocolate too.
The grounds at the hotel were beautiful so before we left we walked around and took pictures. Scott kept taking all these pictures of me and I felt so stupid, so I grabbed the camera and took a few of him - he can never be serious :)
It was a rainy day in Oxford, so we do not have many pics. One of the highlights of our trip was going to the Oxford Ward for church. We got there right when the meeting was starting and it was jam packed. The Bishop got up and said that a BYU choral study abroad group was visiting from London and would be singing at several of the colleges in Oxford that evening. They performed 2 songs during the sacrament meeting and they were amazing. It just so happened that someone we knew from freshman year was with the group. It was such a wonderful meeting and the spirit was so strong. We got our first taste of Nando's in Oxford - tasty peri peri chicken!
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