the Bard, the Tennant and the theatre
Hello everybody!
Yesterday I wrote a quite long entry about Manchester and arriving at Birmingham. But I didn't get round to posting any of it and as I've been to Stratford-upon-Avon today my last post just lost all importance whatsoever. However if you're interested everything's under the cut...
Manchester was nice. I met an American girl who had just flown in from Florida and we went to a pub Saturday evening. Back at the hostel we met a guy who was born in London but actually grew up in the French part of Switzerland. As Danielle had to leave early the next morning we decided instead of sleeping early to get drunk and not sleep at all. We got a couple of pints at Spar and played cards at the hostel for a while. Then we headed to a club just around the corner and danced till it was time for Danielle to get her stuff from the hostel. In the end she wasn't allowed to fly because something was wrong with her visa. But what a night! I got up late and being a bit hungover went sightseeing.
To be honest there's not much to see. Sure I went to the art gallery but after some time everything starts to look similar. The people's history museum was quite interesting because it taught me a lot about the struggles of the working class throughout the centuries. But nice old buildings that I'm usually interested in somewhat get lost between the huge glass constructions that are mostly shopping centres with expensive shops. There wasn't a real town centre and everything seemed to be far apart.
Of course Manchester had a hard time following the historic York. And the neighborhood around the hostel was just great. A lot of vintage , gothic and alternative clothes, vinyl, antiques and handmade or upcycled stuff. With it's alternative cafes and bars it basically was hipster heaven.
Now I'm in Birmingham and considering how everyone in Manchester pretty much laughed in my face and asked what I wanted to go there for whenever I told anybody so far it's better than Manchester.
The town centre is neatly arranged along two streets and around Victoria square where the international food fair is held right now (big plus). It got nice old buildings and although there is brand new modern architecture as well it's not just scrambled together. Sure after I've been to the art gallery there isn't much left but at least there's a nice park around the cathedral where I can chill and read. Something I generally missed in Manchester.
Tomorrow I'm going on a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon the little town where the Bard himself was born and lived and where David Tennant will be performing Henry II in autumn. But for now I'm enjoying the sun that just came out again, listening to Passenger and drinking Paulaner (because drinking water like ale just isn't good enough sometimes) and having a wholemeal scone (oh I love scones) from one of the food stalls.
The only thing I'd like to add to my Birmingham experience is this. I went out with some girls from my room and the guys that work at the hostel yesterday evening and I had so much fun. I met a fellow whovian (which is always great) from Australia and the whole group was really fun to hang out with. So this evening we're meeting up again for a round of table tennis. Anyway, the atmosphere in the Birmingham hostel is way better than in Manchester.
But what makes Birmingham so great is its closeness to Stratford-upon-Avon. Just one hour by train and I found myself in the most wonderful little town on earth.
Today I ...
... had a butterbeer in the Creaky Cauldron to start my day
... walked on the original stone floor that Shakespeare walked on
... saw Shakespeare's house, his daughter's and his parents' and therefore his birthplace aswell
... been to the Swan theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company where people like Judi Dench and David Tennant performed
... found out that David Tennant's performance of Henry II is already sold out for this autumn
... but I could (and probably will because I just can't miss it) get tickets for the same play in London in December
... I saw the original costumes from quite a few plays at the RSC including David Tennant's Touchstone from As You Like It and his great orange shirt and jeans from Hamlet which I actually saw.
... read a bit of Macbeth in Shakespeare's garden
... and after all these wonderful events sat in his parents' garden and watched bits and pieces from his plays that were requested by the audience (including of course a nice bickering between Benedick and Beatrice) performed by amazing actors
My day could really not get any better. And as I'm off to Cardiff tomorrow I'm already a bit excited to get to the Doctor Who experience. Basically the best parts of my trip are still coming and I already had a blast.
So long
Anja
Yesterday I wrote a quite long entry about Manchester and arriving at Birmingham. But I didn't get round to posting any of it and as I've been to Stratford-upon-Avon today my last post just lost all importance whatsoever. However if you're interested everything's under the cut...
Manchester was nice. I met an American girl who had just flown in from Florida and we went to a pub Saturday evening. Back at the hostel we met a guy who was born in London but actually grew up in the French part of Switzerland. As Danielle had to leave early the next morning we decided instead of sleeping early to get drunk and not sleep at all. We got a couple of pints at Spar and played cards at the hostel for a while. Then we headed to a club just around the corner and danced till it was time for Danielle to get her stuff from the hostel. In the end she wasn't allowed to fly because something was wrong with her visa. But what a night! I got up late and being a bit hungover went sightseeing.
To be honest there's not much to see. Sure I went to the art gallery but after some time everything starts to look similar. The people's history museum was quite interesting because it taught me a lot about the struggles of the working class throughout the centuries. But nice old buildings that I'm usually interested in somewhat get lost between the huge glass constructions that are mostly shopping centres with expensive shops. There wasn't a real town centre and everything seemed to be far apart.
Of course Manchester had a hard time following the historic York. And the neighborhood around the hostel was just great. A lot of vintage , gothic and alternative clothes, vinyl, antiques and handmade or upcycled stuff. With it's alternative cafes and bars it basically was hipster heaven.
Now I'm in Birmingham and considering how everyone in Manchester pretty much laughed in my face and asked what I wanted to go there for whenever I told anybody so far it's better than Manchester.
The town centre is neatly arranged along two streets and around Victoria square where the international food fair is held right now (big plus). It got nice old buildings and although there is brand new modern architecture as well it's not just scrambled together. Sure after I've been to the art gallery there isn't much left but at least there's a nice park around the cathedral where I can chill and read. Something I generally missed in Manchester.
Tomorrow I'm going on a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon the little town where the Bard himself was born and lived and where David Tennant will be performing Henry II in autumn. But for now I'm enjoying the sun that just came out again, listening to Passenger and drinking Paulaner (because drinking water like ale just isn't good enough sometimes) and having a wholemeal scone (oh I love scones) from one of the food stalls.
The only thing I'd like to add to my Birmingham experience is this. I went out with some girls from my room and the guys that work at the hostel yesterday evening and I had so much fun. I met a fellow whovian (which is always great) from Australia and the whole group was really fun to hang out with. So this evening we're meeting up again for a round of table tennis. Anyway, the atmosphere in the Birmingham hostel is way better than in Manchester.
But what makes Birmingham so great is its closeness to Stratford-upon-Avon. Just one hour by train and I found myself in the most wonderful little town on earth.
Today I ...
... had a butterbeer in the Creaky Cauldron to start my day
... walked on the original stone floor that Shakespeare walked on
... saw Shakespeare's house, his daughter's and his parents' and therefore his birthplace aswell
... been to the Swan theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company where people like Judi Dench and David Tennant performed
... found out that David Tennant's performance of Henry II is already sold out for this autumn
... but I could (and probably will because I just can't miss it) get tickets for the same play in London in December
... I saw the original costumes from quite a few plays at the RSC including David Tennant's Touchstone from As You Like It and his great orange shirt and jeans from Hamlet which I actually saw.
... read a bit of Macbeth in Shakespeare's garden
... and after all these wonderful events sat in his parents' garden and watched bits and pieces from his plays that were requested by the audience (including of course a nice bickering between Benedick and Beatrice) performed by amazing actors
My day could really not get any better. And as I'm off to Cardiff tomorrow I'm already a bit excited to get to the Doctor Who experience. Basically the best parts of my trip are still coming and I already had a blast.
So long
Anja