Warwick Castle -August 27th

Our last day of sightseeing in England was divided between Warwick Castle, the ancestral estate of the Earl of Warwick, and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the childhood home of Shakespeare’s wife.

Warwick Castle today is sumptuously decorated throughout and the Great Hall, which originally served as an ornate hall where visitors were formally greeted, now contains an impressive collection of armor and various other weapons of war. Still impressive, one could argue, yet in a different way. Originally built as a formidable medieval defensive fortress it has been transformed over the years into a genteel manor home.

As stunning as the castle itself is, the entire complex has the feel of an amusement park, with a Zog playground (for those not familiar with the English children’s author Julia Davidson, her books about the dragon Zog and his friends are a pleasure to read), a Horrible Histories maze, jousting tournaments and archery competitions. The majority of visitors today were families with young children who were all having a grand time brandishing their wooden swords or dressing up as princesses.

First view of Warwick Castle






Interior courtyard

Equestrian armor in Great Hall

Bird's eye view of castle from ramparts

When we got back to Stratford-upon-Avon (Warwick is @ a 20 minute train ride from Stratford), we walked @ a mile out of town to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, a 12-room thatched roof cottage complete with a large garden. 

We fly home tomorrow so this is my last blog entry. It’s been a wonderful trip, but Rich and I are both ready to be home. 



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