So depending on how you think of it my trip has either degraded (or upgraded) to randomly stumbling into a town and being like, "Okay, what now?" Explanation to come...
First, Liverpool. Oh god I love Liverpool. I arrived in the early evening, found y hostel, walked around the city. It's a beautiful city with a rich (Beatles and non-Beatles) history. I saw China town, the two giant cathedrals, and my first ever real-life Banksey spotting (amazing graffiti artist) yay! I had dinner in a cute little cafe and came to the realization that Liverpool is way cheap compared to the rest of England. The next day I arose bright and early and devoted my day to Beatles related goodness. I walked dowtown to the tourist office and took the "Magical Mystery Tour" seeing many Beatles sights, including all 4 childhood houses, woo! Sadly I couldn't get into any of the houses, or even near them, so no wall licking for me.
Okay, I didn't want to write about this until I got it properly dealt with, but I broke my tooth (back upper molar) on my last night in London. I managed to contact a dentist Monday morning before my touring around and got an appointment for that afternoon. All is well ad fixed now, and thanks forever to Dad for getting me traveler's medical insurance!
Back to apples (OSSSA expression): After the tour I went to the brand new "Beatles Story" all Beatles museum. It was totally amazing, and I bought a bunch of souvenirs there, and wish I had been able to spend more time there. I had to rush though because I had an impending dentist appointment. I did, however, have time to run to the Cavern Club (site of the Beatles first performance) and the bartender there let me hop behind the bar for a photo, yippee!! After that I got my tooth fixed, then went to the grocery store and then back to the hostel. In the hostel kitchen I met 2 Irish lads and an Irish lass that were really cool, so I spent the rest of the night with them. We went to the Cavern Pub (across the street from the Cavern Club, which closes at 6pm on non-concert nights) and watched a man who looked suspiciously like a rotund Paul McCartney who covered Beatles songs. Oh man, a place covered in Beatles memorabelia and listening to live Beatles songs; I can't even describe my elation.
The next morning I took a very long bus to Stratford. Here's where my trip gets muddled because I didn't actually have anything in the way of a plan when I arrived in Stratford. I went to the tourism office that pointed me to a store called "The Old Barn" where the store luggage. I happened upon the nicest people in life who not only helped me get a hostel room, but drove me to my hostel after they closed the store! Yay life! It was too late for sight-seeing so I spent my night chilling in the gorgeous but expensive hostel. The next day I got up early, dropped my stuff at the store again, and immersed myself in Shakespeare. I saw his first house and birthplace (original house still standing, genius! Sadly no photo allowed) where I totally licked the wall oustide his birth-room, the sight of New Place where his last house was and is now a garden, and the house next door owned by his eldest daughter Susannah and her husband, the house where Susannah and husband lived and where he oft visited, and Shakespeare's grave. Seeing the grave was intense! I picked a rose from New Place and tossed it on his grave (which I wasn't allowed very close too, blast!) and spoke to the grave of my immense love for his work. I also strolled along the Avon river, saw a brass-rubbing take place, wandered around the town, monologued in the garden at New Place (Heavenly), and read Othello. Needless to say, I had an amazing day full of adventures.
That evening I wasn't sure what to do with myself so I took a bus back to London. I found a convenient and good but expensive hostel, where I am also staying tonight. Today I went around the city with Nikki and checked out Fleet street, hell yeah! Tomorrow I'm taking a bus to Dover then taking a ferry to France, then who knows? ADVENTURE!!!
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