Since we began coming in 2000, I think the Stratford trip as always been on a Thursday. It's tradition (cue M singing from...some damned musical).
But first, some program history, so you know the kind of "fun" that can be had on the Stratford Thursday trip. In 2006, for reasons I can't remember or recover, we (that being the Queen and I) decided to go by train. In fact, a direct train to Stratford runs from Marylebone (Mar-lee-bone -- it's sort of French) station, three-tenths of a mile from our flats. There were like 18 students and two faculty colleagues who had not made the trip before, so were feeling their way. 2006 was my fifth trip.
To make this story work, you need to know that the group that year fairly quickly determined the one young woman was not okay, let's call her Mary, and so I ended up sitting next to her at play after play (that year we did 10 in 12 days). I could see where they were coming from, but she wasn't that bad -- remember the high social tolerance level of 20-year-olds.
Anyway, we collect the students, walk the three-tenths of a mile and stand, as one does in Britain, in the middle of the station, looking up at the signs for the platforms. See, in Britain, you might tell you the time the train is to leave, but not which platform.
I had everyone as we stood there and, with about 5 minutes till departure, the board flipped around and told us to go to the platform. There may have been an announcement, jumbled in the crowd noise, too. I said "platform 4, let's go" and we went to the gate, waited for the detraining passengers and climbed into the train and sat. Within minutes, we pulled away.
I pulled the stack of train tickets out of my pocket and distributed them. I got to the end and I had mine and one other. Huh! I asked if everyone got theirs, and they said yes. I asked if anyone was missing. No. It was a mystery.
We got to Stratford, made the ten minute walk to the theatre, and I collected the tickets there. I turned into the front yard and distributed, with the usual pairing up, etc. I had two tickets when I was done.
I realized at that moment that the missing person and extra tickets were for Mary! She wasn't there. She hadn't been on the train.
No one had missed her! Most troubling to me, I hadn't missed her, not on the hour plus train ride or the walk to the theatre. When asked, some of the students remembered she said she was going to look at something on a cart for sale in the station plaza...that's the last we knew.
I spent the next hour or so rather depressed, wondering. Ten years ago, not everyone had a cell phone in London -- service was expensive and, to students, so was buying a pay-as-you-go.
Ten minutes before the show started, here came Mary out of the crowd like nothing happens. As Readers will recognize, I'm always overly effusive (see yesterday's hat picture), but I was happy to see her. I was apologetic; she was nice and okay with it. To her great credit, she kept her head, bought her own ticket for the next Stratford train, and arrived and bolted quickly (I took the earlier one to have time in town) to the theatre. And, yes, she admitted wandering off to a cart with a stuffed bear display, shopping, then turning around to find us gone. By the time she had figured out which platform, the train was gone!
All ended well. But it wasn't "fun."
Today went much better. The biggest disaster was the play, which was not terribly well done in many ways. It was Merchant of Venice and it started with a burnished metal floor and back wall. The audience gasped in the opening scene when Antonio and Bassanio kissed (I leaned over to the student next to me and said "I don't think that's in the play") and we went from there -- in "post-modern garb" (i.e. no time period discernible). Many of us thought Portia was weak, a problem in the play, though the Palestinian Christian who played Shylock was pretty good. They cut a couple scenes, including part of the final scene, yet it ran over two hours. There's your review. 5 out of 10.
Before we leave Stratford, here's the appropriate tourist photo: that's Shakespeare's birthplace behind us:
Then off to Oxford. I had Manjit, our driver, take us down the scenic route between and we passed the gate at Blenheim Palace (a few miles out of Oxford, most famous now as the birthplace of Winston Churchill -- one student had a descent picture from the bus but it'll have to wait to post here) and then spent a couple hours in Oxford.
Michael and I, who have been there several times, took the opportunity to eat at Browns, which was only like 5 minutes from where the coach dropped us. For those of you reading this only for the FP (if you have to ask...), here's the appy, which was their house platter.
We both had steak, which isn't really worth the photo, but I finished with this dessert -- it's salted carmel & chocolate pot. It was like 70% dark chocolate with a heavy dose of the carmel. It was to die for.
And now we are home. And up tomorrow to go to Paris for a 7 AM train. Much discussion today about whether or not to stay up "all night" or try to get some minimal amount of sleep.
Her's the jewel of the day: J took a bunch of the students to lunch in Stratford at a Witherspoons. It was Indian day there. This is funnier if you know J seems to relish Witherspoons and we ate there for lunch Tuesday already this week (it was Mexican day or something) and it is a pub chain that serves food. You know, their value meal is a burger and a beer or glass of wine. She says, "and that's the kids meal." Rim shot.
On that happy note, ooo la la, Paris here we come. #
As a member of the 2006 trip I must confess... I don't remember Mary. However, I loved the train!
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