Warwick Castle was built in the 1100s after William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and the Norman French nobles took the places of power in England. The castle was divided into different parts, including a dungeon (which I had to climb down steep, narrow stairs to get into), a house/living quarters, and a display of armor making. The places were all furnished as they would be in the 1100 and 1200s, and there were even wax mannequins dressed in the appropriate clothing. The wax people were supplied by Madame Toussand's wax museum in New York. They were scary real looking, and I was ready for one to start moving. There was even a horse and a cat in one part, and the horse's tails moved! It was creepy. We took some great pictures with the statues, and hopefully I'll have time in the next few days to post them.
I really liked the castle, but at times it seemed as though it had been turned into a theme park/tourist trap. Although the history had been preserved in a very unique way through the wax figures, it was almost hokey at times. I've seen three very different castles so far in my travels, and I think I prefer Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. Nottingham Castle did not have enough castle but had a great museum and art gallery, and Warwick Castle was borderline touristy. I think Edinburgh Castle had a great mix of the historical info as well as preserving how the Castle would have really looked 900 years ago. At Warwick I did not feel as though I was exploring history; I felt like I was at a theme park. Although, part of that feeling may have stemmed from the 300 or so school children running around on class field trips! :)
After Warwick Castle we took the bus to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birth and burial place. It was great. We didn't go into the birth place (which has been turned into a museum) because it cost 11 pounds (a little more than $20), but wondering around the town was great. We will be going back as part of the class I'm taking in London, and I will be able to see his burial place and his church. I'm very excited about that. Dr. Murray went today and scoped it out while the girls and I shopped around, and she said it is very moving. I can't wait to see it in a few weeks! We only explored several main streets in Stratford, and I was very amused by the use of Shakespeare-themed stores. There was an "As You Like It Cafe" and a "Much Ado About Toys" store. I get a kick out of plays on words like that. It reminded me of the "Merchant of Venus" store in Disney World! I hope the next time I'm there I can get away from the touristy/expensive stuff and see more of the town.
Tomorrow we are going to Stamford, a small town about an hour away from Grantham by train. There is an outdoor market as well as a real Elizabethan house and gardens. In fact, the house was used in the most recent Pride and Prejudice movie-it was the location for Lady DuBourg's house. I am very excited to see that. We are going with Dr. Murray, and she knows a lot of history about things like that, so it should be very interesting.
One last thing: I've changed my photo sharing website to a Photobucket page. I've uploaded all of my pictures up until today (including Nottingham, Edinburgh, and London), and the link on the right-hand side of the page will take you to my main Photobucket site. Hopefully I will have more time tomorrow to post pictures. If not, I will definitely do it early next week!
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