My View --Study Abroad Weekend Out

We have loaded up the 22 students and 5 of us, and we are off on our coach trip to Stratford-on-Avon.

We break out of London and get to see some lovely countryside. I notice that the color of the trees is just ever so slightly different from the States. Still green, just not exactly the same.

Sweet Swan of Avon!!

Reconciling idealism with reality: should we have dinner at Carluccio's Italian Restaurant...or McDonalds? Genius! Get take-away, and find a bench. Then we all can have what we appreciate. That's the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre back behind us.

This strikes me as awesome. Too bad it wasn't open.

Here we have all the crew at Anne Hathaway's cottage, listening to the tour guide. I cannot actually hear him, because I am back here and probably shouldn't be taking this photo. The boys are running amok in the very nice garden and I should be shushing them. In a minute I will try to distract them by saying, "Hey, come with me and we will see if we recognize any of these vegetables. Look, a squash! And  what's this? Brussels sprouts!"

This is upstairs at the cottage. This is someone's bed. I don't know whose, because I have gone upstairs ahead of the group and guide because these fellows, if you can believe it, are restless. They want to touch the bed, which is clearly forbidden.

Joel wants everyone to know that the best thing that has happened to him today was to find this leaflet with map about LEGOLAND. We will now wait for the group to come out of the cottage by...running amok in the garden.

We are now at Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried inside. The boys wanted to run amok in the cemetery, for which I personally cannot stand. I bring Small One over here to wait out the tour guide. 

Joel appreciates the rich history. I appreciate Mark's ability to carry him for the next hour. Not only is packing Joel nearly impossible for me, I am occupied with:

This guy, who MUST do his own walking. Better, he prefers being left behind so he can run to catch up. When we do catch up, I try to keep him interested in anything but running into the busy street while our group lingers in a particular spot. Our conversation goes like this:

"Marky, I see a white square. Do you see a white square? I see a red rectangle. Do you see a red rectangle? I see a flat tree..."

Marky determines that this drain is the most interesting thing he's seen today. It has dirt in it. Both of his feet fit in it. 

He also found Shakespeare. Well done.

Now he is one of the first on the coach so he can say hello to all the ladies as they board. Hello, ladies! 

Mark: "What is that?" Me: "I don't know, but I thought it was cool."

We are on our way to Bath. There are mountains! 

This is what we do while we wait for the students to check in at their guest house in Bath. We jump off of things. 

We go out to dinner at The Real Italian Pizza Co. We order gelato, one scoop.

It is a large scoop, and comes with chocolate biscuits.

It is delicious.

The wee ones charmed the staff with their cuteness and questions, such as "Why do  those other kids (having a birthday party) have balloons?" As we went to leave, they kindly brought us balloons, to the delight of all. This image is one of my favourites from the whole adventure so far: these guys bopping down the pavement with their balloons, hand in hand with their Dad, as night falls in Bath.