Shakespeare country!

Shakespeare's grave

Did you know: That there are some that believe that Shakespeare didn't write all those great plays that we all learned about in school? People like Mark Twain, etc believe that Shakespeare was a businessman and that he just took the credit of another's work. And if that is true, then everything we learned in school about him was a lie! Dun dun dun....  

On the way to the theatre

Never the less... Shakespeare country is just beautiful! Included in our journey is Stratford-upon-Avon. This is where Shakespeare was born, lived (moved to London), then came back to retire and die. We also hit the Cotswolds. A part of English countryside with some cute and sleepy towns.  All this about 2 hours from our house in Ely.

Tourism is a #1 money maker in England. And the Shakespeare countryside doesn't disappoint with tourist prices and lots to see and do. You can go to all the 5 places where Shakespeare and his family lived. But it's extra to see his grave in the church. We even went to the theatre to see a Shakespeare play and we had to get the tickets 3 months out. But it's all worth it! 

Ghost cat!

Further south (like 15 minutes away) is the Cotswolds! This area is a rich and beautiful secluded countryside. Lots of little towns that were once famous because of the wool trade. The sheep are still there but the business has dried up a bit. We ran into a couple other tourists in Stow-on-the-Wold that were following the same tour book that we follow. (BTW - if I didn't recommend it before, the Rick Steves' Europe guide books are awesome!) We also had an encounter of the haunted kind at Chipping Camden. 

Chipping Camden Cemetery - where ghost cat lives

As we approached the church (complete with cemetery) I read a story in the book about this cat that used to great parishioners before service. Well that cat passed away in 1980 and they buried him by the door of the church. We were touring the church just as service started so we scooted out into the cemetery to look around and what did we find. A weird cemetery cat! Hanging out and very friendly. A decedent, maybe. A ghost, more likely. =)