It has been a couple days since our last entry and so much has happened! When we got to the Birmingham train station, John was there to pick us up! We got to stay with my(Lauren's) dear dear friends Tony and Jan, Georgie, John and Lloyd. They are my British family :) John drove us into Warwick and we spent some time walking around the incredibly charming city. Warwick has a huge castle that can be seen from all over town, and tons of old Elizabethan style houses and streets. After having a proper English tea, we went back to the Dencer's home and Jan got us Fish & Chips! So delicious!!! We got to eat and spend time with Debbie and Phil who stopped by to say hi.
What happens next will forever be known as one of the funnest nights of our lives! All the Brits took us out for a night on the town! We went out to an area called Leamington Spa, "the best place in town" according to our guides. So here we were, two American girls with our fantastic friends John, Georgie, Lloyd, Matt, Dan and Sam. We danced until 4 am and even then were begging to stay. Love those Brits :)
Needless to say, we got home late and ended up sleeping in till noon! After a wonderful breakfast (thank you Jan!) we drove into Stratford. Most people know it as Stratford Upon Avon, the hometown of William Shakespeare. We wandered around Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare was baptized and buried. It was so old and beautiful! We then strolled around the river Avon and sat out on the Porch of a pub called the Dirty Duck. It was a drop dead gorgeous day and we soaked up every bit of it. We also went into the Shakespeare Theater and saw a very old stage and theater. We also got to stop by Hannah and Matt's house and meet their baby girl Jessica. When I came over to England 5 years ago I was lucky enough to get to be a guest at Hannah and Matt's wedding. It was such a great time getting to see them again.
We were invited to an outdoor cookout at Sam and Dan's house with the whole family. Tony and Jack were back from London and we were so glad! It was special to be a part of such a close family gathering on a Sunday night. It felt just like I was home eating a Sunday meal, watching the big game on tv. But this time instead of American Football we were watching Indie Racing! (I was watching the Dallas Cowboys game on my IPhone...I don't even want to talk about it..the loss is still fresh). Then we went for a quick drink at a coffee house looking pub. We went to bed pretty early and were up and ready when Lloyd came by to take us to the London tube. Thank you thank you thank you Lloyd for driving us!!!
I(Angela) LOVED Warwick and the lovely people who made it soooo special! Lauren kept telling me that I would love you Brits, but I didn't realize I would love you guys and enjoy our visit as much as I did. She was sooo right and I can't wait to make it back soon!
ahhhh..so many names in this one to follow - hannah and jack and matt and jan and shakespeare...hard to keep up! Sounds like it was a great visit and you did what British do best...drink till wee hours of the morning and being merry! Studying' the people, doing what the people do, it's more than a crazy night out, it's like anthropology research - you can feel good about that hangover!
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