This is what I did in England (Part 4)

20 May 2011
Day Eleven: Return to Oxford and onto the Land of the Bard

"Dominus illumina mea."
"The Lord is my light."
The University motto.

Going back to Oxford was like going home. The streets were familiar, the shops were familiar, the Starbucks was familiar.

It was nice to have an official tour of the city, including New College. Our guide clearly knows the city well. She even pointed out several locations that were used in filming the “Harry Potter” movies. I’ll have to look out for them when my best friend and I have our HP marathon next month.

Anne Hathaway's cottage

And then on to Stratford. It’s such a quaint little town, and I can only imagine what it might have been like when Shakespeare lived there. It’s so cool to know that I have now walked in the steps of two of my favorite writers (Lewis and Shakespeare). I have seen their churches and their graves. I love that.

Shakespeare's final resting place

On a more personal and private note, I have now added another country to my list of “Places I’ve Had My Period.” This happens every time I leave the country. I had it on my 2007 trips to Canada and Jamaica. I also had it on my 2005 trip to Hawaii. It just comes at the most inconvenient times, but it’s good to know that my body is working properly. And with all of the walking that we’ve been doing, the cramps haven’t been bad at all.

21 May 2011
Day Twelve: Coffee with Strangers from the Internet

AJ and Melissa Leon are working with the Shakepeare Birthplace Trust’s social media presence. They have helped several important people connected with the Birthplace start blogs and Twitter accounts.

They and my dad somehow found each other online and got to know each other. They even visited my parents on a tour of the States last fall. I’d never met them, but because we were in Stratford, my dad wanted to make sure we connected in something that is called a “Tweet-up” (a meet-up organized on Twitter). We tweeted and texted and finally met at a coffee shop called Box Brownie. They serve the “best coffee in town” along with various pastries. AJ insisted that I try something that I can best describe as a sandwich. It’s a scone that has been split. Each half is spread with jam, and cream is the main filling. The scone is full of dried fruit, the jam is a perfect balance of tart and sweet, and the cream adds the perfect texture. It will definitely be on the menu when I open a bakery.

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Dad writes a devotional blog post every weekday at 300wordsaday.com. AJ reads it religiously, pun intended. He told a local minister about it, and the minister and Dad have talked a bit online. Dad sent a small rock with me and wrote on it “Paul, a tiny altar –Jon.” I was just going to leave it with AJ and Melissa. But, as Providence would have it, Paul and one of the world’s leading Shakespeare scholars, Stanley Wells, were meeting at Box Brownie this morning. I got to meet them both, which was very cool.

I have had opportunities on this trip that I could only dream of.