England: Shakespeare's house

In 2017, we took a long trip to England, which included visiting relatives. During that time, we went to Stratford-upon-Avon in Yorkshire, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It was a rainy day. Unlike the quick showers we get here, the rain in England is often a long, persistent drizzle, much like our monsoon. Despite the rain, we arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon, a beautifully arranged small town. I heard that property prices here are incredibly high, meaning only the very wealthy can afford to live near Shakespeare's home.

Inside the house, his belongings are displayed beautifully, though cameras are not allowed. Outside, there's a small souvenir shop that sells replicas of items from inside the house, along with many other things. We walked along the town's streets and saw The Windmill Inn, which was Shakespeare's favourite tavern. The Royal Shakespeare Company's theatre, which performs his plays, is also here. A little further from his home is the Holy Trinity Church, where the great poet rests in eternal sleep with his wife, Anne Hathaway. We also saw Anne Hathaway's thatched-roof cottage. Afterward, we had lunch at a local restaurant before heading back. Although the property prices were very high, the food prices were not.

I was first introduced to Shakespeare's plays in school, but I only came to understand the depth of his writing, the breadth of his thought, and his revolutionary perspective when I had to study his plays again at the postgraduate level. Coming to the place where such a person lived and the streets that were blessed by his touch was a distant dream. So, it took a long time for the spell of that fulfilment of my dream to wear off.