Friday was the last day in England for my friends. And so we decided to take a last look at something very British, something, that would make a proper ending to their visit, something, that when you name it, everyone knows – this is – England. We choose Warwickshire. We’ve spent Friday in two most distinctive places associated with England – A medieval Castle of Warwick and a birthplace of Shakespeare – Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Playing History Game.
The town of Warwick was founded on the banks of the River Avon somewhere in 900 years AD. The Norman Castle was first built as a fortress and its towers were used to look out for approaching enemies. With over a thousand years of history, this castle was first fortified by William the Conqueror in 1068. Even now the might of it strikes imagination. This is one of the most dramatic and complete medieval castles in the country. It has been inhabited continuously since the Middle Ages, and was the home of the Earls of Warwick until recently. Once upon a time Earl of Warwick influenced the battles between the houses of York and Lancaster in the famous Wars of the Roses.
The castle itself consists of heavy fortifications and as you enter the Gates, there is that atmosphere inside that you expect to see knights, armours, military equipment. This is not a castle to go to a ball in a golden carriage. You'd want to enter the gates heavy armoured on a horseback. And sure enough: knights are what you’ll see there. Knights, jesters, servants, bowmen, you enter the castle and as of a sudden you are no longer on a quiet walk along the history behind the glass. You are actually, part of the history. Of course, all the entertainment has been designed particularly for the kids. But to me it was real fun – to feel as a kid again. To be amused at the bowman’s skills, to laugh at jester’s jokes, to be enthralled by the view of the eagle soaring in the skies and suddenly coming down to his master to do some tricks in front of the audience…
We’ve spent 5 hours in the castle. Explored everything that can be explored. All the interesting nooks: the tall towers, the tower with Ghost (Shock! Shock! …LOL…but the actors played very well anyway, especially in the scene of murder). We saw a falconry display and listened to the Chaucer’s Canterbury’s tale, read by the local Jester. (very good!). The Bowman educated us about types of medieval bow arrows and how not to miss the target. (he actually did miss almost all of them despite of grand theory! LOL) We chased few peacocks that baldly walked among people as if the people don’t exist. We tried on few hat-things – a damsel’s hat with a fetching plume and a couple of heavy-metal battlefield-fashion helmets. (they are very heavy for real! – I had to uphold it while the picture being taken, otherwise it would’ve definitely deform my head (well, at least, spoil the hair) Anyway, the day was full of wonders and if it wouldn’t be for we've being short of time, we would stay in Warwick Castle longer to enjoy more of it, and more, and more. It felt like playing in a history recreation game! Few pics for you about Warwick Castle:
This is how the castle looks like:
This is how the Bowman in the Castle looks like:
Don’t’ fancy somebody? You can play a beheading game with them!
And this is the view from the Tower (you can see what they meant by "watch out for enemies"?!)
