il Giardino Romantico

莎士比亞出生地
Shakespeare's Birthplace

This is the birthplace of the poet of all times.  My friend and I came here on the first day to get our five-house tickets.  Initially, I thought it would be better to save it until the next day, so we would have more time to see the place in detail.  However, once we got our tickets, the people that worked there ushered us in, and assured us that we had enough time until it closed.  So, in we went.

這就是一代文豪所出世的小屋。我與友人第一天就來到這，原本只是為了索取我們之前線上所訂的套票。我原以為等到第二天時間較充裕會逛的比較仔細。沒想到工作人員在遞票給我們之後，馬上就叫我們直接進去。並且告訴我們當天到關門時間之前絕對有足夠的時間可以參觀完。所以我們就進去囉。



Firstly, you will se a short introductory film about Shakespeare.  You will learn a lot about the poet and his times.  Then, once you walk through the doors, you learn even more about Elizabethan history.

首先，你將會在門口觀賞一段簡短的影片。這段影片只是稍微介紹一代文豪。當紅色的門開啟後，你才會學到更多歷史背景。 

   

Once again, I found this 'pennymangle' machine.  As I did not have enough coins, my friend made one for herself.  I had to wait till the next day to get mine.

此時我又看到了這個製作硬幣的機器。不過當時我身上的零錢不夠，所以只好讓我朋友先製作她的。我的則是等到了隔天才找到另外一台機器製作。



Then, you get to walk through a tiny garden, before you reach the actual house in which the poet was born.

接著，隨著步道穿過一個小花園。你才會走到莎士比亞出生的小木屋。



It's really hard to believe how much effort had been done to keep the place as it was.  I think they did a pretty good job.  Perhaps it's because I don't know much about housing and the ways of living back in those days, but I must say, it had been extremely satisfying.

You will get to see how William Shakespeare's father made his living by making and selling gloves.  Seeing what the furniture was like back in those days was also an interesting experience.  This is the place where William Shakespeare began his married life with Anne Hathaway.  You must also keep your eyes open for marks left behind by famous writers, such as John Keats, Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, and Thomas Hardy.  The mere existence of the house is a legend.

其實光是維持這間屋子所需要花費的精力就已經很難以想像了。我覺得他們維持的很不錯。或許我的要求不太高，是因為我對當時的房子以及生活方式不太了解。但我還是必須要說，我倒是對此行挺滿意的。

你會看到莎士比亞父親當年在自家販賣手套維生的製作過程。見到當年所使用的各種傢具也是挺有趣的經驗。就是在這裡，莎士比亞成長至與Anne Hathaway開始他們的婚後生活。參觀時，也請將眼睛爭大，你會發現其他知名作家（例如：John Keats、Charles Dickens、Walter Scott及Thomas Hardy）來參觀時所留下的痕跡！其實我認為，這間房子的存在，本身就是一種傳奇。



Since photography was not allowed inside the birthplace, I took the opportunity, as I usually did, to take shots of the souvenirs at the shop. 

既然屋內展示區不得拍照，我只好依照慣例的，去專賣店裡面猛拍。

 
Shakespeare dolls. 莎士比亞人偶。


More Shakespeare related items. 莎士比亞文具。


Mugs. 馬克杯。


Skull mug. (Hamlet) 骷髏頭馬克杯。（哈母雷特）


Cat cards with famous lines from Shakespearean plays.
印有貓咪以及各式劇本中經典名言的小卡片。



I do apologise for not having said too much about the place itself.  Although it may seem to be rather expensive to visit, I do still highly recommend it to visitors.  You get to learn about the way of living during Shakespeare's times, and being the birthplace of the poet itself, is reason enough to come see for yourself.

很抱歉沒有敘述太多。雖然門票可能讓許多人打退堂鼓，但我還是依然強烈的推薦給所有來Stratford-upon-Avon的遊客。你可以學習到莎士比亞那個年代的生活，但實際上，此地為一代文豪的出生地，這就足以構成來訪的理由了，不是嗎？

延伸資訊：Shakespeare's Birthplace.

註：若欲參觀莎士比亞居住過的五間屋子，可選擇先線上買套票比較划算。
線上訂購套票網址：http://houses.shakespeare.org.uk/tickets.html

天仙念：其實這樣邊寫邊思念，好像也挺不錯的耶！