Walking with butterflies

Two of Henry’s favorite things to do are located literally right next to each other in Shakespeare’s birthplace town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

The first is the Stratford Butterfly Farm – which I’d seen signs before on previous trips but had never visited, so this was another “first” for me!

It was really nicely done, with loads of butterfly varieties throughout the tropical setting.  Watching them feast on fresh fruit was really interesting and we found out that they were attracted to bright colors – like Marianne’s shirt!

Walking through the exhibit, we came to Marianne’s favorite display – the leaf cutter ants!

This was really fascinating – as they had plants set up where the ants would (as their name suggested) cut sections of leaves and the march them across a convenient wood bridge to another area where they were doing … well… “something else” with them as they built a colony.  

There were iguanas about and many large koi in the tropical pond, but it was definitely the butterflies, as the name suggested, that stole the show.

A quick visit to the gift shop on the way out (and a new friend for Henry) – and we’re off to the second destination of the morning!

Stratford from the sky

The “Big Wheel” in Stratford is a new addition since the last time I was here in 2015.  It’s situated directly across the River Avon from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

I’ve been to Stratford every visit to England, so it feels like a second “home town” to me at times.  This time, however, I was going to see it from a completely different vantage point. 

The Stratford Big Wheel is an open-air Ferris wheel that makes really nice slow revolutions allowing views of the area directly below, the tourist area near Shakespeare’s birthplace and museum, Holy Trinity Church downriver a bit, and the surrounding Cotswold countryside.

John, Henry, and I make our way into our personal pod and start what would end up being at least a half-dozen revolutions. 

The operator was aware of which pods were “new riders” and made (much appreciated) stops of the wheel for those new viewers some special time at the top of the loop to really appreciate (and in my case photograph!) all of the vista below.

Even though we have a slightly cloudy day, the views are clear for miles and miles to the horizon.  Seeing the RST and the canal boat area from above is a treat, as is our lunch destination (Cox’s Yard). 

Henry is certainly enjoying it, and especially has fun when I show him how we can spin the pod around the central pillar (much to John’s chagrin!).

Marianne, opting out of the experience, takes it all in from ground-level, and we wave to her each pass.

The views each time around are great and we take them all in.  I spend time seeking out places that I’ve been in years past, including the previously-mentioned Holy Trinity Church.  Memories of trips downstream on the Countess of Evesham are remembered from an elevated perspective.  

Speaking of perspective – and this won’t surprise you at all if you’ve ever paid attention to any of my photos – I started looking for interesting variations of the photos I’d taken previously, including the interior structure of the wheel itself. 

I took one of my favorites of the RSC through the inner structure of the Wheel itself.  It reminded me of shots I had taken from the London Eye.

On our last rotation, we decided that lunch was going to be at Cox’s Yard, which we had seen several times from the air now.  Taunting us with the promise of lunch and a pint with each trip around the loop, we’re ready to walk across the Avon and put our hunger to rest.

Getting there – and getting my pint of Tribute Ale – was a short and pleasant walk across the old stone footbridge.  Lunch was great, though I was (pleasantly) surprised by how spicy my “Diablo Burger” ended up being!  I was happy that had a big glass of water … ha!

Henry (and Croc!) was great the entire time, having walked through butterflies, made multiple loops on the Big Wheel, and sitting with the “old folks” for a nice leisurely lunch.  We snagged a reward on the way back to the car by stopping for a great ice cream (with Flake, of course!).  Henry really enjoyed that almost as much as anything else today!

We made a quick stop at Tesco’s on the way home, so I was able to get Melanie’s much-requested personal stash of Flake (and a few other UK-specific chocolate treats).

A nice take-out from Chipping Campden’s world-famous Crystal Palace (located literally down a narrow alley between two old buildings!) was a great and casual way to wrap up the nice long day.