“How far that little candle throws his beams!"
Oh. Canada. (Ha! See what I did there?!)
Last Sunday my wonderful boyfriend, Jeff took me to Stratford, Ontario to see "The Merchant of Venice." You would think that Canada isn't that much different from the United States, you know, the majority of people speak English, the food seems about the same (besides poutine - fries with gravy and cheese curds on top - it's a little much for me) and the culture doesn't stray too far from ours (they love Degrassi, we love Degrassi), etc. But somehow the entire country's feel is different. The air is different, in Stratford at least. It's full of floral scents and earthy spices. Of course, this might be accredited to the Shakespeare gardens nestled in the center of the town. The people are exponentially friendlier, an example of this being the "street comedian" who interrupted mine and Jeff's brunch with a horrible joke. Even their bums are friendly. Odd, but friendly...
When we got to Stratford on Sunday, the first thing we did was have a picnic by the river. It was so charming to see elderly couples in love eating lunch on their brightly colored gingham blankets, so full of light. Jeff and I with our Tim Hortons (when in Rome) and them with their expensive treats and high-class wines. We then hustled to the theater to grab our seats for the performance.
Instead of setting the play in traditional Shakespeare time and dress, the director set the play in 1930s Italy, which was a brilliant take on the pre-WWII era - pitting the Jews against the Christians as Shakespeare had done in his play so long ago. The actors were phenomenal as always since I highly doubt they would cast anyone less than amazing in these types of roles. I literally shed a tear when Shylock asked his antagonizers, "Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" The monologue that followed was a reminder of how alike we all are. How we all have basic human needs that are our downfall when not fulfilled. How we all feel hurt when attacked. I left the play feeling like if only Shylock hadn't been ordered to death, if they had tried to befriend the Jew how the ending could have been different. Of course fluffy, happy endings weren't exactly Shakespeare's style, so I know that my desires for closure were in vain. Jeff and I milled around the gardens outside the theater after the show, watching the wind dance through the petals of the sweet-smelling plants. Did I just write that? I think Shakespeare's wearing off on me.
The rest of the night consisted of lazy vacationing as a jacuzzi was in our hotel suite in view of the television which is my idea of a perfect vacation. I was rudely awakened at 9:00 the next morning by an overly-eager boyfriend exclaiming that he had a surprise for me. I hated to admit to him that I had seen our "surprise" on his phone's browser the morning of our trip when I had been using his phone as a GPS. Begrudgingly, I got out of bed. After sleeping in for 50 more minutes, of course. This made us late for our 10:30 walking tour of historic Stratford, which would've been a bad thing, except Jeff and I were the walking tour. By this I mean besides our tour guide, we had one other lady walking with us, who by the way, had a goal to learn every single thing she could about every type of brick in every building in Stratford. Bricks! What a great topic of conversation!
We left shortly after the tour towards home. I loved staying in Canada, and I can't wait to go back next summer. I can definitely see this being a summer tradition for Jeff and I.
Parting is such sweet sorrow (Eh, eh?!)
PJ
Last Sunday my wonderful boyfriend, Jeff took me to Stratford, Ontario to see "The Merchant of Venice." You would think that Canada isn't that much different from the United States, you know, the majority of people speak English, the food seems about the same (besides poutine - fries with gravy and cheese curds on top - it's a little much for me) and the culture doesn't stray too far from ours (they love Degrassi, we love Degrassi), etc. But somehow the entire country's feel is different. The air is different, in Stratford at least. It's full of floral scents and earthy spices. Of course, this might be accredited to the Shakespeare gardens nestled in the center of the town. The people are exponentially friendlier, an example of this being the "street comedian" who interrupted mine and Jeff's brunch with a horrible joke. Even their bums are friendly. Odd, but friendly...
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| The Shakespeare Gardens have every single plant mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Dewberry, anyone? |
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| Jeff and I on our picnic. |
Instead of setting the play in traditional Shakespeare time and dress, the director set the play in 1930s Italy, which was a brilliant take on the pre-WWII era - pitting the Jews against the Christians as Shakespeare had done in his play so long ago. The actors were phenomenal as always since I highly doubt they would cast anyone less than amazing in these types of roles. I literally shed a tear when Shylock asked his antagonizers, "Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" The monologue that followed was a reminder of how alike we all are. How we all have basic human needs that are our downfall when not fulfilled. How we all feel hurt when attacked. I left the play feeling like if only Shylock hadn't been ordered to death, if they had tried to befriend the Jew how the ending could have been different. Of course fluffy, happy endings weren't exactly Shakespeare's style, so I know that my desires for closure were in vain. Jeff and I milled around the gardens outside the theater after the show, watching the wind dance through the petals of the sweet-smelling plants. Did I just write that? I think Shakespeare's wearing off on me.
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| Posing with our good friend, Bill. |
We left shortly after the tour towards home. I loved staying in Canada, and I can't wait to go back next summer. I can definitely see this being a summer tradition for Jeff and I.
Parting is such sweet sorrow (Eh, eh?!)
PJ
That sounds like so much fun!! P.S.- I'm loving the Degrassi reference...we'll need to discuss every moment of the 8568542 years the show has been on in detail the next time I see you hehe :)
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