It was a visit that was a long time coming.
That was back when I actually enjoyed camping.
Thankfully, we have a better budget for vacations, so when we decided to revisit Stratford, after all these years, we rented an Airbnb that was a short walk from the downtown core.
Why a house and not just get a hotel room, you may ask? Well, when we were discussing our road trip with our friends, Nina and Brian, they expressed that they were planning to take in some Stratford Festival plays around the same time, so we agreed to go together and share accommodation.
The house was perfect. It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, both with showers. It had laundry facilities, which DW and I needed to take advantage of, as we had used most of the clothes that we had packed with us. It had a kitchen, dining room, and living room, with plenty of space for four adults.
We were a five-minute walk to the Avon Theatre and less than 15 minutes from either the Festival Theatre venue or Tom Patterson Theatre, both along the Avon River. It never took us more than 10 minutes to walk to a restaurant or pub, which we visited for at least dinner, if not lunch.
DW and I were less than an hour and a half from Stratford when we headed out, on Tuesday. We bid farewell to our lovely hosts, Mari and Pete, who invited us to stay on Monday night, after spending a few nights in Toronto. We were out of their hair before lunchtime.
We made a stop in Kitchener, which I haven't been to since 2001, when my older sister and I cleaned out our dad's apartment, after he died. I remember staying at the Walper Hotel, in the city's core, and I remember cleaning out the apartment, but not much else.
But on this stop, DW and I were looking for a quick and inexpensive lunch, and we found one at the City Café Bakery. We had tasty open-faced sandwich melts and took away some baked goods, and were back on the road in no time.
I knew that our route would be taking us through the village of Shakespeare, and I was interested in stopping at a brewery by the same name to pick up some beer that we'd keep at our Airbnb. Unfortunately, as I walked up to the entrance, I discovered that the brewery wasn't open on Tuesdays. I'd have to wait until Friday to make any visits, as we would be passing through again on our way to Guelph.
I didn't go back, as you'll soon learn.
Nina and Brian weren't expected until the evening, so DW and I checked in to the house, picked a room, and started a load of laundry. I processed some of my photos and set up last Wednesday's blog post, while DW made a phone call.
With our laundry going through the drier, DW and I headed to a nearby grocery store and stocked up for the next few days. We planned to eat breakfast at the Airbnb but lunches were optional and dinner would always be out somewhere. We didn't want to overstock because we didn't know what Nina and Brian were bringing, so we had eggs, milk, juice, bread, fruit, veggies for dipping in hummus, and some snack foods. We also bought some ham, which could be used with breakfast or lunch.
We also stocked up on beer, cider, and wine, which we bought too much of, but we could always bring that to Guelph.
Our first dinner was at the Italian restaurant, Fellini's, where DW had a wonderful rotini dish and I had a carbonara that hit the spot. After dinner, we wandered the town and I struck up a conversation with a man who looked familiar to me, only to realize, after we parted ways, that he was Canadian actor Peter Keleghan, from The Red Green Show, The Newsroom, and Workin' Moms, among other shows and movies.
Another brush with celebrities.
I won't get into the play-by-play of our time in Stratford but here are the highlights:
- King Lear—we've seen several productions of this Shakespeare play and this one will go down as one of the more memorable ones. Starring Paul Gross as Lear, this cast was stellar, with not a weak performace in the bunch. And at one point, when the young Gloucester was plotting his evil work and a member of the audience laughed at a seemingly ill-timed part, Gloucester pointed toward the audience member and said, "Ah?" as though acknowledging that the person agreed with the plot. When one character forgot another character's name, they ad-libbed and made it seem natural, much to the whole audience's amusement.
- The Bacon & Ale Trail and The Chocolate Trail—DW and Nina went for chocolate; Brian and I went for beer and meat. For $35, plus tax, you can buy five vouchers for the Bacon & Ale Trail or six vouchers for the Chocolate Trail. There are many shops and restaurants that participate, and you can have a flight of beer samples, eat a few strips of elevated bacon, enjoy a gluten-free chocolate brownie cake, receive a sample of truffles, and more. You get more than your money's worth and the vouchers don't expire, so you don't have to use them all on one day. There are even places in the neighbouring town of St. Marys that participate, so we got around.
- Spamalot—I'm not one for musical theatre but I'm a huge Monty Python fan, particularly of The Holy Grail, so this play was a must-see. And I'm so glad we went. Again, the cast was stellar and the performances had us cheering throughout the play. And I learned, just as we were leaving Stratford, that this musical is being held over, beyond the Stratford Festival dates.
- Stratford Thai Cuisine—authentic Thai food and excellent staff. You have to book a table well in advance or you're out of luck. We saw so many people turned away but we had reserved our spot before we came to town. Everything was inexpensive so it put no cramp in our budget.
- Whatever 75—this is such a quirky restaurant that will put you in a good mood. This food emporium is LGBTQ+ friendly and features menu items such as Chick-Fil-Gay (in your face, Chick-fil-A!), Bacon-Ate-Her (way better than the Wendy's burger), and white-breast chicken wings (boneless and shaped like wings). Their chicken is buttermilk-brined and is probably the most succulent meat I've ever tasted. The staff is as amazing as they are diverse.
- Wedding Band—this is the one play that we knew nothing about, going in, and had no expectations. It's the story of an inter-racial couple, in America's racist south, just after the First World War. At this time, it's illegal for the two lovers to be together, and they struggle with finding love in such a hate-filled environment. I've often been attracted to stories that either make me laugh, make me cry, or make me think. Wedding Band achieved all three with great acting in a gripping story. I'm so glad we made the decision to see this performance.
- Jobsite Brewing Company—of course, you knew I'd check out at least one brewery on my trip. I won't get in to many details other than to say that I spent one of my Bacon & Ale Trail vouchers wisely by paying this place a visit. I'll have more to say, next Thursday, for my Beer O'Clock review.
- Mercer Kitchen and Beer Hall—we stopped here for a quick bite before seeing Wedding Band, and Brian and I took advantage of our vouchers by having a plate of bacon and a six-ounce glass of beer. The bacon was elevated with seasoning and a glaze, and was served with a sauce and some greens. It was amazing. I also had a peanut salad that was fantastic.
- Brch & Wyn—we stopped here shortly before going to Mercer and that's why I only had a salad for lunch. Even our server at Mercer commented on how this coffee shop/wine bar is known for generous sizes. Our vouchers entitled us to a sausage roll and a six-ounce glass of beer, but the shop was out of sausage rolls. Instead, they made us a Cubano sandwich, which was huge. Brian and I were too full to eat a full lunch with Nina and DW, though I did share my peanut salad with DW.
- Boar's Head Pub—after 160 years, it's still going strong. DW and Nina used vouchers for a gluten-free brownie cake while Brian and I sipped some local beer from Black Swan Brewing. Apart from several large TV screens, this feels like a true British pub.
- Bentley's Bar | Inn | Restaurant—we had our final meal here, on their patio. DW and I each ordered a different sandwich and then split half with each other. I ordered a pint of a pale ale from Shakespeare Brewing Company, but after a few sips I detected a flaw in the beer and sent it back. The chemical taste stayed in my mouth for so long that it put me off the brewery, and we decided not to stop as we passed through Shakespeare, on our way to Guelph. But the food at Bentley's was good and the service was friendly.
- Shakespearean Gardens—DW and I finished our visit of Stratford, after Nina and Brian headed off to an afternoon showing of Much Ado About Nothing, by revisiting this park after about 29 years. It doesn't seem to have changed and has kept its beauty. My only regret is that I didn't have my expedition hat to place on Shakespeare's head.
I still have one more half-day to share, where we spent in St. Marys, before Nina and Brian went to their matinée and before DW and I went to the Shakespearean Gardens, and I'll save that for next week and for a future beer review.
It feels as though DW and I have just returned from this trip and already, we're about to embark on another one. Tomorrow, we head back to Toronto: this time, with Kid 1 and my folks, where we'll celebrate both Thanksgiving and my younger sister's upcoming birthday. And we'll get to spend more time with Kid 2, as well.
Happy Friday and have a great weekend!
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