On a gorgeous October weekend, Shawnda, Shannon, Heather and I journeyed about 5 hours northwest to Stratford, Ontario for a girls’ weekend at the Legacy House B&B, some window shopping, and two shows at the Stratford Theatre Festival!
{Our stay at the B&B – The Legacy House – was fantastic! Our host was wonderful and gracious and an amazing cook. The rooms were beautiful, the B&B was within easy walking distance from all the restaurants, shops, and theatres in town, and we had a lovely breakfast with the other two couples staying there as well}
{Being in Stratford, Canada reminded me so much of my Shakespearean summer abroad intensive during college in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. My summer in Stratford, England was – literally – one of the best times of my life and completely life-changing for me, so being in a place that was similar to Stratford-Upon-Avon was a real treat. I really love towns steeped in the arts and Shakespeare that have great architecture and where you can walk anywhere and everywhere…especially in the fall}
{We did some window shopping up and down the main streets – everything from trendy clothing boutiques to book and toy stores to Scottish shops, and then we stopped in for relaxing pre-show dinner at Molly Bloom’s Irish Pub. We shared a plate of poutine because – when in Canada! – and I had a tasty Irish cottage pie for my main entrée. On the way out of the restaurant we ran into a few Rochester folks who we all knew that just happened to be here on the same weekend as us…and eating at the same restaurant and seeing the same show, as well. Small world!}
{I found this amazing coffee shop advertisement and Shakespeare allusion in a playbill. I laughed for hours!}
{Saturday night we saw Noel Coward’s Hay Fever at the Avon Theatre. We all adored the costumes! The show was fun as well and there was one line of the play in particular that still has me laughing to this day}
{After Hay fever we walked back to the B&B, cuddled up in the living room on the couch in our PJs with mugs of hot tea and an episode of Gilmore Girls, and then hit the hay for a great night of sleep}
{For breakfast our host made hot tea, fresh squeezed orange-tangerine juice, a phenomenal roasted pear topped with toasted oats, brown sugar, almonds, cranberries, and butter, and served with a creamy water buffalo yogurt and homemade pear butter. The second course was homemade hazelnut waffles with a fresh berry, cinnamon, and triple sec compote served with a thick homemade cream fraiche. Absolutely delicious and so luxurious and relaxing! And we enjoyed a great conversation with our host and the other two couples who were staying there that weekend. Breakfast with strangers is definitely one of the best parts of staying at a B&B!}
{Before our Sunday matinée show, we walked around town and along the beautiful river, dropped in a few more stores including an amazing milkshake shop, a gourmet loose-leaf tea store, two homemade chocolate stores, and a kitchen shop where I found – and immediately bought – the most amazing sauce ever: a maple cappuccino sauce that now goes on pretty much everything I eat, but especially apple crisp! I also found a kitty in a window! The weather was gorgeous and we had a really lovely morning}
{In the afternoon we saw George Gershwin’s Crazy for You at the Festival Theatre. This is one of my most favorite musicals of all time – ever since I did the show back in high school – and this production did not disappoint. It was incredible!! I absolutely loved the lighting and the choreography! Crazy for You took the cake for best musical performance I’ve seen in quite a while…and that’s definitely saying something! It’s a good thing we went on closing weekend or I would have been seriously tempted to make the trip back to Stratford to see the show again on a subsequent weekend. Getting to see this show made me so happy! **Also worth noting, if you’re age 29 or under, you can score $25 tickets to shows at the Stratford Festival for you and a friend – who does not need to be under 29 – and if you go on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, they’re only $20. What a steal! Between the cheap theatre tickets, splitting fuel costs, and sharing rooms at the B&B, you too can enjoy a wonderful girls’ weekend on the super-cheap and without breaking the bank}
{Two weekends later Shannon and I scored a pair of free tickets to closing weekend of the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. So back to Canada we went – this time only a 2 hour trek – for one evening only to see Masteroff and Kander’s musical Cabaret at the Shaw Festival Theatre. We desperately wanted to see Priestley’s When We Are Married, but it was being played in a smaller venue and, unfortunately, it was totally sold out. So, Cabaret it was! We got into town just before sunset, walked the main strip in this very sweet little town to pop into a few boutiques and shops, grabbed a quick and delicious dinner at the Coach & Horses Pub – which has a great, fun atmosphere! – then picked up some amazing gelato at Il Gelato di Carlotta, and walked to the theatre for the show. Neither Shannon nor I had ever seen Cabaret before, so it was great to experience this very poignant story for the first time. The Shaw Festival production was pretty dark in terms of style, but they did such a great job with the staging, which really stood out in a strong way. A very sweet older gentleman and his wife, who were seated next to us, are Shaw season ticket holders and were seeing the show for the 7th time. They said that every time they saw it, they found something new in it and it grew on them more and more. We really enjoyed this unique production of the show and lovely conversations with the patrons next to us. **While our tickets were – by sheer luck and kind generosity…thank you Scott! – completely free this time, the Shaw Festival also does $30 discounted tickets for young adults ages 30 and under}
Next, we are planning on a late spring/early summer girls’ weekend – this time to the Shaw Festival for a whole weekend of wineries, shops, shows, and B&Bs. We can’t wait!
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