This morning started out with a delicious raspberry smoothie for breakfast followed by a walking tour of Shrewsbury, Darwin's childhood village. The tour started out with a visit to his high school (more or less), which is today the village library. In the upstairs classroom, many of the students' names are carved (as graffiti) in the wood paneling.
Statue of Darwin outside of the school.
Bell tower
Founded in 1552!
The next stop was St. Chad's church, where Darwin was christened. His family wasn't very religious, but Darwin was baptized as more of a social norm than for religious purposes. One couldn't be accepted into prestigious universities such as Cambridge or Oxford unless he was baptized in the Anglican Church.
St. Chad's Church
Next up was the village park where Darwin began collecting rocks and bugs as a young boy. Across the river, you can see the Shrewsbury School, the local primary school.
Inside the park is an enclosed garden called the Dingle. It was beautiful!
Last stop was the house in which Darwin was born: The Mount. The estate was gorgeous (although today it is used as government offices). I would love to live on such a beautiful estate someday!
After lunch, we had the day to ourselves. I wandered around the cute little shops; I came across a candy shop that sold "American foods" like Fruit Loops, Reese's Puffs, Jif peanut butter, Pop-Tarts, and more! It was so funny (and quite expensive!).
Dinner was at a riverside pub called the Armoury with a beautiful view of the river and the weeping willows on its bank. I had a delicious local-recipe quiche and finished it off with a warm waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
