I've Been Attending Since 2012

Recognize this guy?

I got to spend some time in his shadow this week. Vicki (my MIL) and I stole away on a quiet Tuesday and had a rip-roaring day. We went to the Shakespeare Festival. Many of you have probably already discovered this delightful event. I mistakenly always thought it only lasted for a few weeks, and every year I figured I missed it. But when I learned it ran July-August, I figured I had just enough time to plan a short getaway, and I picked just the right partner. Vicki was so fun to hang out with. You will see that she is very kind to let me photograph her a LOT. When you only have two people, and one has the camera, you know the other one is in for it. :)

We left in the morning, and our drive down went very quickly. We stopped once for snacks, and we found this random petting zoo next door to the gas station. The llama tried to warn the zebra.

But he seemed content to pose.

They had other animals like sheep and deer, but I grabbed one more shot of the Emu, and we were on our way. (That's one more for exotic bird bingo. I'm loving this.)

We checked into our hotel with plenty of time to explore. We stayed at the Abbey Inn. It seemed like a very nice place to stay, but I have no other comparisons.

Then we went around the area to make sure we knew where we were headed for our first play. There are actually statues all over the city (which I realized later) but we found this lovely monument dedicated to the greats. I was ashamed that I didn't recognize everyone. I need to find out more about Germaine De Stael. After reading her plaque, she seems amazing.

It was a beautiful place.

We grabbed a passing student and asked her to snap a picture. It's a little off center, but I am sure she was flustered by our intimidating knowledgeable poses. (I think that is Aristotle who joined us.)

Grandma loved on Einstein for a moment.

And then we were off to find the theatres. There are two. One is indoor, and the other is an outdoor theatre. I loved the look of everything. It was picturesque and perfect.

I could just picture Juliet leaning over the balcony.

We didn't watch any shows at the outdoor theatre, but you could imagine how great it would be.

I should have put Vicki up on stage. Instead I caught her dreaming dreams of grandeur. (Okay, she was probably just looking, but one can picture it.)

The venues hadn't opened yet, but later that evening they walked around in costume selling tarts. (The pastries, not the women.)

The gift shop was fun to explore. (I'll have to take pictures of the masks I got the girls later.) Later Vicki cuddled up with Shakespeare. (See? I told you she was a great sport the whole time.)

We grabbed some lunch at the Pastry Pub. (I think it is famous in its own right.) And then we were off to see Les Mis.

Go see pictures HERE.

It was fabulous. I wouldn't say this was the best cast of singers I have ever heard, but they sang with more emotion than any other production I have seen. I cried multiple times. It was so good.

After the show, we decided we should eat again, but we weren't really hungry for a full meal. Luckily for us, we stumbled across this spectacular bakery:

This will be a part of every trip down to Cedar City now. It was so delicious. Very authentic food created by a chef from France. He just opened this candy store/bakery a few months ago, and I hope he stays there FOREVER.

We got a Pain Perdu, and a slice of cheesecake. The Pain Perdu is one of the most delightful things I have ever eaten. I got this picture after we devoured most of it.

I was full somewhere along the way, but I finished the cheesecake anyway, because it would be a crime to let good cheesecake go in the trash.Thank you Boulangerie Marie.

And then we were off to see our other play, Scapin. We stopped in the parking lot and had another hapless soul take a picture. She was much better at centering us. I look horrible, but that may be because I am very full of dessert and half my makeup was cried off earlier in the day.

In the evening before the main performances, they have something called the Greenshow. It is outside on a smaller stage and many of the actors performing that day will come and do another small production. I think it is different some nights, but I don't know that for sure. I should have brought my camera, but I had left it in the car at this point. (boo.) This is where people came around selling tarts, but my stomach was not going to have that. Instead we lounged on the lawn and enjoyed singing, dancing, juggling, an 'egg' dance, and some pretty bad Romanian accents. :) Sorry Vicki, you missed the egg dance when you went to wash your hands. (She had a strange reaction to the grass.)

Scapin was just the ticket for the evening. We laughed a ton. The plot was not in depth, but it was made simply to poke fun and make you giggle.

See pictures HERE.

And then our evening was over. It was just so much fun. I will find a way to come back every year, for sure. We want to try and hit four plays next time.

In the morning, we had breakfast at our motel. Yum. And we grabbed one more photo. I balanced the camera next to the wafflemaker and set the timer. Not too bad for a last impromptu shot. Not centered of course, but that was kind of the theme of the trip.

Love Vicki. Love the Shakespeare Festival. Love husbands who watch kids in the middle of the week. Love laughing and crying. Love it all.