Remember how excited I was about summer road trips? Well, naturally after all that, I had to actually go on one. And what better excuse is there for a nice drive through the Ontario countryside than a trip to the theatre?

On Sunday I was Stratford-bound. A group of us headed toward that most lovely cultural gem to see A Chorus Line, and it was deemed (not by me, I assure you) that we leave by the ungodly hour of 8:00 in the morning. But all my griping aside, the early start was imperative as it allowed us time for an indispensable part of our trip: wandering Stratford’s book stores.

As you might recall, my last trip to Stratford gave me time to visit the charmingly eclectic Book Stage, so this time, our steps tended toward another venerable independent literary institution: Fanfare Books.

We were greeted by a charming window display of some familiar names as well as a few surprises.

Inside, it is a book lover’s paradise, with an impressive assortment of genres, including, of course, a selection of Shakespearean offerings.

The store may be a bit on the small side, but there are plenty of books to keep this book lover entertained for an hour at least.

BONUS Store!

While wandering back to the car, we stumbled across an even tinier but still infinitely charming little book nook…

Beyond a tiny courtyard was a cheery red door inviting us to enter The Wee Book & Photo Shop. It sure is wee, but that didn’t stop me from making a triumphant purchase of a book I’d been coveting!

Happy, relaxed, and high on literary life, we headed over to the Festival Theatre to enjoy the play.

And the ride home? Those three hours flew by. I spent them reading.

Hope you enjoyed this vicarious adventure to Stratford. Definitely a great city for book lovers and theatre-goers and fans of Canadian culture in general. Fingers crossed you get there soon yourselves!

Take care,