2009 • Warwickshire
April 23, 2009
On another group trip while on my semester abroad, be decided to go to Warwickshire, a historic county in England that was once home to William Shakespeare. This trip ended up being of special significance being that it was St. George’s Day—the feast day of England’s patron saint. Each of the four countries of the United Kingdom have their own patron saint: St. George for England, St. Andrew for Scotland, St. David for Wales, and St. Patrick for Northern Ireland (shared, of course, with the Republic of Ireland). All four patron saints can be found in mosaic form in the Palace of Westminster in London and three of the four are represented in the union flag (St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick). St. George is an interesting fellow because it is believed that he slayed a dragon which is somewhat interesting because the dragon is the national symbol of Wales, the country within the UK that is, arguably, closest culturally, legally, economically, and politically to England.
