England

Travelling to England: The Time my Imagination Failed Me

By Jovina Smith

When I was a young girl, I used to love spending time with my grandfather. He used to tell me detailed stories of his trips abroad while I ate my lunch (I was a very slow eater!). While I was enthralled with every story, I found myself being especially fascinated by his tales about travelling to England, the country that had a King and a Queen, huge lush green parks and people who spoke a funny accent. ‘Would you like a cuppa tea?!’ he would ask me, imitating them.

My imagination went wild! I would imagine myself walking through the parks, speaking to the locals, visiting all the churches and sipping countless cups of tea. Could England really be that wonderful? Would my Imagination match reality?

Fast forward a couple of years of hard work and big dreams, I finally decided I was going to do it. I was going to put my imagination to the test. I was travelling to England.

A view of the city of Bath from atop of the Bath Abbey, Travelling to England
A view of the city of Bath from atop of the Bath Abbey

On a warm sunny day in May, as Flight BA118 was getting ready to land in cloudy London, I had my nose pressed up against the foggy window. Travel sickness and jet lag forgotten all I could think of was how I wished I could pause time and soak in everything I was feeling.  It was the perfect concoction of excitement, apprehension and awe. Wanderlust.

Platform 9 3/4 at the Harry Potter studio tour in Leavesdern
Platform 9 3/4 at the Harry Potter studio tour in Leavesdern

The lady at the immigration desk asked me what I planned on seeing in England. ‘EVERYTHING’, I said. In the month that followed, I did just that. From climbing the 538 steps of St Paul’s Cathedral to eating a hot dog while strolling through Green Park in the summer rain to getting a foam moustache from sipping Butter-beer at the Harry Potter studio tour to plotting my plan to return the Kohinoor diamond to India from the Tower of London. I visited the Roman baths in the city of Bath, climbed to the top of the stunning Bath Abbey, memorized all the stops on the tube, got lost in the vast gardens of the Hampton Court Palace, tipped every busker I saw, pretended I was making an important phone call inside the famous red phone booths, tried to make a Queen Guard laugh, stood speechless in front of the magnificent Big Ben, roamed the gardens of the Westminster Abbey, travelled in the river bus, took a ride in the cable car and walked the colorful streets of Notting Hill. The days disappeared almost as quickly as the memory space on my camera. My adventure was coming to an end.

The matchbox houses of London
The matchbox houses of London

As I boarded my flight to return back home I realized something. My imagination had failed me. Travelling to England was so much more magical than I could imagine. There were so many reasons this country will forever be ingrained in my memory. Its matchbox houses and intricate architecture, its cool summers and warm smiles, its green lawns and blue skies but most importantly, It was the birthplace of a new me. One that was not afraid of her dreams anymore because if this was where they lead me to then I’m just getting started!

Click here to read about the London palaces

RELATED ARTICLES

78 COMMENTS

  1. Jovi….am impressed with the writing skills and images you have created while I read this article….this is a great story. British Tourism will very happy to see it.

  4. Jovi! This is such beautiful writing. This article would make any one reading it, feel your journey with you ! Very well articulated.

  6. Hey Jovian, after reading this article I definitely wanna visit London & do all the above(hopefully time permits) & above all I definitely wanna have that CUPPA TEA your grand-dad spoke of. Here’s too dreaming big.

  8. Very nice article Jovina. Having studied in England for a year, I can vouch for your amazing experience. Hope you get the chance to travel to this little town called Durham in the north of England, and write about that too one day.

  10. Wonderful article… enjoyed reading it and could actually feel your excitement there… you’ve got me considering a trip myself now.

  12. Joves the article is well written .its amazing to see you do what ur heart asks of U..m happy for you.may you pick those tiny pebbles along your path and reach to success..All the best.safe trip

  16. Hi Jovi! Reading your beautiful article transported me back to my family holiday to London and all the beautiful memories of the place.wish you all the best and Iam sure you will be well appreciated

  17. This article or if I could rephrase it as the little girls dream …beautifully articulated, and every little detail explained with great sense of pride ..brings every reader with a sense of peace and happiness, it surely painted our imagination like a magical land✨
    I wish you Bon voyage

  43. I LUUURRRRVVVEEEEE eeeeeeeetttt!!

    In all honesty what you write is from the heart, accurate and succinct. Here’s to many more. HHHUUGGGSSSSS!!!

  46. So very well written, you definitely have a beautiful style of writing. Makes me definitely want to read every article you’ve penned. All the very best Jovi.

  62. Jovi!! Really nice article ! Read the whole thing .. cant believe I did actually ? but very impressed and looks like you had a lot of fun ! Amazing ! Keep intriguing people with more of these !

  75. I ԝas suggested this website by my cousin. I am not sure whether
    this post is written by him as no one elsｅ know such detailed about my difficսltｙ.
    Y᧐u are wonderful! Thanks!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here