Before venturing to England and exploring for myself all the wonders that it held, all my knowledge of England came from other people. I’d see England through the eyes of famous authors, or through films or TV shows set in England. In fact, as far back as I can remember, most of the connections I could make to the world outside of my home were through a screen or a page.
I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to explore on my own. I remember wondering what it would look like, to see the second star on the right from the top of Big Ben like in Peter Pan, or walk down Baker Street with characters like Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, or see places like the Globe Theater.
Fortunately, I was able to do all of these things. Well, almost all of them. Unfortunately Big Ben was under construction (and I don’t think that people would actually be able to stand on the clock’s hands like in animated movies like Disney’s Peter Pan, or The Great Mouse Detective). But, I was able to see Peter Pan, and Holmes’s apartment, and Shakespeare’s Globe.
While these are just a handful of places I was able to explore, they were the places that meant so much to me. Places that I had connected to so vividly as I’d grown up, I was able to explore and experience for myself and not rely on film or literature to take me there. I could talk about other places too; like how the streets of York made me feel like I was wandering through time, able to see things both modern and old fashioned, and how standing in Westminster Abbey was surreal because it doesn’t hit you that you could literally be standing on top of the grave of someone like Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton, or Charles Dickens until you see their name on the floor.
Places like these make me feel small in the world. All the history and significance of these places and the people who had been there before me, it really made me think about everything I saw differently. Now I’ve seen everything through the eyes of famous authors and actors, but also through my own eyes.
