In honor of one week until my trip to London I will be posting a blog each day right up until we leave. Starting with the first installment of Wanderlust Fuel yesterday, I am continuing today with an interview between myself and my mom, who is making the journey with me!
-Why did you choose
London as your first city to visit overseas?
My Mom, Lynda: “Because
you weren’t going to the Black Forest in Germany (which is what I would have chosen). And after doing so much
genealogy research and with the results from my DNA test the majority of ancestors
came from the UK so I would like to stand where an ancestor once stood.”
Me: “So many
things that I love have taken place in London, from Harry Potter to that Mary-Kate
and Ashley Olsen movie, Winning London that it feels as if it is the home I have
never actually been to. Sometimes I think I know the streets of literary London
better than the streets of Buffalo. I had to choose one small area of Europe to
go to and I picked London for that reason. Luckily, I also get to go to Oxford
on this trip as well which I am also pretty eager about. However, at the same
time, I have been dreaming about this trip for longer than I can remember and I
hope that reality surpasses my imagination.”
-What aspect of
traveling to England are you most excited and looking forward to about?
Lynda: “I really
think the most exciting thing is meeting some Facebook friends. Also, seeing sights
like St. Paul’s, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace.”
Me: “As Helene Hanff said, “I’d go looking for the
England of English Literature” and that’s exactly what I want to do. I want to
find literary London, I want to be in the places my favorite characters have
stood, I want to see what they’ve seen and what I’ve only been able to imagine.”
-What are you afraid
of most going abroad?
Lynda: “I’m not
too fond of floating above water without a safety string but as much as that
scares me I’m afraid of getting lost.”
Me: “Flying,
seriously, I don’t even want to think about it. I’m terrified that the plane
ride over there will upset me so much that I will beg to take a boat back or
just stay forever. I am also slightly afraid that I will make a fool of myself
trying to order food at pubs and stuff like that. I also really don’t want to
immediately be seen as an American Tourist. I am honestly considering saying I’m
from Niagara Falls, Ontario to people who don’t have access to my passport.”
-What place are you
most excited to see?
Lynda: “I’m very
excited to go to Whitechapel, but the place I’m most excited to see is the
Tower of London.”
Me: “It’s kind of
hard to pick. Beyond the Harry Potter stuff like Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross
and Leavesden Studios, I am really excited to visit the bookshops on Charring
Cross Road. Well, I say beyond Harry Potter, but even on Charring Cross Road I’m
looking to fill out more of my Harry Potter collection. I also can’t wait to
stand in Shakespeare’s Globe and go to the British Library. (For Oxford, I’m
most excited about the Bodleian Library and seeing J.R.R. Tolkien’s grave.)”
-What food are you
most excited to try?
Lynda: “Well you
know sadly we’ve tried so much of it here at the Chippy that I honestly I don’t
even know. Most of the English eat Indian and Indian food and I don’t get along
together. I wouldn’t mind a proper scone and tea, though.”
Me: “There’s this
great place in South Buffalo called the British Chippy that two English ex-pats
started it. Mom and I go there a lot to get proper fish and chips and pies, but
I am looking forward to comparing them to the ones in England to see how “proper”
they really are. I also want to try a proper full English breakfast while
there, too.”
-What are the benefits
of going as a Mother/Daughter team?
Lynda: “I think
one benefit is that because we know what each other like and don’t and that we tolerate
it in each other most of the time. I know your obsessions and I have dealt with
them. I’m not sure someone else can deal with that. Sometimes you go on a ‘random’
and no one else will get that. You have Harry Potter and I have Beatles.”
Me: “There are a
lot of things that I don’t have to explain to my mom about why I want to do
this or that. For example, at one point we’re going to some random street
corner near Trafalgar Square just so I can see where Ron stood as lookout when the
trio were getting the hair to make the Polyjuice Potion in Deathly Hallows. Just like I know that at some point we will end up
on Abbey Road. Also because my mom is the Lorelai to my Rory, she’s one of my
best friends. I’m so glad that I get to share this with her.”
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