Wanderlust Fuel: London Part Two

Doctor Who- the quintessential British series has plenty of amazing moments in London.

• Police Box at Earl’s Court- there is no way a Whovian in London isn’t going to seek out this seemingly harmless box. 
• Big Ben- from having a Slitheen ship crash into it to a dinosaur pacing near it the famous clock tower is a frequent backdrop for the Doctor’s adventures. 
• The Who Shop- a shop as well as a museum devoted to all things Doctor Who this is a must visit for all Whovians.

Winning London- The Olsen twins’ movie where they invade England with the Model UN’s tournament.

• Peter Pan statue in Kensington Garden- James takes Chloe here because it is one of his favorite spots in London. 
• Guards outside Buckingham Palace- the UN gang tries their hardest to make them laugh to no avail, but uncharacteristically at the climax of the movie one of them helps James find Chloe. 
• Tower of London- Chloe, Riley, and their friends take a tour of the Tower. Seeing this movie was the first time I was introduced to most un-Harry Potter related London.

Helene Hanff- author of 84 Charing Cross Road, a book of letters between Helene Hanff and the staff at the book shop.

• Charing Cross Road- of course and all the shops on it. The actual shop, Marks & Co. is long been closed, even Helene never saw it open, but there is a plaque commemorating the spot at 84.
• Bloomsbury St- in the sequel to 84 called Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Helene stays on this street at the Kenilworth Hotel when she finally goes to England. 
• Stephen Poole Fine Books- by the time Helene goes to London the famous Marks & Co bookshop is closed so they hold her autographing session next door here. 
• Russell Square- Helene spends time in this park during her stay. 
• Claridge’s- apparently Noel Howard’s characters dine here. I don’t know those references but Helene was super excited to go there so I’m sure it’s worth a visit. 
• Hear the Sirens- as silly as it sounds I want to hear an ambulance siren in real life because she describes them as “a walrus weeping under water.”

Shades of London- Maureen Johnson’s thrilling series that is full of laughs but is also absolutely terrifying at the same time.

• Whitechapel- the first book The Name of the Star is about a Jack the Ripper copycat so of course a tour of his killing ground is a must see. Rory’ school, Wexford, is also a five minute walk from Whitechapel Road. 
• The Ten Bells- at least two of the Ripper victims might have drank here, Annie Chapman and Mary Kelly. In the book, the International Ripper Conference is held here when the copycat gives the famous message “The Name of the Star is what you fear.” 
• National Gallery- Rory goes here on a field trip looking for the best butts and she sees one of her first ghosts. 
• Goodwin Court- where Stephen, Boo, and Callum live. 
• The Underground- Callum uses his sight to rid the Underground of ghosts.

 ~Laura!

Wanderlust Fuel: Harry Potter in London!

The Harry Potter films are one of the largest things that have fueled me to go to England, London specifically. Here's a list of places that inspire me to go visit London:

• Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station- the reason behind this is, of course, obvious. 

• St. Pancras Station- seen in Chamber of Secrets as Ron flies the Ford Anglia. 

• Cecil Ct off of Charring Cross Road- perhaps the real inspiration behind Diagon Ally, Harry and Hagrid actually walk down this little alley as they approach the Leaky Cauldron in Sorcerer's Stone. 

• Millennium Bridge- in Half-Blood Prince, Death Eaters tear down this bridge. 

• Old Scotland Yard- This is the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic, in Order of the Phoenix there is a Red Phone Booth here. It is also where Harry, Ron, and Hermione ambush 3 Ministry workers to enact their plan to infiltrate to steal the locket Horcrux in Deathly Hallows. 

• Leadenhall Market- the actual entrance to the Leaky Cauldron that Harry and Hagrid go through in Sorcerer's Stone can be found at the optician's shop at 34 Bull's Head Passage, which is painted a bright blue now. 

• Borough Market- Here one can find the Prisoner of Azkaban entrance to the Leaky Cauldron which is actually a flower shop. 

• Westminster Underground Station- here is where Mr. Weasley encountered the tricky muggle ticket machine in Order of the Phoenix. 

• Australia House- this is the building that was used as a model for Gringotts Wizarding Bank. 

• 23-29 Claremont Square- stand opposite and look across at where Number 12 Grimmauld Place should be! 

• London Zoo- remember the Vanishing Glass at the beginning of Sorcerer's Stone? Here in the Reptile House is where that magical feat happened before Harry even knew he was a wizard.

~Laura!

Wanderlust Fuel: Oxford

Many places are repeated on this list because Oxford is a small place with a lot of literary history.

J.R.R. Tolkien – The man behind the great Middle-Earth tales, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I’ve admired Tolkien’s imagination for years now.

• Exeter College- Tolkien was an undergrad at this college from 1911-15, he studied the Classics until he changed to English Language and Literature in 1913.
• Merton College- Tolkien was the Professor of English Language and Literature here from 1945-59.
  
• The Eagle and Child Pub- Tolkien and his fellow Inklings met here almost every Tuesday while at Oxford for lunch. 
• Botanical Garden- Tolkien would rest under his favorite tree here, the Austrian Pine, which could partly be an inspiration for the Ents. 
• Wolvercote Cemetery- Tolkien and his wife, Edith are buried here. 
• Northmoor Road- there is a plaque at 20-22 commemorating Tolkien’s former home here.

Lewis Carroll- the celebrated mathematician and beloved author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland spent most his life in Oxford and met the little girl who inspired his most famous story.

• Christ Church- Carroll lived, studied, and taught here most of his life. 
• Alice’s Shop- a souvenir shop across from Christ Church. 
• Botanical Garden- Carroll once showed Alice Liddell and her sisters the Ginko tree here and its waterlily house can be seen in the background of Tenniel’s illustration of “The Queen’s Croquet-Ground.”

Harry Potter Films- Several scenes were filmed in the beautiful Oxford and there is no way I am going to miss them.

• New College- the cloisters of this college and its magnificent tree can be seen in the scene where Moody turns Malfoy into a ferret. 
• Christ Church- Hogwarts’ Great Hall in the films is based on their Hall. 
• Bodleian Library- Duke Humfrey’s Library was used as Hogwarts Library (restricted section, too!) and the Divinity School is the Hospital Wing.

C.S. Lewis- author of the Chronicles of Narnia, an amazing allegorical fantasy story of Christianity.

• Magdalen College- especially Addison’s Walk in the grounds where Lewis, Tolkien and fellow Inkling Dyson had a lengthy conversation that extended back to Lewis’ rooms in Magdalen very early in the morning, which helped lead Lewis into converting to Christianity. 
• The White Horse Pub next to Blackwell’s Bookshop/ King’s Arms Pub opposite the Bodleian- Lewis and the Inklings sometimes went to these places instead of the Eagle and Child when there was a beer shortage during the War. 

Kenneth Grahame- author of the classic children’s story featuring Mr. Toad, The Wind in the Willows.

• St Cross Church Cemetery- the author is buried here. 

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King- a story that quickly became close to my heart Mary Russell, wife of the great detective, is always keeping him on his toes.

• Bodleian Library- Mary spent many days and nights cooped up here studying theology.

His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman- the fabulous fantasy that captures the imagination and sings Oxford’s praises like no other.

• Botanical Gardens- a bench in the garden serves as a meeting place for both Lyra and Will in their respective worlds.

~Laura!

Wanderlust Fuel: London Part One

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – After receiving all 13 little blue envelopes from NYC Ginny’s first stop and last stop on her European adventure is to London, where she meets Richard and Keith, and has her life changed irreversibly.

• Harrods- my first stop when I go to London has to be Harrods because of this book. I also might try to eat at Mo’s Diner where Richard tells Ginny the story of how he had to bag up the Queen’s pants. And I’m going to search for the chocolate counter and dog coat fitting!
• Covent Gardens- where Richard tells Ginny to find her artist.
• ‘Look Left’ crosswalks- as silly as this sounds I can’t wait to see one because in the book Ginny originally doesn’t, almost gets hit by a car, sees the sign, and says “it’s like they know me.” I think that that’s probably going to happen to me at some point.

Sherlock Holmes- In all his many forms, from page to screen he inspires me to wander around London. 

• The Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street- for obvious reasons.
• Speedy’s Café- BBC’s Sherlock’s 221B door is right next door. 
• St. Bartholomew’s Hospital- Because of the Fall of course! 
• The Sherlock Holmes Pub- mostly because it shares the name. 
• Russell Square Gardens- where BBC’s John and Stamford met up.
• New Scotland Yard- where Lestrade does his business 
• South Bank Skate Park- where BBC’s Sherlock and John look for the cipher in ‘The Blind Banker. 
• Chinatown- where BBC’s Sherlock and John search for Soo Lin

The Infernal Devices- Cassandra Clare’s trilogy that brings Victorian London back to life with a supernatural twist.

•  Hatchards- London’s oldest Book Shop where Will bought Tessa a copy of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ 
• Blackfriars Bridge- where Jem and Tessa would meet.

William Shakespeare- the Bard who is so hardwired into English culture that for me to think of one is to think of the other.

•  The Globe- even though it is just a reconstruction since the real one burnt down I don’t care. This is so incredibly cool and there is no way I will miss it. No respectable Shakespearean scholar would pass up this chance.
•  The George Inn- where Shakespeare probably went during his time.
• Southwark Cathedral- here there is a statue and a stain glass window honoring the Bard and many of the players of Shakespeare’s time are buried here such as Will Kemp and Philip Henslowe.
• Westminster Abbey- also has a statue honoring Shakespeare.
• British Library- here they have another statue of Shakespeare, as well as a copy of his First Folio (this would be the second copy I would see!). 

~Laura!

Launch of Wanderlust Fuel!

wan·der·lust: noun, a strong desire to travel. 

With this post I am launching a new series here on Bookworm Extraordinaire called Wanderlust Fuel! The idea behind it is to round up all the things, be it book or movie or something else, that have inspired me to visit the places that they feature. For example, Wanderlust Fuel will list things such as how The Lord of the Rings has inspired me to plan a future trip to New Zealand and how Harry Potter has inspired my mighty need to go to the UK.

These posts will vary. Some may detail why one particular book inspired me to go to a single city, or how a variety of things set me on a journey across a particular country! Some places like London or New York City may end up having multiple posts because there have been so many things that have fueled my need to visit them.

I encourage my readers to join me in this series! Feel free to comment below each post with the things that made you want to visit the featured city or country, or even suggest things that can fuel my wanderlust to other places!

I’m really excited to begin Wanderlust Fuel and I hope you enjoy this new series!

~Laura!