Always keep dreaming.
That’s what I learned on my recent trip to London.
No matter how far-fetched a dream may seem, keep it close. Put it on the bucket list. Save the money, find a way. You never know what may happen.
Over the last few years, my father has suffered the loss of his parents. It’s changed his perspective in a lot of ways, and our relationship has blossomed since. As you all know, I also suffered the loss of my brother-in-law a little over two years ago. It has taught me many lessons, but most importantly to always put family first.
After these losses, my father decided to take my brother and I on a trip anywhere in the world. No matter how far or how distant, how off the beaten path it was, he would take us both anywhere we wanted to go.
My brother chose Norway. He wanted to go hiking and see places he had never seen before. He went to Kjeragbolten and was daring enough to conquer it — look it up, you’ll be amazed. He hiked to Trolltunga and stood on top of the world.
I looked at his photos longing for my place. See, I hadn’t chosen a trip for myself then.
But I thought long and hard about where I wanted to go. I knew it had to be spectacular.
There’s so many places in the world I long to explore. I love books and documentaries about the planet and what it has to offer.
Eventually, though, I settled on Stonehenge. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated by Stonehenge. Weird, I know. I vividly remember when I was in elementary school, we had a project in which we had to create a structure out of Styrofoam. I chose Stonehenge. I painted it and built it as best I could.
I never dreamed I would actually be there.
But just two weeks ago, I really was. I stood amongst stones that had been there for 5,000 years. Mysterious stones that have always caught my attention.
However, what I quickly realized in planning my Stonehenge experience was you can’t exactly spend a week there. There’s quite literally nothing around. Even the visitor center is a bus ride away, or a beautiful 30-minute walk through the Salisbury Plains.
It’s just a day trip from London, so we spent our week-long holiday there. Yes, holiday — because that’s what the Londoners say.
And what happened was more than I could’ve expected. Childhood dreams came true for me. It wasn’t just Stonehenge either, but the little village we explored called Lacock where real-life Harry Potter scenes were filmed. It was eating at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, a three-Michelin star love affair with food. It was exploring Bath, where fudge was created, and sitting at that little Asian cafe with my dad sipping mocktails and champagne (for him).
It was the little moments. The moments like seeing one of those red telephone booths for the very first time or having a meal where Princess Diana used to frequent. And it was the big moments, like seeing the studios where the Harry Potter series was filmed or riding the London Eye and getting to see the sights from 135 meters in the air.
What London taught me is simple: Dare to dream. You never know what might come true.
Lizi Arbogast Gwin is the managing editor of Tallapoosa Publishers Inc. She can be reached at 434-962-9420 or via email at lizi.gwin@alexcityoutlook.com.