Well, Nick and I are getting ready for our trip to England next month. I don't know about him, but I've started packing already.
I've been taking each of my five nieces and nephews on a big trip, usually around their 12th birthdays. Twelve is a good year; they're old enough to enjoy and remember the experience, but they're still young enough to follow my instructions.
Greg's and Alyssa's trips weren't quite as exotic as the later ones (Vancouver/Victoria for Greg and San Francisco for Alyssa), but I wasn't as adventurous and experienced a traveller then. Nevertheless, I treasure the memories of my time with them and the adventures we had. I hope we can go on more trips together another time.
By the time Megan's trip rolled around (Paris-2003), I was game to try Paris. Nick opted for London and Hilary's talking about Hawaii. At this point, I'm inclined to say, "Why not?!"
A few weeks ago, I asked Megan if she had any advice for Nick. Here's what she said:
- Make sure that Auntie Janice doesn't forget her driver's license. [I'm never going to live that one down.]
- Always keep your stuff close to you, because you might lose things -- we did.
- Don't over pack.
- Take a lot of film for your camera.
- Take stuff to do on the plane.
- Try new experiences, because you never know. If you're able to do something, but you're nervous, do it anyway.
- Even though you're tired when you get there, go to bed late because you will wake up in the middle of the night.
- Have fun at museums and make sure you have good walking shoes.
- Have fun!
I also asked Nick to write a little about his upcoming trip. Here's his first contribution to our travelogue:
"On my trip, I'm going to go to England for the first time. I can't wait to go because I want to see the English culture. (That's a good comment for my teacher!)
"The first place we're going to is London where we're going to stay in an apartment in Kensington. We're going to see Big Ben, the London Museum, the British Museum, the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard.
"When we've finished seeing London, we're going to spend a week in the countryside. We've got a cottage in Somerset. That week we're going to fly eagles and other birds of prey. We're going to see the world's biggest hedge maze and Roman ruins in Bath and ruined castles.
"I feel that this will be a very interesting and learnative experience that will expand my knowledge of the cultures of the world. (Another good comment for my teacher!)
"I can't wait to go and I hope we have a lot of fun!"
I can see already that this trip is going to be quite different from the last one. Megan and I were of one mind in Paris -- museums and shopping. I'm prepared for some rather different experiences with Nick -- his stated desire to shoot the guns of the HMS Belfast springs to mind! However, he knows I'm holding out for evensong at Westminster Abbey and a concert at St-Martin-in-the-Fields.
Ten days before we leave ...
