The Journey of a Lifetime

Imagine for years reading about a land that you came to know and love more than the place you were born.

Imagine studying the lineage of their monarchy, memorizing the descent of Kings and Queens until you knew it better than the Presidents of your own country.

Imagine watching documentaries, revelling in the beauty and majesty of the landscape.

Imagine the yearning you would have for years, wanting to visit that place.

Now imagine the fulfillment of that yearning - but that it came as a bonus, attached to another, more significant goal.

That's what happened to me. I got to visit a place I'd only dreamt about one day visiting, never guessing the day would come in July 2011. On the 21st, I flew to Britain for 7 days to visit Lee, but in doing so, he caused that dream to come true.

On the drive to Wolverhampton, I saw rolling hills, lush countrysides, sturdy tall trees, all under a beautiful blue sky dotted with clouds. I saw all kinds of animals - horses, cows, nothing you couldn't see in Kentucky...until I saw llamas. Just grazing. You won't exactly see llamas in Kentucky, except at the zoo.

I slept more peacefully at Lee's flat than I do at my own house. The neighbors were quiet, since they were elderly, you hardly heard them. He claims the road that goes by is a busy one, but at night I didn't hear a thing. Hardly any traffic during the day either. At night, I would lay there curled next to him after he'd fallen asleep, and I'd relax, enjoying the silence. It was beautiful, absolutely serene. I was completely at peace. Sometimes it felt like the silence was a tangible, palpable thing that would settle on me, but it was never uncomfortable or unwelcome. On the contrary, that silence, that peace was one of the best parts of the trip. It was totally unexpected, but absolutely wonderful.

When we went to London, I have to admit I wasn't prepared for so many people. The massive crush of bodies, especially in the Underground and on the tubes freaked me out, I confess. If it hadn't been for Lee, constantly looking back and taking my hand, I would've been lost several times over. He was my guide but also my protector, which I'm still grateful for. At one point, I told him jokingly that I wasn't sure if he wanted to hold my hand or make sure I didn't get lost. I'm pretty sure he said it was both.

I don't get claustrophobic with tight spaces, but in tight crowds I do, which made traveling on the tube at certain points almost unbearable. I closed my eyes and sorta "went into myself" until our stop came around. Plus, upon exiting I found soot in my nostrals. Soot. Like the stuff the chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins were covered in. Strange but funny. The escalators that took you down to each level showed just how deep underground you were really going. That was startling, I'd never seen such long escalators. But they became one of my favourite features for a particular reason.

Our hotel was the Queensway Hotel, and quaint is the only word for it. We were on the fourth floor (or fifth, I can't remember), and you had to take a lift up to the third (or fourth) floor, then take a small, VERY windy staircase up to the next floor. The lift was old fashioned, meaning it had a proper door you opened, then the lift door opened up for you - I loved it. I did love the hotel, too. The only thing I did not love was the hotel room's bathroom. It was a closet. No exaggerating either, it was a closet. The shower was half a closet and the floor of it filled up with water so much I had to stop the shower and wait for it to drain so it wouldn't go over the edge and spill out. However, that shower had one thing that went in it's favour.

The first day, Monday, we met up with Stew and Phil at the London Eye. It was lovely to finally meet Phil in person, he's been wonderful to talk to via Twitter and get to know. As for the Eye itself....I'm not fond of heights. Yet, they draw me - ask anyone who went to the Grand Canyon and saw me go right to the edge and sit there. Heights fascinate me. Yet, I was tense the whole way around on the Eye, despite the fact it had been in operation with no problems since 1999. One of the few regrets I have for the trip is not lightening up and enjoying it more. Because the view was outstanding. Perfect view across The Thames of the Houses of Parliament and the Clock Tower. Also of the Foreign Office, St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. It was breathtaking.

Before we met up with Rob at the O2 for dinner at Nandos (awesome, awesome Nandos~!), we walked along the riverside and saw many street performers and a fair. Which had a carousel. I love carousels. I looked at Lee and God bless him, he rode it with me. (He violated his horse six ways from Sunday but that's beside the point............) It was wonderfully romantic, and one of the highlights for me. When we visited his friend Julie's jewelry shop, one of the pieces she had made caught my eye immediately. It's a small bronze carousel, with a tiny charm of a horse attached to it. He bought it for me and I never leave the house without putting it on first. The perfect reminder of that romantic moment in London.

I tried so many new foods, and one of the best was the Portuguese chicken Peri Peri at Nandos. The chicken breast + chips (aka fries) + garlic bread = HEAVEN~! Delicious, utterly delicious. So much so Lee and I had it again the day before I left. I even got it a bit spicy the second time. The chocolate cake was delicious, yet rich. I didn't have any but Phil offered me some of his. I took a bite and utterly savoured the taste. When I licked the icing off the fork, I realised thats what made it so rich. The cake itself wasn't as potent as the icing. But I highly enjoyed it nonetheless.

It was wonderful, having dinner with so many of my friends. That sense of belonging is one I've always craved, and have had at a few points in my life. Now is one of them, because I have so many friends, but being with them in person is always a welcome treat. I didn't talk much but that was okay, I was content just being there, enjoying the camaraderie and the warmth. I loved seeing Rob and Stew's reactions to their gifts but they all probably enjoyed my reaction to Phil's gifts for me. Proper Cadbury chocolate, Fruit Pastilles, and real English toffee! In a cute Union Flag box no less! I was so surprised and pleased, everything was delicious when I ate it (I took my time but everything except all the toffee was gone in less than a month).

Britain has the Maury Povich show and Judge Judy. I was more amused by this than I should have been, but it tickled me.

The second day...the second day was a dream fulfilled.

The Tower of London. We crossed Tower Bridge (which I prefer to London Bridge, since it's still largely the way it was when it was built, unlike London Bridge which had to be virtually rebuilt unfortunately) and upon seeing it for the first time I was surprised. It looked smaller than I thought, but it actually wasn't. The queue to get in was so long, I wanted to back out. Fortunately Lee suggested getting our tickets and asking what the wait time was. I'm so grateful he did, it wasn't a long wait at all.

And then...The Tower. The Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror in 1078. The very stones alive with history, seeped in the blood of those guilty and innocent put to death, haunted by those whose ghosts cry out for justice...The Tower of London.

I walked where Kings and Queens had trodden. I viewed the jewels they had crowned themselves with. I saw the ground, the very ground, where both the guilty and the innocent had been executed. Queens, Earls, Countesses.

Where (innocent) Queen Anne Boleyn had stood and said, "Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul."

Where Queen Catherine Howard had been executed being only 18 years old and guilty of nothing more than loving someone her own age, rather than a man who was more than 30 years her elder, had become a tyrant to his people, was bloated, overweight with a nasty ulcer on his leg. Her real crime was stupidity, but she was more a pawn of her family than anything else.

I walked upon Tower Green and imagined how it must have felt to know you were going to die, guilty or innocent, unless the whim of the King or Queen spared your life. I paid my respects to Queen Anne Boleyn on Tower Green, but unfortunately wasn't able to see where she now rests due to not being a part of the group tour.

I saw where the famous Tower ravens lived, two in a cage, two uncaged. The poor uncaged ones were those I felt sorry for - in an attempt to make sure the legend never comes to pass, their wings have been heavily clipped. My heart aches for them - they will never know what it is to fly, to be free. Beautiful, noble birds...

The crown jewels were breathtaking. The oldest jewels were from the reign of Charles II, up to the current era of Elizabeth II. All were stunning. I, literally, have no words to describe how beautiful these jewels are. Its an exhibit you must see if you go to the Tower.

I had saved my money for London, and I spent a few quid in the gift shop. They had postcards featuring every Monarch from William I to Elizabeth II. I bought most of them, plus one of the best items, an almost perfect replica of Queen Anne Boleyn's "B" necklace.

I could go on and on about the Tower. I adored it. The very stones were older than anything in America. The very air was alive with history, rich, bold and powerful. It was intoxicating. You would need a full day to see it all, but we saw most of it in the few hours we were there. An experience for the ages for myself.

After that it was off to Trafalgar Square to meet up with Rhia for lunch. So many pigeons~! I kept taking pictures of them and finally Lee took a picture of the sign that said, "Do Not Feed the Pigeons"....and then we saw a woman feeding them Doritos not more than 5 steps away from the sign. C'est la Vie?

I missed Rhia so much! She's such a cheerful, bubbly soul that you cannot help but be in a good mood around her. She simply won't allow anything else. I could listen to her talk for hours, her Irish accent is so awesome and lovely. We had Italian, which was scrumptous. It was wonderful to catch up with her, and when I pulled out my postcards, she told me (probably half jokingly) to tell her a fact about each monarch. So I did. Which, I'm pretty sure, stunned both of them.

I reveled in my history geekdom. At one point, Lee told me that he had had no idea how much I knew about British history. It's been a passion of mine since my early teens and it's only increased as the years went on. I was in my element actually being there.

Rhia showed us the way to Foyles. A three story bookstore. Three levels of wonderful bookness. There was so much, it literally drained my energy. I selected a book on Japan, one of famous women, and I really wanted a book about British history but couldn't find one that was just right. So I settled for a book on British politics and a history of the mistresses of the British monarchs (entitled "Royal Sex" - hah!). But they had a book on every English monarch. Ever. Including the pre-Invasion of 1066, before William the Conqueror. They even had a book on Stephen - Stephen of all people!! I'd NEVER seen a book on King Stephen! One of my goals is to have at least one book on every monarch that ever lived. Not just British, but all places that ever had a monarchy. Foyles had one. For every British Monarch. Had I the money and the space, I could've accomplished one part of that goal. But I had neither.

In the end, I had to ask both of them to get me out of there. Apparently I was talking to the books at this point...I kept seeing things as I went up to the cashier, and right after I paid I found the mythology section. Which had almost all the Andrew Lang "Fairy" books. These are books I've been trying to collect, in their original form (when I was in Elementary school, they were all hard covers, each the colour of the book's title - the "Red Fairy Book" was red, the "Blue Fairy Book" was blue, the "Liliac Fairy Book" was liliac, and so forth. These were/are the original prints of the books I believe.), but even though these were reprints in softback I still wanted to stop and look. Lee put his hands on my shoulders and gently but firmly guided me down the stairs and out to the sidewalk.

It was a mini-intervention as it were.

Rhia had to leave us shortly thereafter (we'd spent more time in Foyles than I had imagined....), which I felt bad we'd used up the time there. After giving us directions to a toy store in which I could get a proper stuffed animal if I wanted one, she hugged us both and headed off into the London crowd. Rhia fits right in, her personality and vivacity match the vibe of the city. She's a confident, self assured, lovely lady and I was very glad we were able to spend time with her.

After that, I pretty much fell to bits. The Tower and then Foyles really zapped my energy. I was spent. We made it to the second level of the toy store and I had to tap out. Lee was a blessing, he got me back to the hotel for our stuff then to the train station where we could sit and relax on the train until it was time to leave. I spent the majority of my money in London on books and souvenirs. But the memories mean the most, they're priceless treasures I can never replace. Ever. I may not be able to really live in London (too many people!) but I could definitely go back several times.

However, London wasn't the best part of the trip. For all my rhapsodizing, what I said in the beginning is true - getting to visit London, to visit Britain, was a bonus. My first and foremost goal was to visit Lee in his culture, in his world, and to experience what he does. I would have been fine with not seeing London to be honest, when we first started to discuss me flying over, I didn't bring it up. He did. He said it would be a shame and a missed opportunity to not go when I was there. Plus, he had never done the "tourist" thing either since its really something you do with someone else. So we went - and I'm glad we did. Like I said, the memories are priceless and make the experiences we shared together all the better.

No...the best part was just being with him. Doing things normal couples do - holding hands, eating together, watching tv. Regular things that meant the world. When he would kiss my hand or stroke my hair, those were the moments that meant the most. Getting to know myself, I've discovered I'm a person who loves physical touch. I'm a far more physical person than I ever realised. It's one of my primary love languages, and it's one of Lee's as well. Being with him, just sitting on the couch, holding hands...that was worth everything. There was a peace of mind that settled over me while I was there - I didn't worry about anything. I was absolutely serene. Even Lee noticed, when he was in another room and I was on his bed, reading, he said that I seemed like I was at peace. I was. It was incredible.

Walking around London, I even lost four pounds. A combination of walking and being stress free, I'd wager.

Even though I'd always wanted to visit Britain, this was ten times better than anything I'd dreamed of - and it's all because I was visiting a person not just a place. I had someone to visit, someone to share and experience everything with. That is far, far better than going solo, knowing no one. It's odd how life works - I met Lee last September. I got my passport in October. And in July, I used it. I got it after a month of talking, getting to know him. I got it in blind faith, believing in my heart that I would use it. A belief and a hope.

Amazing what hope and faith can do. And love.

To Stew, Phil, Rob and Rhia - thanks for making an incredible trip even better! I'm so glad I got the chance to meet up with y'all, it was wonderful to spend time and catch up over the London Eye and/or dinner (or lunch, in Rhia's case). :-)

To Lee - thank you so much for everything honey. Even though I would've been fine just spending time with you in Wolverhampton, the trips to London and Leicester were amazing. Thanks to you, I have priceless memories that we can share. I enjoyed every minute of our time together. Thank you for making a dream of mine come true. Thank you for your support, your patience, your trust...but most importantly, your love. You mean the world to me. My heart is yours, as well as my ears and shoulder when you need them. I love you, my cuddly British teddy bear. <3