A quarantine travel fix

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit …..the wife thinks I sometimes “live in the past.” And if is true, I plead guilty as charged.

I suppose for some of us it comes with age. Perhaps its a sign of the brain turning to mush. Maybe it has to do with the way 2020 has turned into 2021. Whatever the reason, for folks like me digging through a seldom-visited closet is apt to turn up surprises….. some of them pleasant, some you had hoped to forget,

In my case the unexpected find was a single box, one I hadn’t seen in years. Though it was heavy to lift, it was definitely worth the effort. Once I had it off the shelf I could have sorted through the contents in a matter of minutes and been done with it. Truth is, however, it has taken me days, and I’m still not done. Why was it so hard to hurry through those alluring contents?

What I’m talking about was a box of pamphlets, guide books and brochures…..scenic photos and seductive descriptions…..souvenirs of places we have visited in the course of our travels. It was unexpected sight of those long-unseen treasures that managed to grab my attention and jog my memory.

It was a bit startling to learn that the resulting recollections were as vivid and appealing as the first time we saw those places. Small wonder it was so easy to let my mind wander back to those moments …. the ones I wish I could relive again.  

What kind of places, you might ask. And what makes them so special?  It took only a few minutes to realize those memories are memorable because we were there…..Roma and I alone…..or with the whole family. 

That’s how it works, you know. Your personal history is special because it is yours. You are the one who can remember and relate. No matter how spectacular or how mundane they may be, your recollections are real because you have lived them. And you are the one who has earned the right to assign them the value you choose.

So what were these long-neglected souvenirs that sent me off on my own mind-travels? What sort of reminders have that kind of power? Let me offer a few examples…….knowing very well that these are my memories. They may work for you. But on the other hand, you have your own selection of emotional triggers that can take you back to special places and people whenever you choose

So here we go…..leafing through a stack of twenty to fifty year old  pamphlets....page after page of alluring photos and vivid descriptions……all of them reminders of special times and places in our family’s life..…especially the year we lived in England and the times we have returned there.

“Winchester” - It is so full of history, dating to Roman times and before. We made our home there …..encountering our first English supermarket, sending the kids to school, and making friendships that have lasted a lifetime.

“Winchester Cathedral” - In the heart of our hometown, with more history that we appreciated. When the song became popular we sang along.

“The New Forest” - Just down the road from home, full of quiet country scenes.....Beaulieu Abbey, Lyndhurst, and the New-Forest pony poking its head into our caravan, hoping for a handout.

“Cotswolds in Colour” - Dozens of striking photos of the country’s garden spot. (Though actually the whole nation qualifies as that.) We remember Lower Slaughter, Bourton-on-the-Water, Shakespeare country, and Warwick Castle, where we woke up one morning to learn that Elvis had died.

“Beautiful Somerset” - Home of my Tucker lineage, where we walked ancient burial grounds and had tea with the couple who lived in the old family home….complete with tales of John Tucker’s ghost, who still lived there.

“Bath” - It’s everything Rick Steves says it is….from the Crescent to the Roman baths. Works best if you like a mob of tourists.

“Picturesque Cornwall” - My favorite corner of the UK. I’m a sucker for tiny harbors hidden deep in the Poldark coastline. Also home to some of Roma’s Shorey ancestors.

“North Devon” - Visited the rugged Lorna Doone country, and the Ilfracombe casino that cost me a few quid.

“Bodmin Moor” - Hauntingly beautiful, including the hidden village of Warleggan….home to the first of Roma’s Shoreys, and the church where the pastor preached to cardboard cutouts.

“Westminster Abby” - Is beautiful and stately …..a virtual feast of English history, too much to absorb in the single visit.

“The Cabinet War Rooms” - Churchill’s London hideout during WWII, a small underground city, safe from the Blitz bombing.

“Wesley’s Chapel” - We attended a Sunday morning service there, a quiet time surrounded by reminders of John Wesley’s Methodism.

“The Lake District” - It’s as pretty as they claim, though our lasting impression was of wall-to-wall tourists. (Like us)

“City of York” - Is so full of history….walking atop the ancient city walls, the stunning cathedral, and a warming lunch with old friends.

“Herriot Country” - A tribute to the James Herriot stories and Masterpiece series. A detailed guidebook to the Yorkshire moors and dales, my other favorite places in England. (Along with all the others.) 

“Hadrian’s Wall” - Roman history in the far north of England. I’ll remember it for the time spent there with my parents.

“Edinburgh” - I’m remembering the Military Tattoo, a summer night of pageantry, the Castle and the Royal Mile, and golf with the kids on the putting green next to Princess Street.

And there you have it, personal reminiscences of special times and places as triggered by a stack of old travel guides…..each of them still feeling just as real as the moments we first spent there. 

I’ve found it comforting that in today’s world of quarantine and travel bans there are no rules or restrictions limiting our access to that kind of time-warp travel…..the sort that allows a return to any time or place we can imagine.

Those were some of my favorite travels, and I am thankful for the opportunity to visit them again. I am also absolutely certain that you have your own special times and places to relive any time to you feel the urge to return there. 

So why not?  Don't let Covid hold you back.

Bon voyage.