One of the phrases I say regularly is “I just want to travel to England so I can sit on a bench and listen to people talk.” Now, obviously there are more reasons than that, but I absolutely love listening to English Accents. In the past I thought it was just my own personal opinion without any real reason behind it, but I’m discovering more and more that it’s a total “book nerd” thing. England is the epicenter of romantic literature and history. The more books I read that take place in England, the more I want to hop on a plane and go there.
In talking with other people who love to read, I’ve discovered that I’m totally in the majority. Just last weekend I went with my mom to her church for their spring women’s lunch. One of the icebreaker questions was “if you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?” It took about 3 seconds to realize that I was sitting at a table full of readers who all shared England as their choice, and instantly started animatedly talking (all at once of course), about their favorite books that take place in England. One woman even joked that you physically couldn’t be an avid reader if you didn’t have a desire to go to England. Needless to say, we didn’t need any more icebreaker questions after that 🙂
I have to admit that I am also a total fan of the show Downton Abbey. So yes, visiting Highclere Castle is totally on my bucket list. I loved watching the show for the history, community, intrigue, architecture, and so much more. I wished I could climb through the television and join the cast. (So pretty much how I feel while reading a book).
A few weeks ago I saw a video on facebook for a place called Gladstone Library in Flintshire, UK that instantly made me add it to my list as well. Staying overnight at a library full of tons of books and history? Sign me up! Check out the video below:
Bet you want to go too now, huh?
Right now I can only imagine a trip to England, but I sincerely hope it’s somewhere in my future. When my husband and I got married I made an agreement for us (yes I, but my husband agreed haha), that if we don’t make it to England by our 20th anniversary that we have to go then. So I should be going sometime within the next 17 years or so 🙂
How about you? Do YOU dream of England? Or do you have a different dream land?
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