The trip before the trip

I love to travel.  I love the smells, the signs, the unspoken social mores for being in a crowd, seeing the different people, seeing the same birds. (A pigeon is a pigeon is a pigeon!) For those that have followed my writing for a bit, this will come as no surprise, but my favorite part about visiting a new place is the imagination fodder than travel provides.

Case in point:

I took my first solo trip abroad in ’08: I was going to backpack in England and sort of follow the haunts of C.S. Lewis, my absolutely favorite author.  Before I went, I read the Chronicles of Narnia again and some other bios of Jack.  I watched Shadowlands. I also watched a bunch of period movies that take place in England.  In these movies, there is a bird that makes a very distinctive call and I always hear it. I imagined what England would look like, smell like.  I imagined the parks and the trees, and when I got there, I listened hard for those birds.

Since I’ve been back, the things I saw and did have fueled my imagination. Sitting outside of Lewis’ church as shelter from the rain.  Bicycling in Oxford, on the left side of the road! My first time punting and then having cream tea.  Today, I can imagine what it would be like to live at the Kilns and sitting in the yard with my morning coffee or walking down the lane.

The inspiration for my imagination is my favorite part of traveling.

Here are other people’s travel favs:

1. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | flow of my soul
2. Daily Prompt: Strange in a Strange Land « Mama Bear Musings
3. Kashmir Art and Crafts | njoy every moment
4. A Stranger in a strange land… | The Rider
5. A Texan’s Safari in Ukraine. | luvsiesous
6. Daily Prompt Wednesday July 17 2013 | it writes itself
7. I like to take a seat and let it all sink in. | thoughtsofrkh
8. It Can’t Fit the Frame: Romans 11:33 | The Photo Faith Challenge
9. Stranger in a stranger land: living in America. | thewordpressghost
10. Fish Guts (short fiction) | The Jittery Goat
11. Stranger in a Strange Land | Geek Ergo Sum
12. Stranger in a strange land | Nanuschka’s Blog
13. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | Retired2Travel
14. Daily Prompt: Stranger In A Strange Land | suzie81’s Blog
15. Stranger in a Strange Land | Beats of Pieces
16. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | A Stormy Girl
17. I’d Like to be the Foreigner | Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | likereadingontrains
18. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | Being a Huntress
19. Local Cuisine | My [redacted] Journey
20. Exploration and Life Stories | downtownnokomis
21. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss
22. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | That Chick Piggy
23. Stranger in a Strange Land | bheehappy
24. A New Beginning | Books, Music and Movies : my best friends
25. Leveling Up [Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land] | unknowinglee
26. THE SHOCK OF THE NEW | Standing Ovation, Seated
27. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land? | Under the Monkey Tree
28. Getting to know you | I’m alive and that’s a lot
29. Being a stranger | Books, Music and Movies : my best friends
30. Pequeño – Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | Babsje Heron
31. A Day in the Life
32. Seeking sanctuary. | My thoughts on a page.
33. Specifically | Spunky Wayfarer
34. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | The corner of my imagination
35. Strangers on a Plane | A Day in the Life
36. As a Newcomer | clarior e tenebris
37. Stranger In A Strange Land | Tony’s Texts
38. Departing, Arriving and in between | A beetle with earrings
39. Stranger in a strange land: people watching | pencil pilot
40. Traveling to Become Somebody Other Than Me | Iam Who Iam
41. the PEEP SHOW: SOMETHING NEW | the TRASH BASH
42. Strangers in a Strange Land | 20somethingsabroad
43. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | In Love With The Lord Poetry and Prose
44. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land – Magic Time! | SERENDIPITY
45. Next year’s Summer vacation | Rob’s Surf Report
46. Daily Prompt: Stranger in a Strange Land | bloobloons
47. Stranger in a Strange Land: One Of My All Time, Favourite Novels | Khana’s Web
48. Mira Morenas! – Stranger(s) in a Strange Land | M’me Solitaire
49. Stranger in a Strange Land | The Nameless One
50. Stranger in a Strange Land | aishaditta