Evie and Grampa Nid's London Adventure

When I was eleven years old, my grandmother took me to London. We traveled with her friend Jo and her friend's eleven-year-old son, Walker, who at eleven already had his own private jet and surprised me one afternoon, when the two of us wandered through a small countryside town while our grandmothers slept, by pulling out cash and nonchalantly buying a bike to be shipped back to Pennsylvania. I have so many wonderful memories from that trip. We saw Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, Starlight Express and Daisy Pulls it Off; we hit all the tourist hot spots of course (Big Ben, The Tower of London, etc.); I tasted wine for the first time at a Medieval dinner where they reenacted King Henry's fairly horrifying life; I saw people with mohawks and died purple hair; we traveled to Beatrix Potter's home; and I met several relatives who all told me that I had a funny accent.

I think my grandmother probably had a good time too, except that the first day we arrived her wallet was stolen on the way to see Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. We ended up spending several hours at the police station, which was thrilling to me, but probably not so exciting for her at the time. Then we rented a car that wouldn't turn left and it turned out that my grandmother's friend was a crazy driver, proper steeling wheel or not. A few days into the trip, my grandmother started to develop a nervous tick. I give my grandmother, who has always had a good sense of both humor and adventure, a lot of credit for taking me to London with her. But as for the rest of the grandchildren? They were on their own if they were going to make it to Europe.

Which brings me to my dad who, two years ago decided to relive the tradition by bringing my niece with him to Germany. And, to his credit, this year he is stepping up again to bring Evie to London. She is beyond thrilled. England, of course, is no longer the land of Beatrix Potter. A new Potter has taken over that role and suddenly the London Zoo is not just any old zoo, but the zoo where the snake talked to Harry! And Gloucester Cathedral is not just some old church, but is where Harry learned magic at the Hogwarts School! For Evie, who dove into each Harry Potter book and didn't resurface until she finished, going to see those sights is a dream come true. Of course, she doesn't want to just stop there. As soon as my dad finalized the plans, in true Evie fashion, she went straight to the internet, googled London, and began checking off all the sights she wanted to see. The next day, she returned from school with three books about London and began pouring through them. I'm pretty sure my dad is not going to have to do much planning - Evie has the whole trip mapped out and they're going to be busy.

I have no idea what type of adventures they'll encounter on their trip this June. Hopefully they won't spend any time in the police station or rent a broken car. But I do know that Evie will remember it forever. As to whether or not my dad will still be taking the trips by the time Noni turns eight, time will only tell.