Full Circle

This morning, while I take the car to the mechanic, my eight-year-old daughter will be watching the changing of the guards. I had written before about my dad's plan to take Evie to London (nearly twenty-five years to the day from the day his mother took me on the same trip), and on Sunday evening I dropped the two of them off at the airport and they were on their way. I expected that when I watched Evie walking through the sliding glass doors, wearing a backpack full of books, a travel journal, and her stuffed "Bubby" and dragging her suitcase behind her, I would feel both sadness and a moment of anxiety at sending her off overseas. Instead, I found myself simply excited for her. Well, that and maybe a little envious.

I talked to Evie yesterday via Skype and she had slept for nearly the whole flight over, taken a ride on the London Eye, and was heading out for fish'n'chips. My dad emailed me today to let me know that she gone to bed at 8:30 London time last night and was still asleep eleven hours later. Today, their plan was to head to Churchill's bunker, the changing of the guards, and the British Museum.

As one of three kids, Evie rarely gets any one-on-one attention. One day this spring I left Lucy and Noni home with Toby while I walked to get Evie from school. On the half mile walk back from school, Evie turned to me and said, "It's nice to get some alone time together like this." Even fifteen minutes of it was special to her. Clearly we need to make more of an effort to have some time alone with each of the girls. This is why I love that Evie is having a whole week right now with just my dad. He began his email today saying that "Evie is a great traveling buddy!" I love that for this week, she can walk through a museum at her own pace (which, as Christine wrote here, can a much different pace than her little sisters') and have an adult's undivided attention.

I also love that Evie is making memories right now that will last her a lifetime. I still have distinct memories from my own trip twenty-five years ago and a photo album full of pictures of me and my grandmother, in our matching beige trench coats, touring England.

Before they left for their trip, my dad found some pounds he had saved in a pile of money in his drawer. He brought them with him on his trip, but when he presented them at the restaurant, the waiter laughed. "We can't take those. You're going to have to bring them to a bank. They're at least twenty-five years old." And that's when he realized that they had been saved from the trip my grandmother took me on all those years ago.

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.