Translate

Monday, August 26, 2013

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole...Cyber Style.

My dream vacation one day will be to take a week off from everything and go on a tour of Oxford. This city in England played a huge role, both in Alice Liddell's young life and Charles Dodgson's (aka Lewis Carroll's) education and inspiration. In other words, without Oxford, there would be no Alice's Adventures at all.

The first thing I'd do is take one of the official guided walking tours... preferably When Alice met Harry Tour and Tea.
 

Here's the official descrip from the website:

"Quintessential English charm with a twist. Following your tour enjoy afternoon tea served at the old prison. Indulge in delicious teas, slender finger sandwiches and cakes - Mal style! Turned upside down and back to front, you'd be as mad as a hatter to miss it. You are welcome to dress as an Alice character for the occasion.
 
Alice in Wonderland was inspired by Alice Liddell. She spent her early years in Oxford, and her friendship with Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, led to the writing of the two Alice books. Another favourite, Harry Potter, appeared here when some of his film scenes were shot in Oxford locations. Join this tour to explore their worlds of wonder and wizardry."

Who could beat that? Paying homage to Harry Potter and Wonderland in one fell swoop?

The next leg of my trip would be dedicated to shopping. There's one particular shop I'll have to be sure to stop at, because some of Tenniel's illustrations in the second Wonderland tale were based off of it (and, little known fact as of yet, there's a mention of a magical shop in Unhinged based on that very scene from Through the Looking Glass):


To check out more of the shop's history, here's a link to their website.

Of course, most importantly, I'll have to plan this magical vacation for the first week of July, because there's an Alice Day held by The Story Museum every year around that time.

About Alice's Day (official descrip from website):

"One golden afternoon on 4 July 1862, Charles Dodgson, an Oxford don, took Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic up the River Thames from Folly Bridge in Oxford. To amuse the children he told them a story about a little girl, sitting bored by a riverbank, who finds herself tumbling down a rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world called Wonderland. The story so delighted the 10-year-old Alice that she begged him to write it down – the result was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865 under the pen name Lewis Carroll. It became one of the best-loved children’s books ever written.

To celebrate that first telling, Oxford turns into Wonderland for one magical day every year."
Doesn't that sound like a galumphing good time? *dreamy sigh*

Until then, I'll have to continue to visit the rabbit hole through my imagination and cyberspace. Here's a tribute to Alice in Wonderland I recently ran across that feeds my cravings for the whimsical and the strange. If you have about six minutes to spare, it's fun to watch. This is just a clip, but the movie in its entirety is available for streaming on Netflix, for anyone interested.

Alice (1988 Czechoslovak film directed by Jan Švankmajer).
Original Czech title is Něco z Alenky, which means "Something from Alice".
 
 
So, what about you? If you got to plan a dream vacation, where would it be, and why?

14 comments:

  1. Hmmmmm, would you mind much if I stole all of your ideas for when I go visit Oxford myself? Cause you've described a dream visit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. Yes, Pili, of course! It does sound wonderful, right? I'm putting it on my bucket list for sure. :)

      Delete
  2. I hope you manage to get to Oxford, because it really is so beautiful! So many bikes and lovely buildings. ^_^

    For my dream vacation, I'd love to go to New Orleans and see the Mardi Gras, because it seems like such a wonderfully wild and exotic experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alice! I'm going to New Orleans next month! But sadly, not the right time for Mardi Gras. So I guess I'll hit a few old cemeteries instead. I hope you get to go one day!

      Delete
  3. Why oh why didn't I go to Oxford when I was there last summer! This all sounds enchanting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so jealous you were in England last summer! Lucky. :) You'll have to be sure to go again.

      Delete
  4. Glumphing??? LOL! I would go to Australia. I really want to visit there before I die for sure! It just looks so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *snorts* You like that Wonderland lingo, right? ;) I would love to go to the outback, too! I hope you'll make it over there one day.

      Delete
  5. My best friend was in London for study abroad last semester, and she brought me back a notebook and book mark from the shop at Oxford. It's the best souvenir I've ever gotten. My dream vacation would be Greece. So much beauty and history... And amazing food helps the decision too! Or New Orleans again. Man, I love that place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't wait to go to New Orleans! And what a great friend, to bring you a gift like that. :) I'm with you about Greece, mainly for the architecture.

      Delete
  6. I'm with Brooke! Sign me up for an Australian outback tour! I've been told you need at least 2 weeks to make it worth it (that, and the plane ride is heinous)! I also heard tale of a spot off the western coast called Monkey Island where wild dolphins approach you in the ocean! Yep. That's where I wanna be! Although I understand Alaska is supposedly one of the most beautiful places on Earth (I just think it'd be to flippin' cold for me)!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha. Yeah, I'm too much of a wimp for any of the really cold places, myself. But I sure would love to visit somewhere dreary and rainy. My muse is in heaven when it rains.

      Delete
  7. It all sounds grand. BTW, you can see Lewis Carroll's original illustrations and handwritten texts at the British Museum! I just posted on my fun vacay at the Cape. Ready for a bit more still.

    ReplyDelete