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.
So, what about you? If you got to plan a dream vacation, where would it be, and why?
