England: My Literary Tour

Written By Bergen Carman

“Most of my adult and young adult life I have wanted to travel to England. I am not sure if it was Jane Austen or Thomas Hardy who first introduced me to this love of a place. Then, Shakespeare came and so did the Brontes….

Before I dreamed of going anywhere else, I was destined for Great Britain. Months after I started at Meril…I went to Chase and opened a savings account….He (the banker) asked me what I was starting the savings account for. I told him I wanted to travel. He asked me where I wanted to go. I told him England. And, almost eight years later, I am indeed here.” - Journal Entry, 10.08.24

Wellington Arch

England had always been at the top of my list of places to visit. I was an English major in college, and in graduate school, I focused specifically on British Literature. In many ways, my trip was decades in the making. The planning of it, however, was far quicker than that. After spending August in Greece, I spent September again in the Pacific Northwest, a second home of mine. I found a good deal on flights to London for October, direct from New Orleans, so I decided it was time to make my dream trip come true.

I had already spent a large part of my life in the UK, not physically of course, but through the transportive power of the written word. Thus, the prospect of actually going there was a daunting one. It was the hardest trip for me to plan so far, and I told everyone as much. There were so many places I wanted to see, so narrowing down the list to what I could manage in three weeks was heartbreaking at times. I consoled myself with the knowledge that this would be just the first of many times I visited England; it only made sense to save some for later.

Given my main motivation for choosing England was literary in nature, it only seemed fitting that my itinerary support the theme. Starting in London, I would take in the royal history, the pinky-up sophistication, and the worldly culture of the city. I would then retire to Bath, for the healing waters, a stroll around the Royal Crescent, and a visit with Jane Austen. Fully rested and restored, I would head north to Stratford-upon-Avon to explore the birthplace of William Shakespeare and walk in the footsteps of the bard. Next I would travel to Manchester, my gateway to Haworth and the Brontë Parsonage. I would then take a short pilgrimage to Canterbury and end my trip in Dover among the white cliffs.

With my itinerary set, I packed my Doc Martens and my peacoat and headed to London. I flew with British Airways, and perhaps the best thing about the flight was the in-flight safety video. It was filmed like a scene out of a BBC miniseries, regal and romantic. I arrived at Heathrow in the early afternoon and took the underground to my hotel in Kensington. I took a short nap before heading out for dinner, walking through Kensington Gardens along the way.

SOME TRAVEL ADVICE:

  • 1. CASH - When arriving in another country, I try to do two things before leaving the airport - make sure my travel eSIM is working properly and get a small amount of local currency out of an ATM. While having cash is useful in some countries, in England, it is entirely unnecessary. I actually regretted getting the money that I did; I couldn’t give it away. Well, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea. So, if you are wondering if you should have cash on hand, the answer is NO.

  • 2. TRAINS - I exclusively used public transportation while traveling in England. I took an obscene amount of trains, dozens in fact. I used the Omio app to search for and purchase train tickets. There are also ticket machines in the station, but I liked the convenience of having it booked in advance. The train attendants were extremely diligent in checking the validity of each and every passenger’s ticket. Every train I boarded, my ticket was checked. And, for the majority of my journeys, I had a reserved seat and was very comfortable. There was only one ride during a high-travel time when I couldn’t access my seat and had to stand for the duration. The oldest railway system in the world, Great Britain’s National Rail is extensive, punctual, and reliable. So, if you travel to England, I highly recommend you take a train!

  • 3. FREE MUSEUMS - Most of the museums in London are free to enter. Perhaps it’s the country’s way of trying to balance out their history of colonialism, or maybe just a draw to get tourists to visit. Two of my highlights - the Victoria and Albert Museum and The British Library have free entry, as well as many others, including The British Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Tate Modern.

THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR ME WERE:

St. James Park

London has a total of eight Royal Parks, and I visited four of them - Kensington Gardens, The Green Park, St. James Park, and The Regent’s Park. The integration of lush, well-kept green spaces throughout the metropolitan areas makes the city seem pleasant and approachable despite its size. My favorite was Regent’s Park and Queen Mary’s Garden because nothing screams “off with their heads” like a rose garden.

Buckingham Palace

I know that given proper planning and timing that you can see the changing of the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace. I, however, did none of that. I wanted to see the palace, of course, but there were also many stops on my walking tour of London. I was pleasantly surprised by the Queen Victoria Memorial, which I found to be beautiful. I then walked through St. James Park, enjoying the views from the lake, as I headed to Parliament Square. I also strolled the Queen’s Walk along the River Thames, passing many of the city’s landmarks, including Shakespeare’s Globe. I didn’t visit the Globe, but don’t worry, I had bigger Shakespeare plans for later in my trip.

One of the most iconic images associated with London is the clock tower - Big Ben. Set beneath cloudy sky, I walked around Parliament, listening to the bells of Westminster Abbey. I did not pay for the entry into the church, which was at the time under construction. I do indeed like visiting churches and cathedrals, but for this one, I was content to just listen.

Houses of Parliament

My favorite place in London! I booked my ticket the day before, selecting an entry window for mid-morning. The Tower served many purposes when in function for the crown, and I suppose it still does. As a fan of British history, I knew already what atrocities took place in the Tower - the torture, the executions, so I think I was expecting a cold, foreboding place. But, it was so much more than that. I wandered from site to site, from the Medieval Castle to the Crown Jewels, the White Tower to the Battlements, spying ravens as I went. I finished my historic excursion by crossing over Tower Bridge before hopping on the tube and heading to Somerset House.

Check out my Tower Instagram Reel HERE.

My favorite meal in London! Located inside a food hall called the Seven Dials Market, Pick & Cheese is a restaurant with a revolving cheese bar. I ordered a glass of wine and was brought some crackers. Then, I perused the menu. Once I decided on a cheese to try, I scanned the conveyor belt on the lookout for the plate I wanted. Then, I grabbed it! Each cheese was very deliberately paired with a garnish. It was such a wonderfully interactive experience, but also perfect for a solo diner.

A themed afternoon tea based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter’s Tea at Sanderson Hotel was such a whimsical experience - cute while still being classy. I reserved a spot in advance and opted for the Champagne menu. The tea took place in a small conservatory, speckled with foliage. The cups and plates all played to the theme with images of Alice and the White Rabbit upon them. There were five different tea offerings - all named after a Wonderland character. The sugar cubes were stored inside a ballerina music box. I don’t take sugar in my tea, but I still enjoyed the playfulness of it all. The tiered tray of sweet and savory offerings was topped with cotton candy. It was delightful!

Click HERE to watch my tea experience.

This museum, founded in 1852, is one of the largest of its kind in the world. I didn’t do much research into the museum before going, so I was blown away by just how much there was to see. I am a big fan of sculpture, so I especially enjoyed the Greek and Roman pieces, as well as a special exhibit for Auguste Rodin. Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of this museum was The Cast Courts - plaster replicas of famous artistic and architectural monuments from the around the world. It is not the same as seeing the original pieces in their contextual reality, more like a gathering of art history in a shared place.

Victoria and Albert Museum

My absolute favorite piece at the museum though was a painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “The Day Dream.” I read quite a bit of his poetry as an undergraduate, so reconciling his poetic beauty with a physical form was highly satisfying.

Click HERE to walk through the museum with me.

  • Austentatious at Arts Theatre

The only event that I booked over a month in advance was this West End production - Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel. I didn’t know entirely what to expect besides theatre and Jane Austen. That was enough for me to choose this. The show started with the cast calling out the patrons for story suggestions, and they landed on “Jane the Vampire Slayer.” It was hilarious!

  • King’s Cross & The British Library

Like many other people my age, I grew up reading the Harry Potter series and then watched and waited as each movie came out. I am indeed a fan, but I didn’t necessarily go out of my way to scout filming locations in London. I did, however, head to King’s Cross near St. Pancreas to see the infamous Platform 9 3/4. Just a wizard’s traveling cart jutting out of the wall, it was not as exiting as I imagined it would be. There was a queue to take a professional photo, which I didn’t join, and a “Wizarding World” gift shop. I did pop in to browse and left with a commemorative enamel pin - my go-to souvenir.

King’s Cross Station

In keeping with the literary feel of the trip and this day in particular, I headed next to The British Library. While this might not seem a tourist destination, for me it was. This is the UK’s national library; it is free to enter and houses a special Treasures Gallery wherein I could view priceless books and manuscripts.

Right across from Royal Albert Hall, this memorial was an unexpected highlight for me. I walked by intending to just get a view of the famous concert hall and caught a view of the memorial in the distance. I crossed the street and began to approach. From a distance, the memorial is beautiful, bright and gold - as if plucked from the halls of Versailles and set upon a swath of green. As I got closer, I noticed the detail and the sculptures bracketing each corner. These had me circling the monument a few times to get the full picture.

WHAT I WAS WATCHING: Nobody Wants This, Love Next Door

Bergen Carman
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