Lyme Regis, First Impressions
Back in September of 2019 I'm looking at town names on Google Maps when I notice how close I am to Lyme Regis. I’m traveling with my family to the coast of Devon, and we decide to make an unplanned stop. Jane Austen wrote about this seaside town in Persuasion, and I find her descriptions online and read them aloud as we near the roundabout for our detour.
Whitby
Whitby is an absolutely delightful seaside town on the North Yorkshire coast, most famous for its abbey ruins, connections to Dracula, and Captain James Cook. At least, those are the things I know it best for. My first introduction to the town of Whitby was in the pages of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Storks in Holland
At the time I read The Wheel on the School I had no idea I’d ever have the chance to visit Holland, but reading it tripled my enjoyment of that day, and I derived so much pleasure seeing the storks and the their babies in the nest and the welcome the Dutch still gave to them as seen by the intentionality of having wheel-shaped tripods near their houses. Now I always think back to this experience when I think of the power of stories to connect us to their settings, especially when we have the opportunity to travel and see the landscapes for ourselves.
Corrie Ten Boom house
Corrie’s memoir of life in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation is both inspiring and harrowing; the faith and hope shared by Corrie, her sister Betsie, and her father Casper, permeate the pages and touch even the tragedies with triumph.
Five Places from A Tale of Two Cities
Since places are always enhanced by stories, here are five places that have a starring role in A Tale of Two Cities.