How I Teleported Myself From California to London in Two Hours
Time traveling is a thing! Live in the open air!
Teleporting, which is described as “the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them,” has fascinated my daughter since she was little. She thought it was a more fun and faster way to travel than our 10-hour long family road trips. Not to mention, the best thing that could happen to mankind.
“I should invent a teleporting machine,” Sophia would declare with a sparkle in her blue eyes. “We could get anywhere quickly and not go on these boring road trips anymore.”
My husband and I understood that our kids were not as excited about road trips as we were, but our spacious and sturdy Toyota Sequoia was our only “teleporting machine,” until I discovered a way to time travel on a cold, foggy autumn afternoon.
After the best solo trip to London at the beginning of October, where I went to run London marathon, I was mesmerized with my traveling experience, as if someone had cast a magic spell on me. And that was quite possible, since all the schoolchildren looked as if they had descended from Harry Potter’s world full of magic and wizardry.
After my return to the US, I could not help reminiscing about London’s quaint Marylebone neighborhood, where I stayed in an Airbnb two bedroom-apartment, or flat, as the British would say. I particularly loved the red, white, and brown brick buildings that stood out like wildflowers in a meadow, the coquette restaurants and shops, the immaculate parks, the history, culture, tradition, and civilization.
My exploration of London reminded me that changing my world views while traveling from one continent to another meant that “the walls of my glass tunnel disappeared,” as British philosopher Derek Parfit said. Moreover, I appreciated how kind and genuine the British people were in helping me find my way around the tube stations and the streets of London.
I now live in the open air. There is still a difference between my life and the lives of other people. But the difference is less. Other people are closer. I am less concerned about the rest of my own life, and more concerned about the lives of others.” — Derek Parfit
And while taking pictures of Buckingham Palace, or shopping at The Harrods, felt magical, as Parfit posited, I returned back to America changed and more concerned about our environment, as well as the lives of others.
Time traveling
My mom is visiting us from Romania, and on this overcast and foggy November day, I found a way to time travel for a delectable London afternoon tea and share the experience with her.
Our afternoon tea started with us selecting the tea, after which the server brought us each a British scone that melted in our mouths like a snowflake. My mom particularly loved the Devonshire cream, also called Devon cream or clotted cream, a common dairy product in England — not recommended to someone on a diet — as well as the lemon curd that we topped our scones with.
The white tablecloth. The tea. The scones. The finger sandwiches. The fresh fruit and pastries. The experience.
They all took me back to my fancy afternoon tea at The Rubens and made me smile, realizing that our creativity and imagination can help us travel in time while traversing continents, countries, and oceans.
Almost a month after returning home from my wonderful and successful solo international trip, I decided to time travel back for some afternoon tea, and share the experience with my mom, who was not as impressed by my teleporting abilities. She also did not share my enthusiasm to relive the simple and yet complex act of drinking royal tea paired with scones and finger sandwiches, but she was definitely amused by it.
Time travel past and future
Since Charles Dickens depicts mystical time travel in both directions in A Christmas Carol, as the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, is transported to Christmases past and future, I figured that I could do the same by recreating the afternoon tea scene matching my London experience.
Time travel in the past and future can happen when we are imaginative and creative, but mainly when we believe in teleporting ourselves mentally and spiritually to the destination of our choice.
I see my past and future time travel ability as a great way to satisfy my penchant for traveling abroad to experience different cultures, traditions, and new sights.
Ways to make it happen:
- Travel to the destination first.
- Learn as much as possible about the country and its people.
- Live like a local when visiting. I loved going to Waitrose local supermarket, which dazzled me with their fresh and organic products. I felt like Alice in Wonderland just shopping there.
- Return home and recreate the experience.
And although my mom was not as enthused and elated about my time travel, our afternoon tea brought us closer together and will create everlasting memories of drinking tea and scarfing down scones topped with lemon curd and Devonshire cream — an experience that we can sip on while straddling two different cultures, continents, and generations.
And, trust me! It’s worth it! Every bite and moment of it!