Author’s Note: One year ago, I decided to purchase tickets for the play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, even though I knew I’d have to travel to London to see it. I bought two tickets, not knowing who my travel companion would be. By some random chain of events, one of my best friends from high school decided to join me on the journey. Below is our experience, written in third person in hopes of making it feel more like a story and less like a blog post. All the accounts below are true, accurate and hopefully entertaining.
Day 7 – Cambridge and Oxford – Bus Tour
Megan and Katie wanted to get as much out of the trip as they could so they decided on a day excursion to Cambridge and Oxford. They each purchased a Golden Tours bus ticket and woke up early to make their way to the station. The girls stopped for coffee on the way and with it still burning hot in their hands, their rude tour guide said they couldn’t bring hot drinks on the bus. They threw them away, boarded the bus and sleepily enjoyed the nearly two-hour drive to Cambridge.
The group was given two hours on campus which wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything. The girls wander around to get some pictures of the historic buildings and stumbled upon a flea market. It had tons of cool local stands with interesting souvenirs and other items. It was a highlight of the short trip.
As Megan and Katie boarded the bus once again, they were handed the provided boxed lunch to eat on the drive to Oxford. Boxed lunches aren’t ever really that great, but this one was especially bland. It featured a cheese and cucumber sandwich, some chips (or crisps as the English call them), cookies and raisins. The girls were hungry so they made do.
Oxford was another beautiful and historic campus, but again they lacked enough time to explore. The tour guide made them follow him for the first hour so Megan and Katie only had one hour to sight see on their own which didn’t work out too well. They did get to see the main dining hall which inspired the Great Hall set in the Harry Potter films and the entrance to it was actually featured in the first film.
The “day tour” costs $120 and only amounted to two hours on each campus. Megan and Katie both felt doing the trip on their own would have warranted better sightseeing results.
Day 8 – London –Sightseeing and Aladdin
While Megan and Katie had been go, go, go the entire trip, they still hadn’t seen the bulk of London. The girls started the day with the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace.
Katie remembered this being slightly boring from her trip in high school, but figured it was because she was much younger and didn’t really care. Instead, it was just as boring and packed with people. It was still cool to see the palace and experience the long-time tradition.
The walk from the palace to Westminster Abbey was short and beautiful. They went through St. James’s Park which features trees, water and wildlife. It’s worth a stroll. Megan and Katie bought their tickets to the Abbey and found the architecture and the detail gorgeous. They skipped the audio tour so it didn’t take much time to make the rounds, but they were glad they got a look inside.
The Abbey is close to the aquarium so the girls decided to cash in on their combo ticket. They figured it would take a while to get through and thought it would be a fun experience, but when you’re used to the likes of the Omaha Zoo and its aquarium, nothing compares.
It was lunchtime after the aquarium and they chose a restaurant near it called Ba Fao Garden. The venue featured delicious Chinese dishes and plenty of food for the money. They also tried out the strawberry lime cider with their meal which was yummy and reminded them of a fruit soda.
Next, it was time for a nap at the hotel and another train ride to attend the Aladdin musical. Disney knows how to entertain both on screen and on stage. The play was slightly different from the film, but all the well-known songs were there and the genie stole the show. It was cheap, fun and made for an entertaining Friday evening.
Day 9 – London – Cave Bar and Relaxation
Megan and Katie were excited for their final day in the city, but they were also ready to go home. Luckily, Megan’s friend Kelsey told them to try out a bar she enjoyed during her time living in London. Gordon’s Wine Bar is in Westminster on the edge of a park. It has a long patio area and the actual bar is located underground in a cave. It’s old, damp and dark down there, but so cool. They have a huge variety of wine to choose from as well as cheese plates and other fare.
The bartender was welcoming and asked if they’d just finished a yoga class as both girls were wearing active wear. Once they told him they hadn’t been working out, he laughed and said “Oh, you must be American.” Megan and Katie got their first round free out of the deal and proceeded to spend a couple of hours there before heading to the Tower of London.
Unfortunately, it started to rain and they weren’t really in the mood to run around the fort. They took the “fast tour” by getting in line to see the Crown Jewels which were pretty and expensive-looking. After a quick peek and an attempt at souvenir shopping in the pouring rain, they headed back to the hotel to relax for a minute.
The girls had walked past Theo’s Simple Italian several times on their way to the train station and decided to give it a try on their final night. Megan and Katie enjoyed awesome bruschetta and pasta and some delicious gelato for dessert.
Day 10 – Travel – Luxurious Treatment
It was an early morning to get to the airport the next day, but as soon as Megan and Katie checked in – the fun began. They’d been bumped up to Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic and got to spend their two hours wait in the Upper-Class lounge. All the drinks and food were included and they enjoyed Bloody Mary’s and a big breakfast. Once they boarded the plane, they found their seats which were individual pods. They were offered champagne or orange juice to start and the 9-hour flight began. They could choose from several different dishes for the in-flight meal, had their own foot rest and headphones, and could drink as much as they wanted. It was a glorious end to a wonderful trip.
Katie flew out of Nashville on time, but when she arrived in New York City, she realized Megan was delayed in Atlanta. Megan’s flight was supposed to leave at 5 p.m., but the delay clock kept ticking and Megan knew she wouldn’t make the 9 p.m. flight to Scotland. Thus, both Katie and Megan would be stuck in New York City for the night. Delta had rebooked them to leave a whole 24 hours later, cutting in to their 2-day trip to Edinburgh.
An article by Dr. Shirley Gracias, a consultant psychiatrist, shares how the Harry Potter series exemplifies the way institutions shape the development of a child’s resilience and personality. Harry and Voldemort had similar childhoods in that they both lost their parents as babies and grew up around people who didn’t care for them. Still, the two characters have differing personalities. Dr. Gracias points to Harry’s parents being able to care and love him for the first few months of his life. Meanwhile, Voldemort never knew the love of his mother and spent his childhood in an institution. Voldemort’s early social relationships and the care he received shaped his personality. This is what Lumos hopes to prevent by bringing children out of the shadows and into the light.
If you’re unable to donate money, don’t resort to material items. You can organize a school fundraiser or a community event. In this option, you’re able to donate your time, your resources, and spread the word about the cause. This last one is especially important because the recovery doesn’t end when the news coverage ceases. It takes years for communities to get back on their feet again. When organizing your efforts, work with major players like Red Cross or contact state disaster organizations listed 
This week is Children’s Hospitals Week. The goal is to share how donations can help children get the treatment they need to live healthy lives into adulthood. I decided to research Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals because they are the most well-known and wide-spread group of pediatric health facilities. CMN reports its 170 member hospitals provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada.
the period between planting and harvest. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in many regions of the world. A 2016 Yale University study finds seasonal hunger affects 300 million of the world’s rural poor.
Yale University says they’ve seen a 30-35% increase in food and non-food expenditures for households who accepted the incentive and sent a migrant to the city. In addition, 550-700 more calories are consumed per person per day under the program. This is the equivalent to an extra meal per person.
Let Girls Learn leverages public-private partnerships to provide safe access to schools, to help rebuild education systems, and to create alternative learning programs. The organization also trains thousands of volunteers and tens of thousands of community leaders to advance education and work with leaders on solutions to overcome these barriers.
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