Coming of Age as a Traveler

As a traveler like Lucy, the journey could be tiresome and sometimes lonely. Although Lucy had Charlotte and others to keep her company, others during her time were not always lucky enough to know someone else. For this reason, books and diaries would have been a reliable companion for some travelers. A book or a diary is one companion that has stood the test of time. Although this picture was taken at the Geffrye Museum, the idea of books being a companion spans the ages.

Travelers during Lucy's time did not have the luxury of automobiles or planes as we do now. Instead of these fantastic inventions, some people would use carriages to get around town. Although it got a person from point A to point B, it was not always the easiest or most comfortable way to make the trip. This carriage in the Royal Mews is for royal children, but Lucy would have probably used a common carriage that looked similar to this.

Eventually, trains came into use, and carriages were replaced by railroad cars. The railroads were used more often by city-dwellers than by those who lived in the country, like Lucy. Someone of Cecil's class would be more likely to ride a train to his destination than Lucy would be to get to hers. I was a traveler to the city of York, and my family and I used the railroads as our mode of transportation.

Church was a major part of a Christian traveler's life. Faith was sometimes the only thing people had to hang on to during their journeys. The Christianity, church, faith, and traveling are all represented in A Room with a View in Reverend Beebe. He is a clergyman who travels to Italy at the same time as Lucy and Charlotte. This picture of Yorkminster shows the immensity of some of the cathedrals people attended and that Lucy might have seen.

Lucy lived in the country, and specifically Surrey. This is a painting by John Linnell titled "Harvest Home, Sunset: The Last Load." It shows people unloading their harvest items at the end of the day. It happens to be set in Surrey, so a landscape like this is one that Lucy could have seen many times. It is a simple painting, just as England is a simple place for Lucy.  

Someone such as Cecil Vyse, though, is not someone who is used to seeing the countryside. Instead of Lucy's view of home, he sees the big city of London as his home. This is a scene that Cecil might have seen going down the River Thames for work or play. Lucy is not used to this kind of view. This is the view that everyone on this study abroad trip has seen, and it is probably the same view Cecil and Lucy would have seen from the water.