Roald Dahl

Great Missenden was the home of Roald Dahl for 44 years and it is now home to the Roald Dahl Musuem.  It was really neat getting to see the exhibits, which were centered more on his life and the creative process than specific books.  A number of school groups were there and it was really wonderful seeing the excitement of the children as they viewed the exhibits.  As an adult, I enjoyed learning about Dahl beyond reading a few of his books many years ago but for children there was a lot of interactive portions where you could dress like his characters or create your own stories.  What a treat!  I can easily imagine what the Story Museum will look like when it's finished after visiting today.

Roald Dahl was 6'5.  This is where his characters measure up

After the museum we took a walk around town in the direction of the church and Dahl's grave.  The town itself was quintessentially British.  Old buildings all in a row, colorful doors, beautiful gardens.  Absolutely lovely and such a change from the atmosphere in London or Oxford.  This was the part of the UK I wanted to see but was not sure how to. 

Church

 

Dahl's grave was up on a hill next to the church.  It was a beautiful location with a great view of the surrounding forest and hills.

At first I was a little upset that people would litter his grave with papers all over the place.  On further inspection, however, I saw that they were actually the booklets that the Museum passes out.  These booklets encourage children to use their imaginations to create their own stories and the booklets on his grave were filled with stories from visiting children.  What a beautiful tribute!

On our way back to the station some of us stopped by the public library and had a chat with the library staff there.  They were curious about how we run libraries in the states and shared a little with us about their library.  It was a neat experience and I'm glad we stopped.  Here's their library district's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bucks_Libraries

In just a few hours we'll be seeing the play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Should be great!