There are certain experiences in life that particularly stand out in one’s memory – like that of a first love, and love lost, graduations and major life changes. The strongest memories range from good to bad, from monumental and minuscule, to irrelevant and downright quirky. For me, I remember the loves, the losses, the changes and quite often, the teensy tiny odd moments too. Sometimes, I simply have to laugh at myself, for what I remember and for what was once oh, so, important and is now barely ghosts, shadows of a memory. When traveling there are plenty of these moments as well, and while many are life-changing and ever so important, many moments remain momentary figments of importance – while other memories are romanticized, forever remembered, as the best times ever. In these romanticized memories, most minuscule moments are given leave to fade, and others are built up and celebrated. If you remember that time that you missed your train, or you found yourself stranded somewhere for an extended period of time, in which that moment was stressful and worrisome – these are the moments seldom remembered as time passes, and yet other moments like when you went out for a beer with a fellow hostel-goer, or when you saw this place or that attraction are remembered with fuzzy warmth and vibrant colors. In this, our minds trick us, but often for the good.
Recently I took my first flight in a helicopter over London, England. You may now be wondering ‘how in the heck does the intro paragraph of this article pertain to the experience of flying in London?’ Well, I believe I will remember it as one of those interesting and strange moments that I will always remember as being pleasant and vibrant – and while it surely was a positive experience, I want to record the thoughts and feelings that I felt during the actual trip above the city, because I’m sure that in the future, I will not remember those moments.
I arrived to the the London Helicopter office at the Battersea heliport, where I proceeded through the safety talks and the paperwork, before exiting the building onto the helipad. I noticed that the wind was strong, even at ground level, which built upon my uneasiness, until a loud and consistent thump, thump, thump met my ears. The helicopter was beginning its landing descent from above, and I was bid to keep my back up against the building until it was time for me to board the helicopter. Once aboard, I was strapped in, given a headset and within seconds, I was in the air. A soft feeling of weightlessness met with a distinct feeling of queasiness joined together within me. Rising into the air, the pilot shot off at a harsh face-first tilted angle. He began jetting us further upward at the strong sideways lean, because of the strength of the winds. We waited in midair, suspended and awkwardly tilted until we received clearance to proceed along the Thames river.
Once we regained our balance, the tour began at around 1,000 feet, peaking at 2,500 feet above the city. The people became ants and then faded away into microscopic dots flitting around down far below. My stomach had settled, but my head was light and slightly uneasy still, but the experience was amazing. I could see Big Ben and the London Eye, as well as Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, and in the distance I could make out dark clouds, which were unleashing fits of rain upon areas miles away.
Being up high, above it all, and seeing the places I had visited once before, as if it was a lesson, teaching me how truly small I am, in the scheme of the world – and even thoughts of this city and this country, in the larger scheme of the entire universe came to me, which admittedly is quite a bit daunting and humbling. The skies were blue and beautiful, the wind was gusting the helicopter softly in all different directions, and I felt how ethereal and precious life was after a while. Seeing life and the world we live in from a major perspective change like this really makes you appreciate things more, and allows you to let go of the little stuff that adds to unnecessary stresses to living your life.
I arrived to the the London Helicopter office at the Battersea heliport, where I proceeded through the safety talks and the paperwork, before exiting the building onto the helipad. I noticed that the wind was strong, even at ground level, which built upon my uneasiness, until a loud and consistent thump, thump, thump met my ears. The helicopter was beginning its landing descent from above, and I was bid to keep my back up against the building until it was time for me to board the helicopter. Once aboard, I was strapped in, given a headset and within seconds, I was in the air. A soft feeling of weightlessness met with a distinct feeling of queasiness joined together within me. Rising into the air, the pilot shot off at a harsh face-first tilted angle. He began jetting us further upward at the strong sideways lean, because of the strength of the winds. We waited in midair, suspended and awkwardly tilted until we received clearance to proceed along the Thames river.
Once we regained our balance, the tour began at around 1,000 feet, peaking at 2,500 feet above the city. The people became ants and then faded away into microscopic dots flitting around down far below. My stomach had settled, but my head was light and slightly uneasy still, but the experience was amazing. I could see Big Ben and the London Eye, as well as Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, and in the distance I could make out dark clouds, which were unleashing fits of rain upon areas miles away.
Being up high, above it all, and seeing the places I had visited once before, as if it was a lesson, teaching me how truly small I am, in the scheme of the world – and even thoughts of this city and this country, in the larger scheme of the entire universe came to me, which admittedly is quite a bit daunting and humbling. The skies were blue and beautiful, the wind was gusting the helicopter softly in all different directions, and I felt how ethereal and precious life was after a while. Seeing life and the world we live in from a major perspective change like this really makes you appreciate things more, and allows you to let go of the little stuff that adds to unnecessary stresses to living your life.
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