united kingdom...
at last, the mother countryAugust 2006
London itself is a quick breeze. We’ve been here before and are spending more time hanging than doing anything very indepth, touristy or so on. A lot of people tell us that London lacks any real soul, being a mash of people and cultures, rather than a city of its own accord. I would agree, I think. There are many many types of people here, and Lond, being so big is filled with so many corners and identities, that there is a real lack of cohesion and flow to the whole place. This does also mean that there’s almost always a corner of London to suit you, whether in Zone 1, or “the outside” beyond Zone 2 on the rail.
We did manage to do some art galleries, including the National, which is beautiful and well organised. I don’t think it particularly special, but it was very nice, and of course holds some great works. We also went to the TATE Modern for a Kandinsky exhibition. I love his work. Beautiful, moody, interesting. The building itself is also well worth a visit, being a pioneer for the refurbished warehouse look. Lovely stuff, very cool.
And I visited the D&AD, a premier design association with HQ in London. Very nice, and helpful to see how associations are run, and what the industry is like, on that side of the world. They’re a member based organisation, and run a lot of talks, workshops, and competitions. Very cool to see what they do. It does really make me feel like a second rate amateur as well, seeing how advanced the thinking is in the industry over there. Something to work towards!
In the end there is no real “feel” that encapsulates London for me. It’s slightly quirky, eccentric, cool (in a retro way) and a little oppressive. I guess retro cool might describe it well? Or retro chic, depending on how you swing, baby! It’s a bit like a second hand/retro/antique market, with something for everyone, including your old grannie. I like it. It doesn’t have a huge amount of soul, nor does it really represent “England”, but it’s cool.
outside london,
We got to see Leeds Castle, which is actually in Kent (go figure!) and Castle Downs winery, also in Kent. The Castle is beautiful (often called the prettiest castle in all of England), with some wonderful grounds, history and a maze. It’s full of life, and sunlight, and green, and is very popular for weddings and so on. I can see why. It’s a lovely place to be, and everything I imagined a castle would be…the “nice” castles, not the dour warrior style castles! The winery, well…suffice to say, if all English wines are this good, then I’ll never drink them again. Unfortunately I really didn’t like it. They don’t seem to have settled on a real “character” for the wines, and seem to be making it quite willy-nilly. A pity.We also got to see Stonehenge (of course) but unlike most people these days, we actually got to touch the stones! We caught a “sunrise” tour, which took us there and let us step over the barricades and take ourselves to the stones. It’s a wonderful place, just as I imagined it would be – quite mystical, and quite eerie, being the only people there. The city of Bath, with its Roman Baths, is very nice. Famous for the social life of the 1900s and the famous citizen Jane Austen, it is a very nice place, full of character and very very nice streets to walk in. It’s very much like the Italian and French mediaeval cities in that, so I naturally loved it. Very “English” in character – structured, cultured, ordered, slightly old and well worn, all under a slightly gloomy sky. We also tasted the Bath-water (from their mineral springs). BLAH! Hot, minerally…it’s worth a try, I guess.
scotland
Ahh whisky. Is there any other reason to visit Scotland? Well, sure. Deep lochs, enchanted forest woodlands, roaming deer, grand castles and kilts. Lots and lots of kilts. Scotland is an interesting place – incredibly beautiful at times, depressing at other times, and yet always charming. We stood on the top of the William “Braveheart Mel Gibson” Wallace tower monument in Stirling, and we wanted to stay there for as long as possible, watching the incredible clouds and scenery. Of course, we left quickly, since the wind made it depressingly cold.If there are any words which describe Scotland to me, it is “resilience” and “charm”. As much as the glorious subtlety and flair of wine (and winemaking) inhabit the life and passion of the French, it is the whisky and whisky-making that seems to warm the cockles of the Scottish lands. Every corner has a place to get whisky, and every tourist spot has its own brand of whisky. It seems to keep the people warm through the cold summer winds, and alive in the long winters. Massive stone blocks seem to be the building blocks of Scotland, from its people to its history. The first king to unite the kingdoms of England and Scotland was Scottish (James VI of Scotland, James I of England), a truth they love to trumpet.
Built tough, and hewn by the hand of war and war-making, Scotland is wonderful. It is that classic image – the “look” that has withstood the test of time and change, to retain its individuality and strength. No matter the tourist souvenirs tacked onto the sites, or the stadiums and stages built for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Festival, the character shines through. There is an intense pride in being Scotland, and part of this culture that stands like a rock against invaders. It is something to aim towards – that ephemeral character, and feel, that will last beyond the years. It’s a classic corporate image that endures, no matter the swift moving winds or waters.
And swift they are – I have never seen clouds move so quickly, creating incredibly landscapes and wonderful pastel paintings that are difficult to capture on photograph (as they move so quickly, and also because they are so moody that one photo cannot capture it), and create scene after scene of passing beauty. And against this stand the rocks that are the Scottish castles, and the land itself. Oh, and the whisky, which seems like the spark that fuels the passions and warms the blood of the land.
The biggest surprise was that the clan tartans were not a historical concept, only coming about in fairly recent times when Walter Scott (the famous, and favourite, of Scottish authors) romanticised the idea in his works. After that, it became a bonnie idea, and now you can wear your clan colours proudly. Sadly, there are no clan colours for the Lims, or even the McLims. But I do know that I am (according to some tourist dogma) the same character as that wee little doggie – the Scottish Terrier. Woof.
ireland
As whisky is to Scotland, Guinness beer is to Ireland? Aye! And much like the Scots are as akin to the character of the whisky, the Irish are very much like the depth of the Guinness. A stout, rebellious people, black and somewhat impenetrable, even a little dour and sour at times – but with a light frothy head and full of real character. Did I love it? Clearly it wasn’t very photo-friendly, but I still loved Ireland. There is a vibe to Dublin, similar to that of Amsterdam, that probably comes from the people.There are just enough sharp fences, broken windows and barbed wire to make Dublin a bit uncomfortable and to feel a little unsafe. It is not a pretty city, being a mish mash of all sorts of things – with sections of the city drawn from Viking buildings, to mediaeval, to Georgian, to more modern styles. While some cities manage to carry off the passage of time, Dublin feels much more cramped together, as if many characters has been brought in and squashed together in a small room. What we briefly saw of Belfast has even more of same feel, dour and impenetrable, as if daring you to love it. There is a real utilitarian feel to urban Ireland – built to be functional, with little elegance. There is a perpetual background of construction, and industrial smokestacks. Design-wise, this makes me think of old industrial war-time posters, or Communist posters, with their sharp edges, authoritarian feel and yet retaining some incredible, almost indescribable character.
Outside the cities Ireland comes alive with a different personality, as if glad to be rid of the urban grays. While the mist, rain and clouds are still present (at least for us!) the intense green of the country makes it seem like a complete fantasy – as if the land itself it a breathing, energetic creature. Powerscourt is probably the most beautiful of the sculptured gardens I have seen on this trip – with a wonderful feel to it – understated, elegant and beautifully structured to enhance the landscape. Even though it was raining, this only added to the beauty. Glendalough, an ancient monastic city (which at its peak in the 1200s? held up to 2000 people) was also impossibly beautiful, decked out in mist and moss. The Giants causeway, a natural wonder of the world, is quite incredible, almost too much to believe.
Ireland seems to be of two characters, both with their charms. This is the impression behind utilitarian design. Functionality, something impenetrable and commanding, but built upon a foundation of something that is very charming and characterful. What we saw of rural, natural Ireland is more open with its charm – it is an eternal charm – a fantasy world that has never grown from its ancient roots. People often say that the real Ireland is beyond the cities, and this is true. It has a mysticism that is truly enchanting. A magical place which endures.
