A Hairy Time in Barcelona?

The Plaça Catalunya is the terminus of the airport bus and the arrival point of many visitors to Barcelona. From here it is possible to stroll down the series of avenues known as Las Ramblas to the Columbus monument and the sea.  If, that is, you do not get distracted by the bird market, the flower market, the artists or the living statues along the way, as we did.   There was quite an epidemic of living statues in the city, from grey, traditional statues, to clowns, robots, mummies and a green painted pixie (or alien). There have to be better ways to earn a living than painting yourself white and standing still all day, but it must be quite lucrative for so many of them to do it.  In addition to the living sculptures, Barcelona is also adorned by modern sculptures; the result of a public sculpture programme intended to brighten up the city for the 1992 Olympics.

Wilfred the Hairy

Our first port of call in a city famed for its art and architecture was, naturally, the zoo. Barcelona zoo is famous for its albino gorilla, known as Snowflake, but we were more interested in the pair of rare hyacinth macaws.  For those who are concerned about the morality of zoos, I can only observe that Barcelona zoo appears to be well run, and to have conservation, rather than spectacle, as its main priority. 

Having visited the zoo, we turned to the artistic delights of Barcelona.  The Museu Picasso is one of those museums that guidebooks tell you is worth visiting, even if you are not interested in the art, simply for the building alone. There is a certain justification for this, for the museum is situated in two fifteenth-century palaces in Barcelona’s Gothic quarter.  Unsurprisingly, since the artist lived in Barcelona between the ages of 14 and 23, the collection is strongest on his early years.  However, for me the most interesting part was the series of paintings based on interpretations of Velázquez’s Las Meninas, which become increasingly abstract, so that it becomes quite difficult to spot the dog, let alone the children. 

Before coming to Barcelona I had heard a lot about La Sagrada Familia, the huge unfinished church designed by Gaudí.  This is not to be confused with the Cathedral, in the old town, which is gothic, dating mostly from the thirteenth and fourteenth  centuries.  Its principal curiosity is the gaggle of geese that live quite happily in its cloister.  The Cathedral is also noteworthy for the carving of Wilfred the Hairy on one of its portals.

Wilfred the Hairy (Guifré el Pelós) was a character who unified Catalonia in the Dark Ages, a sort of Catalan Alfred the Great.  He was Count of Barcelona in the ninth century, and was fittingly a contemporary, and nominally a subject, of the Carolingian emperor Charles the Bald.  Disappointingly, some historians now question whether or not he actually was hairy, or whether his soubriquet became misinterpreted over time (rather like the argument about whether Ethelred was unready or not).  Unfortunately, there are few traces of the hirsute one to be found in modern Barcelona and his tomb is in the church of Santa Maria del Ripoll in the north of Catalonia.  A suitably hairy portrayal of Wilfred can be seen on one of the portals of the Cathedral, killing a dragon.  Unlike St George, who also adorns the portal, Wilfred needs no armour to protect him.

In the square outside the cathedral we saw a procession of schoolchildren in fancy dress and yet more living statues.  I felt rather sorry for the Egyptian mummy. He was supposed to be fully encased in gold lycra, but he had trouble doing it up properly at the back, so that there was a clear view of his vest and shorts. I really wanted to go and tuck him in, but fortunately managed to resist the temptation. 

The day after visiting the cathedral, we visited some of the famous buildings designed by Gaudí, starting with the Park Guëll.  This was not designed to be a park, but an upmarket housing development, for which Gaudí was commissioned to provide the infrastructure, which included entrance lodges, a marketplace and square, and a mosaic lizard fountain.  In the event, only two of the building plots were developed, and the site became a park. One of the houses is now a Gaudí  museum. On Saturday and Sundays between 10.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. there is an ‘art exhibition’ or gathering of artists displaying their wares. For those like us who collect pictures as souvenirs of our travels, this could prove costly.  It is also not entirely practical to purchase a large watercolour painting on a somewhat rainy day.

Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera (the stone quarry), is an apartment building, with a distinctive, curvy, organic-looking façade.  It is possible to go in and see one of the apartments furnished in the contemporary style and to go up to the roof terrace to have a close up view of the weirdly shaped chimney pots. The final Gaudí site we visited was the (in)famous Sagrada Familia.   This was unfinished at the time of Gaudí’s death, although work is now taking place to complete it. Our first view was of the newer façade, depicting the Passion, which looked fairly normal.  Having passed through the building, we came upon Gaudí’s original façade, depicting the Nativity.  This, according to my husband, resembled ‘the gaping maw of hell’, though I am not sure how he was able to recognise it.  It is certainly unusual.  The decoration is very organic and flowing in appearance. As well as the figures of the Holy family, there are all sorts of creatures, even a turkey, and at the top there is something which looked to me like a Christmas tree with doves on it.

The Park Guëll, with its strange buildings and vistas, had reminded me slightly of Portmeirion. The following day we visited the Poble Espanyol – an artificial ‘village’ created for the Universal Exhibition of 1929, containing examples of architecture from each region of Spain.  This was even more like Portmeirion. Now the buildings house souvenir shops, exhibitions and cafes, including an exhibition of fans, with an alarming commentary:  “Foamy specimen and of manual prestige, the fate, whatever ends be in its use in feminine presdigitation, still conserves its suprahistorical charm of fascinating manufacture…”.  The central square is often used for performances and concerts.  We left hurriedly as a country and western group started to perform. 

The Poble Espanyol is on the Montjuïc hill, and it is a relatively short walk from here to the Olympic area.  Here we saw the stadium, already looking rather sad and neglected, and the very space-age looking Palau d’Esports Sant Jordi.  Further down the road was the Fundació Miró, founded by the artist Joan Miró,  as a centre for study and experimentation in contemporary art.  Although I am a bit sceptical about some modern art, especially of the unmade bed variety, I found this interesting, particularly the mercury fountain.  My husband, who is even more sceptical than I, declared that one or two of the exhibits were ‘a load of old nonsense’ but even he was fascinated by the brightly-coloured sculptures on the terrace, which were figures made from unusual objects.

To return from Montjuïc to the city centre there is a choice of funicular or a cable car, which takes you down to the harbour. The cable car delivered us to the vicinity of the harbour fish restaurants just in time for a leisurely Sunday lunch of suqets de pescadoi (fish stew) followed by a caramel fruit dessert. 

There is a huge choice of food in Barcelona: Seafood paella, chicken paella, mixed seafood and chicken paella, vegetarian paella and black paella made with squid ink are widely available.  In addition, there are a huge range of tapas, and local specialities, such as the aforementioned suqets de pescadoi and bullabesa,  a fish soup.  The most ubiquitous dessert is crema catalana, a type of crème brulée, closely followed by what was described as ‘heavenly pudding’, a sort of sweet terrine, with a caramel topping.  The fruit version of this is particularly delicious. 

Getting around Barcelona is easy. There is a comprehensive metro system as well as the local buses, and the city is relatively compact so that many of the things to see are within walking distance of each other and the hotels.

I would thoroughly recommend Barcelona for a short break, but one word of warning: it seems to be an extremely popular venue for student visits. All of the colleges in my area seemed to be having field trips there at the same time as our visit.  

A Taste of Sorrento

The writers of nauseating management platitudes say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. In Sorrento, they appear to have taken this advice to heart in a big way. There are a lot of lemons in Sorrento. The town is surrounded by lemon groves, their trees carefully protected with netting against giant hailstones.  But they don’t only make lemonade. They make all sorts of lemon-flavoured products: limoncello, a liqueur which can only be described as a cross between lemsip and paintstripper; lemon ice-cream; lemon sorbet; lemon granita; lemon sweets; lemon biscuits; lemon chocolate; lemon sauce; lemon risotto; lemon profiteroles. You name it, they do a lemon version of it.  If the edible versions were not enough, they also do lemon soap and numerous tourist souvenirs of varying degrees of merit featuring lemons, ranging from ceramics and table linen to fridge magnets.  It would be quite easy, if pointless, to have an entirely lemon-flavoured meal, served on tableware decorated with lemons.

I am not that keen on lemons as such, but I tried several of the lemon-flavoured edibles in the interests of research.  Lemon risotto is quite pleasant, if a little too like rice pudding for a starter. Pasta with lemon sauce is more interesting, particularly when made with unusual star-shaped pasta.  ‘Lemon delicious’ is a sponge-based dessert with lemon cream, which is surprisingly pleasant, and nothing at all like the synthetic lemon-flavoured desserts I remember from school dinners.  I would add though, that a chocolate version of this dessert looks more delicious still. Lemon granita (a refreshing crushed ice concoction) is widely available from Sorrento’s gelaterias and from street stalls in Naples, and very welcome in the heat, but overall the quality of granitas in the area does not match that of Sicily, where they are a little more sorbet-like.

Sorrento’s gelaterias serve ice cream and sorbets in many other flavours as well as lemon, from the anagrammatic melon to apple, and from amaretto to tiramisu. The oddest flavour I saw was Ferrero Rocher  - presumably the Ambassador comes to Sorrento for his holidays. One gelateria has a menu for ice-cream sundaes that is as thick as a telephone directory.  The bigger gelaterias also serve a waistline-threatening range of cakes.  Interesting patisserie is also available in cafes and bakeries.    

Pizza was of course invented in the Naples area, and it is impossible to beat a genuine Italian pizza made in a proper pizza oven. Whilst purists might argue that real pizza should be topped with nothing more than tomatoes, mozzarella and a sprinkling of herbs, pizzerias offer versions topped with other items including ham, sausage, mushrooms and artichokes. Those looking for a Hawaiian pizza with pineapple will however be disappointed.

Pasta is also good.  Seafood versions, such as spaghetti alla vongole are delicious. For the more adventurous, I can recommend ravioli with almonds and cherry tomato sauce.  This is in effect marzipan ravioli in tomato sauce, garnished with a langoustine. It may sound revolting, but actually tastes surprisingly good.  The Sicilian speciality of pasta with tomato and aubergine sauce is also widely available, although here it goes under the name of ‘Siciliana’ rather than ‘alla Norma’.

After such interesting pasta starters, main courses can seem a little dull, but a plate of mixed fish and seafood from the grill is never boring.  The only problem is finding room for the dessert afterwards.

If you are planning to visit the Sorrento area, be prepared to gain a few extra pounds.

The fat, the red and the ugly

Those nice people at Optima magazine have published an article by my other half about our trip to Bologna this summer.  You can read it here.

I would thoroughly recommend Bologna as a base for exploring Emilia Romagna.  It's very attractive, with historic buildings and squares, has superb food and excellent rail links.

Mosaics and Mausoleums

"to Charles Ryder, with the aid of whose all-seeing eyes I first saw the Mausoleum of Galla Placida and San Vitale..." (Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited)

San Vitale

I had wanted to visit Ravenna ever since reading these words in Brideshead Revisited.

The brief mention of Charles Ryder's 'economical' Easter vacation in Ravenna with his friend Collins, who considered the mosaics to be inferior to their photographs has stuck in my mind ever since I first read this book whilst at school. Spending a week in Bologna, an easy train ride away, finally gave me the opportunity.

On arrival, we went first to St Apollinare Nuovo, and purchased a ticket that gives admission to five of the UNESCO World Heritage sites for €9.50.  The church was built in the late 5^th or early 6^th century on the order of Theoderic, and was originally intended for Arian worship.  After 540, when the city was occupied by the Byzantines, all the Arian buildings were taken over by Catholics, and the church was rededicated to St Martin of Tours. The current name originates in the mid-ninth century, when the relics of St Apollinare, the first bishop of Ravenna, were ostensibly moved there from the basilica of St Apollinare in Classe. It was called St Apollinare Nuovo to distinguish it from a smaller, older church in the city also dedicated to St Apollinare.

In front of the original façade is a marble portico dating from the 16^th century.  There is also a cylindrical bell tower some 38 metres high which dates from the ninth or tenth century.

The baroque apse and 17^th century ceiling are beautiful, but it is the mosaics which visitors really come to see. Even though I was expecting them, the mosaics were stunning. Legend has it that Gregory the Great (the pope who sent missionaries to England) ordered them to be blackened and covered up as they were too distracting for those at prayer.

Next we visited Battisterio Ariano. This was built in the late fifth century as the baptistery of the Arian Cathedral, at a time when Arianism, a heretical doctrine which disputed the divinity of Christ and thus disagreed with the view of the Trinity as God in three persons, was the official court religion. The baptistery was re-consecrated in the Orthodox tradition in 561.  The only surviving mosaic decoration in the interior is in the dome, which shows the baptism of Christ. The design is a similar to that in the Neonian Baptistery, which clearly provided the inspiration, but is much simpler.

After passing through the Piazza Populo, we visited the Basilica St Vitale. This basilica was founded by Bishop Ecclesio following a journey to Constantinople with Pope John I in 525. It was consecrated in April 548.  Unlike St Apollinare Nuovo, it does not have the traditional three naves, but is octagonal in shape with a central core beneath a dome.

The mosaics cover the walls and vault of the presbytery and the conch of the apse and. In the apse is a mosaic showing Christ presenting a crown to St Vitale with his right hand.  To the other side is Bishop Ecclesio, carrying a model of the church.  Below these are beautiful mosaic portraits of the Empress Theodora and the Emperor Justinian. The arch surrounding the apse is decorated with a motif of cornucopias, birds and flowers.

Nearby is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the daughter of Theodosius I. Built in the second quarter of the fifth century it is one of the oldest monuments of its kind, and its mosaics are the oldest in Ravenna.

The mosaics are rather different from the others, as the artistic style is Roman rather than Byzantine.  I was particularly struck by the midnight blue of the sky and the depictions of pairs of deer.

Galla Placida had a very interesting life. She married twice, firstly to a barbarian called Ataulf, and later to Constantius III, with whom she had two children, Honoria and Valentinian. She ruled Ravenna for many years, as empress, and later as regent for her son Valentinian. Despite the name, her remains were never housed in this mausoleum. She died in Rome and is buried in the Theodosian mausoleum there.

Neonian Baptistery

The Neonian Baptistery, our fifth port of call,  is the oldest of Ravenna’s surviving ancient buildings, having been begun in the  late fourth or early fifth century. The mosaics, however, are as not as old as those in the Mausoleum of Galla Placida, as they were not added until the mid-fifth century at the behest of Bishop Neone.

The design of the mosaics in the centre of the dome is similar to that of the Arian Baptistery, which it inspired, with Christ depicted at waist-depth in the river Jordan, being baptised by John the Baptist, clad in a goatskin. But the saints in the decorative band surrounding this medallion are not portrayed with haloes. Below this, are alternating decorations of empty thrones and thrones with crosses or altars.

The last stop on our tour of mosaics was the Archiepiscopal Museum, housed in the bishop’s palace.. One of the highlights of the collection is the sixth century ivory throne of Bishop Maximian, and a marble calendar showing the dates of Easter for the years 532 go 632 AD.  The building also includes the chapel of San Andrea, the private chapel of the Bishops, with more mosaics of the Apostles and other saints and a warrior Christ.

After a stop for a lunch of salami piadine we set off in search of Dante’s tomb.

Dante Alighieri died in Ravenna on the night of 13/14 September 1321 whilst in exile from Florence and was originally buried under a small portico in the church of San Francesco. In 1519, Pope Leo X authorised the transfer of the poet’s remains to Florence, but when the Florentines arrived to collect them they found the tomb empty as the monks had broken in and removed the body already.  They kept it hidden for centuries and the remains were only finally placed in the original sacorphagus after they were rediscovered during excavations in 1865.

The current tomb building was erected in 1780 at the request of Cardinal Legate Luigi Valenti Gonzaga, whose coat of arms can be seen above the entrance.   A lamp hanging from the ceiling burns olive oil from Tuscany which is provided by the city of Florence. But that was not the end of Dante’s travels. In a nearby courtyard is an ivy-covered mound which marks the place where his remains were buried for safekeeping during the second world war.

Our final visit was to the Duomo.  The first cathedral on the site was built in the early fifth century, but all that remains of that are a few fragments in the museum.   The old cathedral, after many additions and alterations over the years, was demolished in 1733, and the current building was completed in 1743.  The bell tower, however, dates from the tenth century.

Inside the cathedral the effect of crimson brocade hangings on yellow ochre walls resembles a regency-striped drawing room.  Until, that is, you look in the Chapel of the Beata Vergine del Sudore, a very elaborate baroque chapel, also containing two late fifth century sarcophagai.

On our walk back to the station, we saw the ‘Palazzo di Teodorico’, the façade of a 6^th or 7^th century brick building.  The original function of the building has not yet been established. We also passed the church of S Maria in Porto, where sculptures from the modern art gallery next door struck an incongruous note.  

We had time for tea in the nearby park before catching our train back to Bologna.

Art and Fast Cars

As our train from Bologna pulled into Modena Station we could see the curved yellow building of the Museo Enzo Ferrari.  Once we had worked out which way to go, it was only a short walk to the entrance.

This museum is located at the house where he was brought up. There are two parts of the museum, the  house itself and the gallery in the new building we saw from the train. We started with the gallery: a pristine white display area in which Ferraris of various vintages are displayed to their advantage.  A slightly bored-looking woman wandered around with a broom ensuring there were no stray specks of dust underneath the cars, whilst opera music played in the background.

Around the walls of the gallery, where they wouldn’t interfere with the views of the cars, were  a series of display panels about the life of Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988) and the history of motor manufacture in Modena. I found out that Enzo Ferrari actually started out as a racing driver for Alfa Romeo, whilst Maserati were making racing cars in Modena. After World War II Ferrari also began to construct racing cars.  In 1957, all 14 cars in the F1 line up were either Ferrari or Maserati – not only all Italian, but all from the same town. 

Right on schedule at 10.40 a.m. the gallery went dark for a film presentation. This was projected onto three walls and showed key events in the lifetime of Enzo Ferrari with a largely operatic soundtrack. No voiceover was needed. At one point the soundtrack was Nessun Dorma sung by Pavarotti – appropriately enough as the singer was also from Modena.

Contrary to what the Lonely Planet guidebook said, the exhibition in the house and workshop was not about the life of Enzo Ferrari, but about engines, with some more beautiful cars (and a speedboat) on display, although there was also a replica of Ferrari’s office at Maranello.

Having seen our fill of Ferraris, we walked into the centre of Modena past the Palazzo Ducale (once the home of the Este Dukes and birthplace of James II's Queen Maria de Modena, now military academy) but took a wrong turning and ended up going a very long way round before we finally found the Duomo. On the plus side, we managed to have a look in the covered market on the way.

Modena's cathedral is celebrated as the finest Romanesque church in Italy, and was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The pink marble exterior looks like some sort of sugar confection, with the pink spire of the Ghirlandina tower rising behind it. Inside is dark, and Romanesque in style – very different to many of the other churches we visited which had lavish Baroque interiors.

We stopped for a gelato on the way to the Palazzo de Musei.  I chose one labelled (in English), ‘Sweet Summer’ which was creamy with a passion fruit flavour. On arrival at the Palazzo de Musei, we found that the Civic Museums were closed for the summer break, but fortunately the Galleria Estense which was what we had come to see, was open. This gallery, which was far more extensive than I expected, houses the Este family collection of northern Italian paintings from late medieval to 18^th century along with some Flemish works.

Walked back to Piazza Grande, and had tea in a cafe, just next to the Palazzo Communale or town hall. The waiter brought me a cup with a slice of lemon in it, an Earl Grey teabag in the saucer, and a teapot.  Before I could stop him, the waiter poured water from the pot into the cup, leaving the teabag where it was. 

Our final visit of the day was to the Palazzo Communale, the 17^th century town hall where the historic rooms with elaborate painted ceilings are open to visitors free of charge.

All in all an enjoyable day out in Modena, my one regret being that we didn’t find time to sample the other local speciality: balsamic vinegar. I made up for it by having a delicious vegetable soufflé with balsamic dressing for dinner back in Bologna.

Another Bus(wo)man's Holiday!

Anatomical Wax Museum

As I sat on plastic chair in a very institutional-looking corridor, I wondered whether I was in my right mind. Outside, the sun was shining and the birds were singing, but I was inside a drab university building waiting for a member of staff to escort me upstairs.   I may work as a university administrator, but I was supposed to be on holiday.  Before I could think better of it and slip away, a young man approached and asked ‘you want to see our museum?’ ‘Oh yes, thank you’ I replied and meekly followed him upstairs and along a corridor into a room full of glass cases.  This was the University of Bologna’s Anatomical Wax Museum: a collection of nineteenth-century anatomical wax models by famous modellers. The exhibits were beautifully crafted models showing parts of the body in section along with some really gruesome models of pathological specimens of malformations and tumours.

By the time we made our escape, we felt that we had seen enough of university museums for the time being, so did not visit the Obstetrics Museum or Museum of Natural Sciences in the nearby Palazzo Poggi.  The University Botanical Gardens, on the other hand, provided a welcome green refuge whilst we planned our next move.

Archiginnasio Palace stairway

We had already visited the Archiginnasio Palace, which was inaugurated in 1563 as the first permanent seat of the university. Although Bologna is the oldest university in Europe, it did not have a permanent home until it came under the influence of the centralising tendencies of the Papal State during the Counter Reformation.  The galleries, halls and staircases are all richly decorated with arms of former students – nearly 6,000 of them. We visited the beautiful Stabat Mater lecture hall (named after the first performance of Rossini’s opera which took place there) and the Anatomy Theatre which was added in 1637, and is decorated with statues of famous ancient and Bolognese physicians. There, I was interested to see a small display about the first woman university professor, the physicist Laura Bassi, who received her doctorate in 1732.

There is a great deal more to Bologna than its university. It is packed with historic palaces, churches and museums, but on that Thursday morning we decided it was time to turn to another of the city’s attractions – lunchtime was approaching so we set off in search of a plate of tagliatelli ragù. 

By Train to Tomsk

This is an account of a trip I took to Tomsk, 'the Oxford of Siberia' in July 2010. My forthcoming trip to Bologna reminded me how often I seem to end up visiting universities on holiday.

We arrived at Yaroslavksy station in the evening to catch the Trans-Siberian train that was taking us to Tomsk.  We thought it would be more fun to mix with the locals so had booked berths in a compartment  for four. The other occupants were a girl in yellow top who was reading a Boris Akunin novel and older woman with henna red hair.

In the morning the girl with the yellow top got off early and was replaced by Yuri, who showed us where to borrow glass cups from the prodovnitsa  so that we could make tea from the samovar. The older lady got off at Kirov, where I had a look around the platform. It was full of women selling food and soft toys.  Yuri bought a cuddly hedgehog for one of his kids.  There followed an interesting interlude in which I tried and failed to explain about St Tiggywinkles in Russ-glish. At a later stop, I bought some bilberries, and Yuri bought dinner of chicken and potatoe. Lacking any cutlery he had to eat it with his teaspoon. 

Neil and I ate in the restaurant car, trying the  ’bourgeois surprise’, which turned out to be beef with orange and cheese on top.  Later Yuri kindly bought us ice-creams at another stop. The next morning we arrived at Yuri’s home town of Tumen at 10.30 local time or 8.30 Moscow time. The prodovnitsa helpfully gave him a pat on the bottom to wake him in time.

Yuri was superseded by a young woman with a daughter aged about three.  We shared some strawberries that we bought from an old lady at Omsk station with them. The prodovnitsa then decided it was time to vacuum the carriage, including our compartment – we all lifted our legs so she could get at the carpet.

On the third morning we finally arrived in Tomsk. After checking in to the incredibly (for us) luxurious Hotel Magistrat, we set out to explore. We walked down Prospekt Lenina, stopping for lunch of blini at a take-away in Troitsky Skver. In this small park  there were electric cars for children to play on, even a mini Ducati motorbike (with stabilisers), pony rides etc. and lots of what appeared to be thistledown everywhere, which actually came from the poplar trees. 

Chekov statue, Tomsk

The next day we met our local guide, Natasha, who had recently graduated in translation and linguistics from Tomsk Polytechnic University.  She took us to Resurrection Hill, the site of the rebuilt ‘Golden Gate’ wooden tower, and the stone marking the site of the original foundation of Tomsk in 1604.  Then we went to see the Shushkin House – an example of the traditional wooden architecture and where the writer Shushkin was exiled (apparently in some comfort.) We walked along the banks of the river Tom to see the statue of Anton Chekhov, who was not very flattering about Tomsk and its people, and is therefore depicted from the perspective of a drunk lying in the street. 

Whilst by the river, we saw some young people carrying buckets.  Natasha remarked “I completely forgot to mention it but 7 July is a day when people  go around and soak each other with water, so watch out for people with buckets.”niversity of Tomsk, which has various imported flora and fauna in its grounds, including blue spruce trees and squirrels.  This was the first university in Siberia to admit women (the UCL of Siberia….)  Then we visited Natasha’s own alma mater, the Polytechnic University – according to her, the best, and most expensive of the universities in Tomsk.

After another lunch of blini in the park again, we visited the Museum of Oppression – located in a basement, and genuinely oppressive. There were different displays in each cell: Lenin memorabilia,  a cell as it would have been when in use, the superintendent’s office, photos of those arrested and executed.

Peacock House

The next day we visited the wooden houses in Ul. Krasnoarmeyskaya: the Russo-German house (a Russian-German cultural centre, the Peacock House and the Dragon House.  It started to rain, so we sought refuge in a supermarket, where they sold loose frozen mushrooms of several varieties.

We also visited the elaborate Voznesenskaya Church which had beautiful pastel frecoes inside. Ladies needed to cover their heads, so I had to borrow one of the scarves they keep for the purpose.

As a change from blini we had lunch in the ‘English Pub’, a thee pub complete with dark wood fittings and engravings of English castles (Dudley castle, Arundel castle etc.). Many of the dishes on the menu seemed inspired by Robin Hood, or were served with ‘Sherwood Forest mushrooms’ and were not exactly authentic. The ‘English Channel’ salad contained smoked eel, radishes, cabbage and chips!

Voznesenskaya Church

All in all, it was a fascinating trip.

Isn't that a little mainstream for you?

It's happening again.

Torquay

Last year I received incredulous looks when I told friends and colleagues where I was going for my summer holiday. There's nothing wrong with Devon, of course, and lots of people spend a week in Torquay, but I have a reputation to maintain.

I managed to redeem myself with Christmas in Beijing and New Year in Pyongyang, but my summer choice of Bologna is seen as not particularly adventurous.

Well, too bad.  I travel to see the world and have new experiences, but sometimes I just like to go on holiday, and Italy is the perfect place for that.

Leaving North Korea

6.00 a.m. on a freezing January morning and we were sitting in a minibus outside the Yanggakdo Hotel, wondering what was keeping our guides.  Eventually they emerged from the building, and climbed into the minibus, thrusting a carrier bag into my lap.  It felt warm.

“Breakfast!” they explained.

As it was still pitch dark and the minibus was bouncing along, eating the contents there and then seemed impractical.  I prefer to see what I am eating, anyway.

On arrival at the shiny new airport terminal building, we were able finally able to see what was in our picnic breakfast: a plastic tray containing still-warm omelettes, doorstep slices of white bread, bottled water and a bottle of warm milk.   But there was no opportunity to eat it yet – it was time to check in.  This was a great deal easier than the procedure for our outward flight from Beijing. We just walked up to the desk, handed over our bags, passport and ticket reservation, and in a minute or two, it was done. 

It was time to say farewell to the guides who had been our constant companions for the last week.

I expected intimidating security, but the officer simply leafed through my passport, stamped it and handed it back. “Happy New Year!” he said in perfect English.  

To my surprise, we emerged into the Departure lounge with our picnic breakfast intact.  Time for an omelette sandwich before a little last-minute shopping.

Postscript: On the plane, a tour guide a row or two behind us was panicking that one of her group, Otto, was not on the plane.  The flight crew told her that he had complained of a headache and asked to be taken to hospital.  I think we were all slightly sceptical of this, but it was not until over a year later that I learned what had happened to Otto Warmbier. A chilling note to end what had for us been an interesting and entirely safe experience.

A Sunny Day in London

Today may be the only day of the English summer, and we had planned to spend it in London.  After a leisurely breakfast we decided to walk down to the station so that we could at least admire the bluebells on the way. 

Buckinghamshire bluebells

Arriving in London at 11.00 a.m. our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery to see the Russia and the Arts exhibition.  This was excellent. It's on until 26 June 2016 - see it if you can. Entry is £6.00, but Art Pass holders get in at half price.

In 1856 Pavel Tretyakov began to collect Russian art. By the time he donated his collection to the city of Moscow in 1892, there were almost 2,000 works, which formed the core of the State Tretyakov Gallery. 

The works are a survey of the golden age of Russian portraiture from Realist to Impressionist.  The exhibition starts with a portrait of Tretyakov, painted by Repin in 1901, three years after his death, but the subjects of the other portraits in the exhibition are writers, artists, composers and patrons. Particular highlights for me were a painting of Vladimir Dal, with really haunting eyes by Perov (1872),  and one of Mussorgsky by Repin (1881).  At first glance I thought the latter looked like like Oliver Reed after a heavy night. It was actually painted in hospital a few days before the composer’s death from alcoholism.

Our next stop was rather less highbrow - the Cartoon Museum in Little Russell Street, to see a small exhibition of artwork of covers from Target novelisations of classic Doctor Who stories. The daughter of one of the artists used to work for me (something I only found out after she had been working for me for quite a long time). We also had a look around the graphic novel exhibition downstairs.  Our Art Passes came in handy again, as we got in free.

After lunch at nearby Tas in Bloomsbury Street (I don't know why Turkish restaurants are not more popular - the food is superb), we headed to our final stop of the day, the British Museum for the Sicily: Culture and Conquest exhibition. Here I flashed my British Museum Friends card for free admission. 

This very well-presented exhibition shows how the different peoples who conquered and settled on the island: Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans added to the richness of its unique cultural identity.

Three exhibitions in a day is about as much cultural stimulation as I can handle, and it was getting quite hot in the city so we set off for home.  If I had been staying in London, it would definitely have been time for tea in a park.

 

In the Spotlight...

Pyongyang

How exciting! I'm one of the three April 2016 Virtual Tourist Spotlight members.


I have been on Virtual Tourist for twelve years now (VT is ancient in internet years) and have pages on 200 locations on Virtual Tourist: a strange mix of the exotic (Ashgabat, Pyongyang) and the prosaic (High Wycombe). 

In other news, my other half's article about our North Korea trip has been published in Optima magazine.

I've Never Seen Star Wars

Don't take the title of this post literally. I'm married to a Sci-Fi fan, so obviously I have actually seen Star Wars.  Several times, in fact.

Piranha fishing on the Orinoco

I'm referring to the BBC radio and TV show called I've Never Seen Star Wars in which celebrities are challenged to try new experiences.  I was reminded of this recently as a result of the media coverage of plans to introduce a tax on sugary drinks, because I've never drunk Coca Cola. 

I don't happen to like either sweet fizzy drinks or the taste of cola, so it is not all that surprising, but then I remembered that I have actually drunk Pepsi a couple of times, but only when travelling. Specifically, I have drunk Pepsi whilst piranha fishing on the Orinoco (it was all that was available in the cool box on our boat) and whilst shopping in the bazaar in Gujranwala, Pakistan, when the shopkeeper offered us refreshments.

Thinking about it some more, I realised that I have also never had a Big Mac, but I have eaten in MacDonalds, once.  This was also while travelling. We were in Bucharest on New Year's Day 2008. It was very cold and snowing, and we couldn't find anywhere else to eat within walking distance of our B&B.  I had the fish.

I know travel is supposed to broaden the mind, but it seems a bit odd that some of the new experiences I have had whilst travelling are things that are commonplace back home.

A Perfect Day in Northumberland

This was my entry for a 'Perfect Day in...' competition. The rules allowed either an actual experience or a fictional one.  This is a genuine account of a visit in 2004, save that I actually visited the church on the following day.

My ingredients for a perfect day out, in no particular order, are historic buildings and gardens, bookshops and tea-shops.  The town of Alnwick in Northumberland offers all these and more.  This particular day starts at Barter Books: a huge second-hand bookshop in the former railway station.  As well as books there were comfy chairs, coffee and biscuits, and model trains running around above the bookshelves.  Did I mention that I also like miniature trains?

Alnwick Castle

It is a wrench to tear myself away, but I must see the castle. Alnwick Castle has been in the hands of the Percy family since the fourteenth century, when they acquired it from the Bishop of Durham. I’m interested in medieval history, and have always been intrigued by the story of how the last Vesci lord of Alnwick, who had no legitimate son,  gave the castle to the Bishop of Durham, either in payment for services rendered, or in trust for his illegitimate son, which he later betrayed, according to which version you choose to believe.  I’m inclined to take the bishop’s side.

Although Alnwick Castle is imposing medieval building, it’s still a family home, which is obvious from the table football and beanbags in the library.  It has found more recent fame as a location in the Harry Potter films, as the souvenirs in the gift shop will testify. Resisting the temptation to buy myself a broomstick, I elect to explore the gardens, which the Duchess of Northumberland is developing into a showpiece, complete with an enormous treehouse.

Vesci tomb, Alnwick Church

After a late lunch, it is time to visit the local church.  Probably built on the site of an earlier Saxon church, the Norman church was added to over successive centuries and was substantially rebuilt in the 1460s.  It is fascinating to discover two medieval tomb effigies which have survived the rebuilding.  One is believed to be Lady Isabella, widow of William de Vesci, that same lord of Alnwick who handed the castle over to the bishop.

Emerging from the church, I spend some time exploring the town, deciding that I have earned a cup of tea. In Grannies Tea Shop I can enjoy a slice of caramel and hazelnut cake with my tea whilst admiring the décor – a drying rack complete with ladies’ bloomers. 

Historic buildings and gardens, bookshops and tea-shops? Alnwick has them all.

Making the most of our membership

Shakespeare's Birthplace - we used our Art Passes for free entry

A while ago I wrote about how we managed to get good use out of our various heritage membership passes on our summer holiday last year.

Yesterday I thought it would be interesting to see how many times I had used all my various membership cards in 2015.

The joint 'winners' were the National Trust and the Art Pass, with 10 uses each, closely followed by English Heritage with 9 (though several of those were not for English Heritage properties as such, but a reciprocal arrangement with Manx Heritage).  The Historic Houses Association came fourth with 6. They have definitely all paid for themselves.

I only used my British Museum Friends card for a discount in their restaurant (but it was a very nice meal). I'll try to fix that this year, with a visit to the Sicily: culture and conquest exhibition.

The results in detail:

Art Pass (note that the Art Pass gives either free entry or reduced-price admission)

British Library Magna Carta exhibition

Courtauld Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery  Escher Exhibition

Harvard House

Leighton House

National Portrait Gallery William Morris Anarchy and Beauty exhibition

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Torquay Museum

Torre Abbey

National Trust

A La Ronde

Cliveden

Coleton Fishacre

Coughton Court

Great Chalfield Manor

Greenway

Hughenden Manor

Overbecks

Red House

Wordsworth House English Heritage Berry Pomeroy Castle Castle Rushen Eltham Palace House of Mannanan Kenilworth Castle Laxey Wheel Peel Castle Rushen Abbey Totnes Castle Historic Houses Association Cadhay Helmingham Milntown Mirehouse Powderham Castle Stratfield Saye

More Competitions

Bradt Guides are running more of their 'Perfect Day' competitions in order to promote the latest issues in their Slow Guides series.

There are three competitions:

• Perfect Day in Shropshire
• Perfect Day in the Peak District
• Perfect Day in East Devon

To enter, you need to describe a perfect day in no more than 500 words. It can be either a real experience or imagined. The deadline is 31 May.

I'll definitely be having a go.

Destinations

We went to the Destinations Travel Show at Olympia yesterday.

At last year's event, I picked up some information about Hull (not very exotic perhaps, but useful for a weekend event I was, and still am, planning), the Isle of Man and North Korea. I actually managed to visit all three in the course of the year, so it turned out to be time well spent. (My review of last year's show is on Virtual Tourist).

International Friendship Exhibition, Mt Myohyang

This year, we dropped by the Regent Holidays stand to thank their North Korea specialist, Carl, for arranging our Christmas and New Year trip to North Korea. It was a fascinating and very unusual experience. We also bumped into Hilary Bradt at the  Bradt Guides stand. Last year I bought a copy of their North Korea guidebook, so I was able to tell her that we had found it very helpful for pre-trip planning, even though we couldn't actually take it with us.

This year I picked up information about Lake Ohrid and travelling to and around Italy by rail. I hope I get to at least one of them.

I always enjoy looking at the Travel Photo of the Year finalists. There were some really excellent shots, as always, though one of the best was a wildlife of leaping hares shot taken no more than a dozen miles from where I live!

Not quite avoiding Christmas

Well, I'm back from my (un)festive travels.

In retrospect, travelling Finnair via Helsinki may not have been the best move, as far as avoiding Christmas is concerned.  We had no sooner landed in Helskinki, than we were handed a chocolate and a map of the terminal by one of Santa's Little Helpers. We did manage to avoid the opportunity to have our photos taken with the man himself, though.

Whilst my final destination (have you guessed where it was yet) was not in the least Christmassy, I actually spent 25 December on a stopover in Beijing.

Which was in fact quite Christmassy.  There was a a large Christmas tree in the reception area of our hotel. We ate in the hotel's Chinese restaurant, where the staff were dressed in Santa outfits or reindeer antlers, and the background music was a selection of Christmas songs, from Frosty the Snowman to All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth. (I am not making this up).

There were quite a few festive touches in the Wangfujing shopping area as well.