English Landscapes

May 2008

It was the summer of 2008.Our first ever trip together after coming to Abu Dhabi started on a rather tense note. Both of us were unsure of how a trip to the UK was going to work for us. It was an incredible feeling on one hand --- getting a chance to see London! Coming to terms with it, on the other hand, was a hitch.But since the visa formalities took hardly any efforts, we took it as it was meant to be.

Abu Dhabi felt like’home’ that night of 7^th May. Didn’t want to leave the place.But I was waiting for another world in turn waiting for me – the world from Wordsworth’s poems - the world from the nursery rhymes that we learnt without any reference to the Indian context- the world learnt from Banister Fletcher’s ‘History of Architecture.’

It was a night flight with British Airways, from Abu Dhabi airport. We had exchanged dirhams for pounds, but at the last minute we thought of exchanging some more just to be on the safer side. It was our first international trip after all!I just prayed - let nothing be spoilt because of my mood swings. It was a big thing to go to the UK and I was a tad superstitious about bad omen affecting our first trip.However the time difference took my mind to a different plane. By early morning, we reached London Heathrow. We were actually at London airport! Incredible! We had a connecting flight from Heathrow to Glasgow. For domestic flights, the security checking was really strict. They opened the smallest compartments of my purse for checking…it was a bit embarrassing. Thankfully we were warned by a fellow Indian at the duty free store against purchasing liquor, as it would have been confiscated immediately at the customs.

The Glasgow flight was late. We hung out at ‘Kosta’ ,watching the flights through the huge glass windows at the café. I savored a chocolate chip muffin whilst observing hip young British youngsters sporting funky hairstyles.

Jay was waiting for us at the airport, complaining about having to pay the parking fees for another hour…

Glasgow

It felt so fresh – a stark contrast after a year full of humid desert air. It was cloudy…we were moving through the clouds. Fresh lime green ferns sprung from   gleaming dew-wet rockery along the country roads of Glasgow. The poet in me was coming to life after hibernating for a while in the materialistic work world. Scottish landscapes flew past the car window as the chilly wind caressed my cheeks! Oh I could be here forever.

We reached Jay’s house and relaxed with a single malt neat shot. We grabbed our weekend bags and were off again on those dreamy misty roads taking us to Scarborough.Met Sel after long. He had brought along some chicken marinate for the barbecue. We picked up Jay’s wife Aish from work, on the way. Found her instantly sweet and mature at the same time – quite a good match for Jay.

The magic of the rolling roads kept taking us deeper and deeper into wonderland. I thought everyone could become a poet in these endless greens and a weather that makes you alive with each breath.

The fresh green spring carpet had sudden patches of yellow, overflowing through crevices. Immersed in natures charm, completely mesmerized by this magical spell that the cool breeze and greenery tend to cast on many a moods! They say, Scotland is greener than England and we could actually see a reduced plant mix along the mountains as we entered England. But nonetheless, the curvy roads kept enthralling us in their typically mysterious English landscape style. We grabbed some sausages and chips at a gas station on the way. Jay had rented a convertible ‘Vauxhall’ model for the weekend. It was just right.

I realized that one has to fill gas on his own here and it isn’t cheap, like back in the Emarat!

Scarborough

By late evening, we reached Scarborough. The evening continued till half past nine, subtly merging into the night. So much more soft daylight to enjoy!

We were ten of us – Jay, Aish, Mith, Pank,Sel,Mari,Biju,Amir --- most of Kris’s college mates, now scattered all over the UK .It was like a reunion over a weekend at this cute ‘Bumble Bee Farm’ in Scarborough. The idea had been so tempting – camping in the English countryside with long lost friends – Kris and I couldn’t stop ourselves from making it all the way from the desert land!

We wrapped up the busy day with some pizzas in the heated wooden ‘wigwams’ and dozed off, prepared for the fun day tomorrow. Early next morning, I woke up so as not to miss the sunrise amidst the countryside…I forced myself out of cozy heated wigwams, out into the cold wind…and Ah! What a sight! All this while we had been sleeping in the middle of an endless ocean of green! ---dotted with small spring flowers and English cows grazing around. As far as the gaze could linger, it was just green, highlighted occasionally with the first sun streaks, cutting glittering bands across the shimmering pond and gently touching the tips of dew laden grass blades – tiny scattered diamonds ! The lush meadow ran to meet the blue sky at the horizon.

Ducks floated past water lilies on the sheet of water, mirroring the sky and a restless sheep dog, dodged chirping birds as he watched over the lazy cattle. It was a scene from English poems and paintings and I was walking through it --- Just me and nature…

I enjoyed it alone till everybody started waking up one by one. The experience is safe with me forever…a part of my secret life.

Reminds me of an impressionist painting,
this picturesque Scottish countryside.
A world from Wordsworth’s poems
… a dream, with eyes open, wide!

We rode the open convertible in the best sunshine of the year as we headed for Scarborough beach for breakfast - Traditional fish n chips along with sausages, salami and hot coffee at a cute beach café. The beach was lined by vibrant Fuchsia pink and orange beach huts at a higher level. The sea was as if in a valley – another scene from an English painting--- Lots of seagulls and yachts and families enjoying the sunny weekend by the beach.

People really make the most out of bright summer days in this part of the world as the rare Sun seldom peeks through clear blue skies…I even noticed an interesting flier put up on a tree which said ‘ Has anyone seen the Sun lately?’

The endless flowing greens,
stretch their way till the horizon,
Sudden puddles of yellow fields,
make up for the missing Sun!

We walked into a pub to enjoy karaoke and beer. Everyone was in weekend spirit. We spent the noon exploring the town and surrounding hillocks and ended the day with a game of volley ball at the farm. Couldn’t believe, it was nine o clock and it was still day.

The next day was my birthday! They all had secretly brought a cake for me on the way back. With barbecue, chocolate cake and single malt around a bon fire, it was indeed a memorable birthday for me. We were so drunk…rather high on life! What a unique birthday celebration. All college memories were unfolding…same old gossiping and teasing…great fun.

The next morning was equally bright and sunny. By now, my eyes had got used to the green surroundings. Aish and I climbed onto one of the hillocks full of daisies. The wigwams seemed far away, nestled amidst tall hills and tiny cows!

York

We drove to York later to see the cathedral. Distant church bells rang as we strolled along cobbled streets lined on either side by cozy pitched roof structures. Old rustic architecture was renovated with huge glass facades to serve as modern shopping places. It was a surprisingly pleasant reunion. We dispersed from York. Krish and I joined Jay and Aish back to Glasgow.We followed the same serpentine roads that separated England and Scotland in a ‘less green – more green’ way. By late evening, we stopped over at a cute cottage converted into a café.  With pool tables and darts, it looked like a typical English tavern, owned by an old couple. It was getting cold outside. Soup and sandwiches was just what we needed to keep ourselves warm. The old granny was really surprised on hearing that we had come all the way from Dubai!

The skies turned darker and dense fog enveloped the atmosphere. Cold wind and drizzles shining in fog lights – it was an adventure driving back to Glasgow!We are so used to having streetlights at close intervals along highways all over UAE, that there are absolutely no visibility issues even by late nights.Tired and exhausted, we fell asleep within no time .Tomorrow, we were to go to Edinburgh. Really looking forward to that.

Edinburgh

It was a Monday – everybody had returned back to work. Kris and I got ready and took a train to Edinburgh from Glasgow, early in the morning. I liked the overall informal attitude of Jay and Aish –  more of a ‘help yourself’ kind of approach. That made us more independent.

It took us one hour to reach Edinburgh. The green river continued to flow outside the huge glass windows of the train. It was misty and clouds laden with moisture were ready to burst anytime. I recalled the poem ‘world from a railway carriage’!

As we stepped out of the station, the Edinburgh castle emerged out of nowhere wrapped in mist under a dense cloud cover! These kind of dramatic weathers make you perpetually hungry. So we stepped into a café for a typical Scottish breakfast – sausages, fish n chips and some fresh coffee ---My favourite part.

Thereafter, we hopped onto a tourist bus and grabbed the second level open seats. These kind of hop on-hop off busses were very new for us. Really loved the concept. The tour guide was a bird faced old lady like just out of a play! With lots of witty statements, she kept us engaged. On Edinburgh’s stone façade buildings, we found some niches refilled with stone like an after thought. She told us that there was something called ‘daylight tax’ because of the rarely visiting Sun, and hence people had closed off some extra windows to save the tax ! Interesting.

We hopped off to see the castle in detail. It became even more misty uphill as we treaded the cobbled paths –wet and glittering with sudden flashes of the Sun. The clouds had brought down with them the scent of the sky. We just drifted in a new found bliss…we were actually in Scotland!

The castle was beautiful. We could see the whole of Edinburgh bathing in slight drizzle. Thereafter we walked around on the wet streets of Edinburgh, stepped into single malt stores, bought the famous bagpiper kilts, some bagpipe music discs and some gift articles. This is undoubtedly my favourite part of travel – taking back pieces of the place as souvenirs.

The evening went by as we relaxed at street cafes on cobbled streets, with bagpipers playing in the background. By night we took a train back to Glasgow and met Jay and Aish over a last dinner together.

Glasgow is a sleepy town, all shops close early and people are free to enjoy their evenings. We had a great big dinner of steak and duck platter along with some Glenmorangie! I developed a taste for Scotch…Now London, here we come!

London

We took a night train from Glasgow to London. A private cabin on a super fast train – an opportunity for wildest fantasies!!Next morning, two neat packs were sitting on our berths – English breakfast of muffins and cookies with sandwiches and coffee! Wow, just what I wanted. Needless to say, I got to eat all the eggy treats .

We got down at Central London, where we met Mith. He introduced us to the wonders of the London underground network and convenient transport systems. We bought a day pass suitable for all sources of transport. Mith lived in the centre of London. Luckily his flatmate was on vacation and he offered to let us stay at his place for our three day London exploration.

Earlier we had decided to stay over at Kris’s  cousin’s place in Euston, which was almost the other end of London. But with one glance at Gehry’s Gherkin skyscraper on the way to Mith’s place –and we made up our minds to stay in the heart of the city. Our expedition started instantly from Trafalgar square where we bought the hop on –hop off bus tickets. The sightseeing tour began…

London is the most tourist friendly city – new tourists like us found it so easy to find places and explore them at our own pace.We got off first at Buckingham Palace; lucky to see the ceremonial change of guards. It was overwhelming to be on the streets of London like this…had never imagined it. The weather was outstanding –such clear blue skies and sunshine comes just once a year in London. I guess travelling in May is best in all possible ways !

We strolled into Hydepark thereafter, alongside shady trees and lawns. There was an interesting triangular water feature with doves bathing in the thin sheets of water. We took a relaxing break here for a while.

Next in line was the famous Thames cruise. We saw the London Bridge open – just like the nursery rhyme –London Bridge is falling down! Along the banks of the Thames, new modern architecture was juxtaposed against the old world Victorian charm of the city – Westminster Abbey and Big Ben on one hand and the ultra modern London Eye on the other – a fine blend. We decided to take a ride at the London Eye by evening.

The cruise took us to Greenwich University well known for the Prime Meridian – an imaginary line that divides the world into time zones. I had always read about these places but actually visiting them was surreal! The university was green beyond compare. Lazy chilled out atmosphere. I would have loved to pursue higher studies in a campus like this – a much richer experience of Life…

We got immersed in thoughts sipping cold beer on the cruise. As the evening started to peep in, we got into the glass oval of the London Eye. I so wanted it to be just the two of us on that romantic ride – but a friend’s brother we were supposed to meet , joined us there for crowd! Nonetheless it was an awesome aerial view of the city. They say on a clear day, one can see the Eiffel Tower on the horizon! Paris is just a train journey away from here!! The mere thought of Paris gave me goose bumps…

We roamed along the banks of the Thames by night till our feet could no longer carry us…

St Paul’s cathedral across the millennium bridge looks so dramatic at this hour. Pank and Mith took us to this restaurant – Nandos – an exposed brick vaulted structure - where we had the best fried chicken and peri peri sauce.

The first day in London was almost over…we managed to keep pace with our over ambitious itinerary!

The next morning we visited the St.Paul’s cathedral. We had missed that yesterday. The scale of the structure was just beyond imagination – its sculpted huge doors, groin vaults and the series of steps …Tourists thronged in scattered poetic combinations against the orderly linear alignment of the steps. There was beauty in everything around.

Thereafter we went to the British museum. Stopped for the most awesome street hotdog with fried onions!Architect Frank Gehry had recently designed a large span glass dome to cover the courtyard of  the old structure of the British Museum. This unique fusion looked really interesting as the morning sun filtered through the translucent membrane of the dome.The quality of light was perfect for all exhibits. Must admit, I was more taken aback by the structure, than the exhibits.

Tower of London museum was the next on our list. To see the Koh-i-Noor in the Queen’s tiara was a bitter-sweet feeling.

The evening was filled with lively entertainment at the Covent Garden- a public square where loads of tourists gathered to watch street musicians and stand up comedians. It was a great place to eat as well – small cafeterias scattered all around. I tried a goat cheese Panini.

By late night we were roaming at Oxford Circus and peeping into some of London’s famous night clubs…quite a hot scene! We left no stone unturned.

The last day at London was reserved for a day trip to Windsor Castle, Roman Bath and Stone Henge. I was really looking forward to this one as the Stone Henge was the first ever sketch drawn for our History journal that had captivated my mind. It was the first example of the post and lintel system of construction.

The morning was rainy. Typical English weather. The old granny-guide in her crisp English accent told us of long lost tales. The bus filled with different kinds of tourists swerved past green and yellow fields along the same English country roads that had brought out the poet in me…

Stone Henge was a carefully crafted sculpture amidst the greens. The scale was humungous. Makes you wonder how these huge monoliths must have been lifted and placed horizontally over columnar vertical stones…and at that time!

We stopped for lunch at a cottage on the way. I had an English chicken pie while Kris had Indian curry with rice – how typical, I chided. But these are the most popular dishes in London – Chicken Tikka and spicy Indian curry with rice and Naan bread.

It was continuously drizzling and my umbrella was finally out. We walked around the moat of the Windsor castle. The rooms inside were well furnished to royal standards – a home away from home to the royal family. We collected souvenirs for remembrance. The last halt was at the town of Bath where there was a hot spring with a typical Roman bath or Thermae around it. The water was emerald coloured with hazy fumes over it. I dipped my hand, and Ah! Perfectly warm for the chilly rainy day! Immersed in the history of Roman baths, we picked up some bath salts and lotions from the shop there.

There was a fountain of hot water that claimed at deeply cleansing the skin and making a woman more beautiful! I tried that .

The cathedral at Bath town was equally beautiful. Overall it was a sweet town with students loitering by evening, after school, on those cobbled streets and plazas.

It was a long day, but we visited Kris’s cousin at Euston. We also saw the Emirates stadium of Arsenal, on our way back. Unfortunately it wasn’t open, but we got a feel of the place. Arsenal was a dangerously quiet suburb with nobody on the streets. We quickly moved from there and took an underground back to Victoria.

That night I let the boys be boys – Kris went out with his friends for some more pub hopping while I took the night off – reliving the days and finishing the packing for tomorrow.The next morning we had our flight back to Abu Dhabi from Heathrow.

It had been a great exploration. Visiting lots of places in limited time and budget. I had never expected this trip to be such a success! It was our first - one of its kind – it paved way for future well planned trips together. Two is good company, especially if your interests match.We took back parts of England and Scotland in the form of single malt ‘Glenmorangie’ , Scottish kilts and lots of souvenir magnets from each place visited.

It was a unique birthday for me. Now it’s time to plan a Scottish theme birthday surprise for Kris…