Something a touch different this week.
Last week I took a holiday. Some might argue that it was ill-deserved. To them I say: Shush.
After all, a holiday is what you make of it. In my case, it was some much-needed rest and relaxation with good friends.
I began in that there London, oft-maligned capital of this green and pleasant land (thank you Billy Blake), and sampled the delights of that wonderful city. I wandered through Leicester Square, sauntered through Hyde Park, strolled down the Mall, and there were other places in London involved too. However, while the first day in London was filled with lovely sights and sunshine, the crowning glory of the day was easily Pitch Perfect 2. I will apologise now, and simultaneously redact that apology. That film is at once utterly ridiculous, incredibly silly, and totally wonderful. The plot, whilst paper-thin (some nonsense about Rebel Wilson exposing herself to Barack Obama and therefore plot taking place), provides the watchers with just enough reason to care to get engrossed in the film. The (main) characters are reasonably developed, though Fat Amy does steal more or less every scene she’s in. The music is of course excellent, and I heartily recommend you see it.
We also did ‘proper’ things like heading to 221B Baker Street, which was surreal – rather like stepping back in time, with the building’s Victorian-uniformed police guard and creaky floorboards giving the entire thing an aura of “This is definitely what it was like”. I am aware that Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, worry not.
The third of the highlights from the trip to London was undoubtedly the Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour. I realise I’ve gushed a little bit already, but there frankly aren’t enough positive things that I can say about this entire tour. Everything that is there is just really cool. It’s laid out beautifully, the guides know their stuff, there are semi-awkward cameos from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
Especially Rupert Grint.
Obviously, that’s not to say that London doesn’t have flaws, but these are the same as those in any major city – expenses, rudeness and traffic are the orders of the day – but they detract very little from a world capital like this.
We then moved on from London to the ancient city of York.
The original York. The best York (possibly).
It’s an odd mix, this city. By turns, it is Roman, Viking, Norman and then onwards to the present day. I say ‘by turns’ because quite literally, you might be walking through The Shambles (Medieval), turn a corner onto Pavement (Georgian and Modern), and pass through several centuries without even blinking.
It’s beautiful, if disconcerting, to walk through the city too, and see consistent reminders of the city’s history, such as the occasional Viking around Jorvik*, or the impressive statue of Emperor Constantine I outside the Minster**.
As a side note: should you ever have a chance to visit Betty’s Tea Rooms, then I heartily recommend you do. It is a quintessential English tea room, with superb food, drinks and service.
But the road goes ever on and on (Mr. Tolkien, I thank you), and then we were off once more. This time, our destination was Edinburgh.
Quite in contrast to York, Edinburgh is a city marked by its division into Old Town and New Town. On the one side exists the Medieval town, with winding streets and closes, while the other has the smart and formal lines of James Craig, but both are overshadowed by the monstrous (and I mean that in the best possible way) form of Edinburgh Castle. It doesn’t so much sit atop its crag as it does loom, casting a great shade over the city below.
The castle, as an addendum, is definitely worth a visit. It’s got a number of museums included in the grounds, each of which would be worth viewing individually, but when combined with the rest of the structure they combine into a grand day out. Down the Royal Mile from the castle, amongst all the tourist shops (kilts, whisky, blankets etc.) lies Mary King’s Close, another excellent destination. One part museum, and another part storytelling experience, you are taken below what makes up the modern street level to see an original close as it was (and would have been). Friendly tour guides with a sense of humour make for an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Festival season sees the city teeming with life, with a ridiculous number of people descending upon the town to see every show in the programme. However, it was just another day while we were there, but to get away from even that hustle and bustle, we climbed the (slightly) intimidating Arthur’s Seat – a very gentle climb, but certainly worth doing. We could see across the entire area all the way far beyond the Firth, and though it was almost obscenely windy, it was magnificent.
From here, we travelled to the capital of Wales: Cardiff. A lovely city, with a variety of distractions, foremost of which is the number of locations from Doctor Who, not to mention the Doctor Who Experience. We had a lovely jaunt through the city, with many “That’s the bit from that episode!” being noticed by each. The Doctor Who Experience is also a fun time, structured as an adventure through time and space before you save the universe and wander through a combination of TARDISes, costumes and other miscellany. Not as well thought out as the Harry Potter tour, to my mind, but still enjoyable.
All that was left to do was to enjoy the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular. And it was. It really, really was. The BBC’s National Orchestra of Wales, along with the Welsh Chorus sounded simply divine as they were conducted by the effervescent Ben Foster. All the music you could want was there, and it was the perfect way to round off a lovely holiday.
And now I’m back at work. So there’s that.
Regardless, I’ll be back to writing about books next weekend, fret not.
Bookaccio 