Wednesday, 13 January 2010
History, it's just one bloody thing after another. (BTT)
Given the choice, which do you prefer? Real history? Or historical fiction? (Assume, for the purposes of this discussion that they are equally well-written and engaging.)
It has to be historical fiction. Mere facts cannot be as illuminating as fiction can, no matter how well written it is. Gaining access to an imagined point of view on a historical event or situation can teach us just as much about it as the pure facts can and fiction gives us a social understanding too.
Ps- 'The Other Boleyn Girl' is exempt from the above praise. Historical fiction should not re-write history, it should fill in the gaps that research cannot.
Monday, 11 January 2010
Gan doon the toon
Entering Newcastle across the Tyne is a breath-taking experience. The domed glass of the Sage concert hall gleams on the Gateshead quays alongside a proud reminder of the industrial history of the area, the Baltic Flour Mill, which has been beautifully renovated to house a modern art museum.
Newcastle and Gateshead are the perfect geographical double act: they’ve grown up together, fought hard for success and could never really be enjoyed separately; just like Ant and Dec! In addition to the Sage and the Baltic Gateshead boasts the iconic angel of the North, the most viewed public art work in Britain, and the multi-storey car park which featured in the 1971 film ‘Get Carter’. Newcastle, traditionally the more up-market of the two, was recently voted arts capital of the UK and as home to 50,000 students is now becoming increasingly attractive to young professionals too.
Some of the less dramatic art venues around the city are as worthy of a visit as the Baltic; although a trip there is essential even if it’s just to see the view across the region from the glass viewing balcony. The Laing, in the centre of town, is a more traditional gallery, boasting the likes of ‘The Breton Shepherdess’ by Gaugin and many pieces concerning the Tyneside area.
The Biscuit Factory in Shieldfield, close to the student area of the city, is a relaxed commercial gallery which doesn’t seem to mind the presence of scruffy students who will clearly never buy anything except perhaps a poster print. The Discovery Museum (which, crucially, is free) and the Life Science Museum are great places for a family day out, or just to rediscover your childish curiosities. Whilst if history, rather than science, is your thing a wander round the 11th century Tynemouth priory and castle or the 12th century castle keep in the city centre itself.
Newcastle’s reputation as a party city is older than its claim to cultural capital, but just as well founded. The huge number of thriving bars and clubs also breeds competition, to such an extent that trebles for singles seems to have become the rule across the city centre. Try Digital or Attic for a big night out, or live music at The Cooperage, housed in an 13th century building on the quayside, is great for a quieter one.
However it’s probably advisable to avoid Saturday nights in the ‘toon’ when flocks of hens and rambunctious stags, usually complete with every plastic accessory Ann Summers has to offer, flood noisily into the city centre. A number of quirky bars and music venues around (a few great ones are clustered on the Newcastle quays) offer less chaotic entertainment all week round. Try the Cluny, under the arches of Byker bridge for real ale, comfy surroundings and live music.
Partying by night means, if you’re anything like me, that shopping to complete that perfect outfit is essential. Newcastle doesn’t disappoint here either. Whether you’re into rummaging through vintage and charity shops or just popping into your favourite high street stores, the city centre is easy to navigate and mostly pedestrianised, which makes grabbing those irresistible shoes all the more pleasurable. The curve of Grey Street, described by Prime Minister Gladstone in 1862 as “our best modern street”, is now littered with designer names and busy cafes.
Newcastle-Gateshead has come a long way since the glory days of its ship yards, but somehow it has managed to embrace both new cultural influences and industrial history to maintain its unique and endearing identity. Of course it’s not all sparkling new architecture and modern art, parts of the region are still seriously impoverished, but recent regeneration efforts deserve due praise. So if all that springs to mind when you think of Newcastle are grim miner-types in flat caps, it’s about time for a rethink, and a visit to this the cultural metropolis of the North will certainly make you do that.
Newcastle-Gateshead Hotspots
Drink
Mr Lynch has the only 2am license in the student area of Jesmond, and he really makes the most of it. The Kitsch décor and mismatched seventies furniture is enough to keep you entertained all night, let alone the impressive cocktail menu and live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If that’s not enough, they even sell Curly Wurlys behind the bar. Beware though, Mr Lynch isn’t a cheap date.
Eat
Belle and Herbs, Heaton, is another student hotspot well worth a trip. It’s a good idea to starve yourself for a little while before in order to truly appreciate their mammoth meals. The Macho Grande Club is a work of art: a three tier toasted sandwich with griddled steak, tomato salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, soured cream, guacamole, jalepeno peppers, fresh coriander and even tortilla chips AND it comes with a mountain of the best potato wedges you will ever taste.
Shop
Ok, maybe this is cheating a little bit since no real person can actually afford anything here, but the boutique Have to Love in Gosforth takes window shopping to the next level. I couldn’t possibly buy anything from the super-chic French label Manoush or American retro, but it’s all so perfectly arranged that even just to look at them is satisfying.
Sleep
If you’re in the position to splash out, the Malmaison hotel next-door to the Hilton on the Newcastle quayside is the place to do it. The imposing gothic entrance may look like an enormous venus fly trap, but the interior is decorated in deep purples and plush velvets guaranteed to make your stay a luxurious one.
Backpacker Digs
Backpacker Digs
When you think of backpackers’ hostels style is not what comes to mind. Flea-ridden mattresses, grubby facilities, general drunken debauchery or that horrible slasher film are probably much higher up the list. But times are changing and the hostels are too. The Boar’s Travel team brings you our top stylish sleeps from around the world:
The Gershwin
Just off New York’s 5th Avenue, the Gershwin Hostel building is a thirteen storey homage to Andy Warhol and all things pop art. (pictured middle right) Each floor is hung with prints from a different artist. It works under a kind of vertical caste system: below the snazzier rooms on the top floors there are a collection of cheaper high-spec, red wood-beamed dorm rooms. Most importantly, the fourth floor is the “models floor”, with extra closet space especially designed for models trying to make it in the Big Apple. Don’t all hop on a plane at once boys, pre-booking is advised.
Eco paradise.
Ok so flying there will give you a carbon footprint the size of a Yeti, but this hostel’s so green you might leave looking more like the hulk. Built completely from recycled materials and renewable products Hedonisia Hawaii offers a trial of the good life in stunning surroundings. Guests are encouraged to try living off the land and help out in the vegetable garden. One four-bed room is made from an old school bus and another from a tractor, and all have stunning sea views. Even the eco-friendly toilet looks out over the Hawaiian jungle for complete relaxing experience.
Treetop hostel in Turkey
Think you’d look good as a modern Tarzan or Jane? Saban Treehouses on the Olympos coast could be the place to give it a go. Perfectly situated for watersports, hiking, climbing and exploring the ancient city this place promises a very different experience from your average flea-ridden hostel. The family who run it even provide traditional Turkish fare in a communal dining area each evening and fresh local produce for breakfast, all inclusive.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Hostel
The Qing Yuan hostel actually featured in Ang Lee’s 2000 film and is full of the period features expected of a site over 200 years old. Situated in the Wuyuan province in the mountain village of Qingyuan the hostel is great for exploring rural china. But if hiking isn’t your thing it’s still worth a visit just to relax in the peaceful courtyard and take advantage of the friendly manager’s local knowledge. Best of all it costs less than £2 a night!
The Santos Express
Parked right on the beach at Mossel Bay, a beautiful town along South Africa’s garden route, this hostel is cleverly packed into an old train. Dorms provide sea views and decor reminiscent of a Victorian steam engine. Although it’s not quite first class, the price, great food, regular braais (BBQs) and a lively bar make this a great place to relax and socialise.
Prison Break
Many people would think of a night in a hostel as a prison sentence, well in this case they’d be right. The HI- Ottawa hostel is located in a former prison that operated for over 100 years. It offers the chance to sleep in the cells, prison hospital, or the governor’s quarters if you can bribe your way in. On the 8th floor of this Victorian architectural relic the Carleton County Gaol Heritage Centre gives visitors a chance to learn what life what like for the prison’s inmates and take a ghost tour of the cells. Just be careful not to get locked in!
Famous Footsteps
Famous Footsteps
Popular culture today is dragged along like a puppy on a leash by the media and its craze for celebrity.
When Victoria Beckham wears a new style of tiny jacket teenage girls across the country can be seen sporting the same within weeks. If Kate Moss is spotted watching an unknown band they are almost guaranteed a hit, and whenever Richard and Judy review a novel it hits the bestseller list immediately. The media presents us with ideals of perfection to follow and the tourism industry is no exception to this bizarre rule of causality.
The hordes of tourists currently invading quiet Greek island Skopelos prove that celebrity sells when it comes to holiday destinations too. The so called ‘Mama Mia effect’ has seen hundreds of tourists trek to the film’s setting, a forested island in the Aegean Sea. Until its release last year, Skopelos was known only for plums, pears and pine trees. With a population of just 4,696 and without an airport, it had managed to escape the fate of other gaudy Greek resorts.
Nonetheless, the success of the film is perfectly timed to boost this struggling economy which depends heavily on tourism. In the ABBA musical Greece is idyllically figured, much like it was in the 1970s when the tourist industry there first boomed. As a result many have praised the film as a much-needed advert for the area, despite worries that this influx could destroy the unspoilt beauty of the island.
Mama Mia is not alone; films have long been recognised as a great marketing strategy to boost tourism. Australia, released this year, is expected to increase tourism down under, particularly to quirkier destinations like Darwin, where much of the filming took place. The Lord of the Rings trilogy acted as a stunning advert for New Zealand and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin did more for another Greek island, Cephalonia, than anyone could have imagined.
Another powerful factor influencing tourism is the holiday choices of stars themselves. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s choice to make Namibia the birthplace of their child, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, was welcomed by its tourism board.
In addition to spending a fortune at a luxury resort in the town of Swakopmund they helped put this reasonably unknown country on the map. There a probably millions of Americans who had never heard of the South West African country before Pitt and Jolie’s extended stay there.
In fact the government valued this celebrity endorsement so highly they were willing to risk their democratic reputation in order to attract the attention of US gossip magazines. Despite a media freedom which is often held up as a standard for the rest of the continent, the Namibian government imposed strong restrictions during the celebrity couple’s stay.
They deported three French journalists and arrested a South African photographer to make Jolie and Pitt feel safe enough to have their baby in the country. As a result Namibia maintained a place in worldwide news for months and the tourist industry there is on the rise.
Adventure travel too often takes a lead from the celebs. Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman’s hit series, The Long Way Round, was not only a huge TV success, but also inspired hundreds of other bikers to take copycat trips. However, the pair were in turn influenced by legendary motorcyclist Ted Simon, whose book Jupiter’s Travels provided the idea for their expedition.
Due to the media, all our travels, even those of the celebs themselves, are invested with cultural and historical references. There’s no such thing as an original travel idea, but that is what makes every journey important, it is part of being human that we necessarily follow in each others’ footsteps.
This is proven by the fact that modern celebrities are not the only ones to draw hordes of tourists to destinations across the world. Historical figures are of course great tourist attractions: that’s why Yorkshire is so keen to claim Robin Hood as their own. (Can I just say, as a Nottingham girl, he’s ours. Hands off!)
These kinds of attractions can be big business for the industry: London’s Whitechapel hosts daily ‘Jack the Ripper’ tours for those with enough morbid curiosity to see the exact spots where he murdered his victims, and they don’t come cheap.
Literature too has had a profound impact upon travel trends historically. Wordsworth and Coleridge pioneered the idea of walking as a pursuit rather than merely the necessary burden of the poor. Michael Palin, who has himself inspired countless travellers, followed in Ernest Hemingway’s footsteps in another hit travel series based on the memories of people who knew the American icon.
Kerouac’s On The Road is largely responsible for the ultimate ‘cool’ travel mode, the road trip. Innumerable travel writers and fans have traced his route across the US and an industry has sprung up along it. Thanks to the beat generation writers, San Francisco is still seen as a hub of cultural activity and the Vesuvio café in the centre of the city, where Kerouac was once a regular, thrives on his reputation.
Nowadays our fascination with celebrity extends to every reach of life and we’re so interested in where they like to go that The Times even has a weekly feature, ‘My Hols’, which focuses on the travel penchants of a variety of stars. Who wouldn’t be fascinated by the fact that Moby enjoys bungee jumping in Patagonia while Johnny Vegas loves nowhere better than Scarborough?
When Colin Firth isn’t prancing around on a Greek island proving that there’s a reason he never became a rock star, the West of Scotland and the Sahara are his haunts of choice. Personally I’d give anything to run into him relaxing by Loch Fyne, which he admires for its ‘impossibly romantic glow’. Scotland suddenly seems a very attractive destination.
It’s a phenomenon that has existed for thousands of years; since the birth of religion people have been travelling the routes of their idols hoping to gain some new insight into them. With new media forms and the increasing ease of travel these trips are no longer considered pilgrimages, but ultimately that is what they are.
Whether we admire a famous figure for profound religious teachings or a particularly impressive performance of ‘Dancing Queen’, following their footsteps is still aspiring to a perceived level of perfection. Surely there can’t be any harm in that.