Postcard from Cardiff

Unexpected highlight of my trip to Cardiff: the wall which protects Bute Park from the traffic-clogged Cowbridge Road. Perched on the coping stones are delightful animal sculptures some with glass eyes making them seem so alive I imagined them poised on the point of escape into the city centre. I may start a campaign for all walls everywhere to be fitted with these.

The actual purpose of the trip also mixed the imaginary and real worlds - I went to see a painting which featured in Margaret Forster's book 'Keeping the World Away'. The book is part fictionalised biography of the artist Gwen John and part story of other women who've encountered one of her paintings. It's the one on the right below and is called 'Corner of the Artist's Room'. You can see she used the corner as backdrop for other paintings, there are even several versions of the 'Corner' itself and a print of it hangs in my own house. Cardiff Museum and Art Gallery are lucky enough to own an original, well worth driving 100 miles to see. I love the picture because the dormer window is similar to that in my 'book nook', although my view is of south Birmingham tree tops rather than Parisian roofs.

Another unexpected delight in the Cardiff area is Dyffryn Gardens. You know how much I enjoy sitting in a garden and how much I dislike actual gardening. Popping into each differently themed garden 'room' at Dyffryn was fascinating and attempting to select a favourite impossible. What's that? You're not interested in the plants, you want to know about the cafe? Come on, it's National Trust, of course they do good cake!

Postcard from home

I took my holidays early this year so I'm spending the summer in Birmingham working, writing and helping to organise the PowWow LitFest. Given that we've actually had some sunny weather this summer, I'm not feeling sorry for myself. After all, Birmingham does look like a tourist destination sometimes.

Postcard from Granada

Apologies for the dearth of recent posts - I became so bored of seeing snow lying everywhere I couldn't bring myself to photograph it. So I flew to southern Spain - Granada in Andalusia - in hope of better weather. Not entirely successfully. It seems the unseasonable temperatures have hit all Europe which is disappointing.

What was not disappointing was the Alhambra itself. My photo doesn't do it justice. Imagine how that peachy stone would glow under sunlight, how a clear blue sky would show it off. Never mind - while the plain stone walls loom over the town, the interior is something else entirely. Walls half tiled in spice shades and half decorated with detailed arabesque plaster work, marble floored courtyards inset with fountains, carved wooden doors and arched windows looking out to distant mountains (the only place I was happy to see snow). Incredibly exotic.

Hiking up steep hills in chilly drizzle isn't top of my holiday wishlist but when there's a sight like that at the top and a warm bath at the hammam followed by cerveza and tapas waiting at the bottom, that'll do for me thanks!

Postcard from Yorkshire

It struck me when I was writing Christmas cards last year that rather than posting cards to people I don't see frequently enough, wouldn't it be nice to actually go and visit those people? From such random musings are great projects born. Well, I posted the cards and thought I'd leave the actual visits until the weather improved. Mistake. I remember the weather being balmy at Christmas, while February has been stuck in the freezer.

My Christmas card list encompasses most of the UK - from Inverness to Devon - and while it would be fantastic to take a few months off and drive round the entire country, it's more practical to break things down. So, to Yorkshire. And very fine it was too.

In addition to visiting friends from school (one last seen in person about twenty years ago!), I got to the Hepworth Museum and Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield, the galleries, museums, shops and pubs in Leeds, the cafes in York and took this picture on an incredibly scenic drive through the Dales.

Britain is brilliantly diverse and so crammed with spectacle that the distances you have to drive to see such variety aren't actually that great. Well, not if you've made the sensible decision to base yourself in the Midlands and haven't looked into that visit to Inverness too seriously anyway. As much as the catching up with old friends though, I just loved being out on the road. Am already planning my trip to the south west this summer. Surely me turning up on the doorstep with a bottle of wine is better than any Christmas card?

Postcard from Hardwick Hall

The scale of the windows at Hardwick Hall impressed me with their bling, but they must have been even more stunning in the sixteenth century. The entire house seems more glass than stone with a light and feminine feel to its construction all the way up to the filigree-fine ornamentation on the roof. This is a building dressed to impress.

Things get even less macho indoors with soft furnishings the main feature rather than paintings or furniture. And I loved the administrative triumph of the drawer-lined audit room. I almost wanted to live at Hardwick. I just suspect those huge windows of draughtiness.

The Hall couldn't be described as domestic in scale, but it's not stately or defensive. It's just beautiful.

Postcard from Rio

Rio's a huge city. There's loads to do. But in Zona Sul it's all about how little you can do and the best place for that is the beach.

Choose your patch of sand carefully though: each lifeguard 'poste' has its own sub-culture. I'm a long way from being trendy, and you know I'm also lazy, so it's a good job my nearest 'poste' was 11: family-friendly, so less pressure to look good.

No matter which poste you choose though, the soundtrack is the same: shouts of 'Olha o Globo!' from passing vendors. I don't know which food group Biscoito Globo fall within. They seem to be made of crunchy air and are either salted or sweet. The texture is like no biscuit you ever tasted and I'm convinced they have no calorific value. There's no need to inform me if you know otherwise.

Postcard from Iguazu

I've gone for the Spanish spelling of Iguazu Falls because, even though I was on holiday in Portuguese-speaking Brazil, I took this photo on the Argentinian side of the river. The actual border crossing is on a far less exciting concrete bridge some way downstream of the Falls and involves officials, bureaucracy and queues. On the river, nature sweeps all that aside and just says, 'I'm coming though'.

When you stand at the end of the walkway to the edge of the largest of the falls you can't be anything but impressed. The noise is overwhelming, the drop alarming and, even though you're experiencing only the tiny fraction of water which rises as spray, you're drenched. There isn't really any need for the health and safety signs which, thanks to the Brazilians employing a comedy translator, read 'Do not overtake the bannisters'.

The language doesn't matter. You only need one word: wow.

Postcard from Salcombe

I'm lazy. I don't deny it. So if I'm going to climb steep hills there needs to be a reward involved. Fortunately for Salcombe, the view delivered from the top and the short boat trip across the estuary to sandy beaches drenched in late afternoon sun meant I felt the expedition to the bottom worth it when faced with the million steps back up to the car. Well, it felt like a million.

I admit it: I also can't deny that having partaken of tea and cake at the beach side cafe may have may have made the climb more arduous. But what are holidays for if not indulgence?

Postcard from my post bag

OK, so I make a lot of fuss about postcards, to the extent that several of my friends and family are kind enough to continue to include me in their travels by sending a card rather than email, text or silence. The above arrived in the last month or so and each brightened my day with its vicarious visit to Barcelona, Yorkshire and a Greek beach. From the article and comments here it's obvious I'm not the only one to still delight in them (the comment about 'middle-aged or elderly' rankled a little, have I really crossed that line?)

Last week I went to a preview of a show which will be at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this month: Me, Myself and Miss Gibbs - the story of an investigation inspired by a postcard of Lincoln Cathedral sent in 1910. See? Postcards as life-changing dramatic device!

If you think it's just a photo of a beach, you're missing out. I'm off for a mini-break in Devon this weekend, anyone fancy a card?

Postcard from the Pantheon

Two thousand years old and yet it's the most impressive dome I've ever seen. Yes, I've visited the one in London; so the standard was set fairly low! The fact the Pantheon in Rome is still standing and looks so fresh is a wonder in itself even before you get round to realising how nice it is in there.

It just shouldn't work. The only light comes through that hole in the roof, and that hole in the roof lets in rain. Any architect proposing the design would be deemed insane. Inside though, it's fresh, calm and beautiful.

These days it's a Catholic church and there are some altars and tombs of significance. All I could do however was look up.

Postcard from Charlestown

It was cool and windy in Cornwall last weekend, but bagging a bargain on last minute accommodation always gives a warm glow. I was staying up hill with a sliver of sea view so took the first opportunity I could to get down to the coast itself. And was thwarted. On arrival in Charlestown late last Thursday there was not a parking space to be had. The place was heaving.

What I didn't know was that I was visiting a film star. The Georgian harbour and resident tall ships do still work in their original capacity, but mostly they stand in for other places for filming purposes. Last week Dr Who was in town; hence the mayhem. The TARDIS had left by the time I got there next day. I'll have to watch closely to find out what planet or era present day Cornwall is thought to resemble.

That is a hint of turquoise you can make out in the sea. If the sun had only been a little stronger and the drizzle had dried up, I couldn't have wished to be transported in time.

Postcard from Eden

Cornwall's climate is benign compared to the rest of Britain.  The sheltering walls of a former quarry pit make the Eden Project's site even more plant-friendly.  The grounds showcase Cornish habitats as well as containing a lovely display of British flowers and vegetables intermixed with some foreign species coping just fine in the warmer temperatures.  Inside the domes though is where things get really interesting.

It may look like temptingly poppable bubble wrap from a distance, but the special covering retains heat and moisture while letting UV light through, meaning that Mediterranean-type and rainforest habitats can be recreated in south west England.   It's quite an experience to wander from Cornwall to Greece and on to Malaysia all in the course of one afternoon.

I loved seeing all the fruit and veg, from papaya and pineapples to nectarines and strawberries, and couldn't resist walking past beds filled with colourful salad ingredients into the cafe.  It would have been rude not to indulge in the Cornish cream tea after all.  I needed the energy to get me to another of Cornwall's special environments and an evening stroll along miles of golden sands.

Postcard from Singapore

Moving on from the occasionally outlandish architectural and design choices made in Melbourne, it was a surprise to find that the otherwise staid mix of traditional and corporate buildings in Singapore have been joined by a boat.  A big boat.  Hoist to the top of three curved tower blocks (indicating a wave) and planted up with palm trees.  As roof gardens go it's certainly different.  Still looks as if a container ship has run aground 50 floors up though.

The balconies and awnings which still line Boat Quay are easier on the eye, not least because, when sitting under an awning, you can't see the generic skyscrapers.  Mostly generic.  Those built by Chinese companies do sometimes incorporate gaps through the upper floors or are angled to accommodate the principles of Feng Shui or folklore.

My photo of the boat building didn't quite work out, so I'll share this one of the symbol of Singapore: the Merlion.  This fantastical animal is half lion, half fish.  In the tradition of offices the world over I brought back biscuits for my colleagues which claimed to be Merlion flavoured.  Worried by this, a vegetarian scanned the ingredients list.  Turns out that Merlion flavour is mostly vanilla with a hint of custard powder.

Postcard from Melbourne

This is the view from the Eureka! Skydeck on the 88th floor of the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.  To my ear, it rather spoilt the boast to have to add that '...in the Southern Hemisphere' qualifier.  I liked the view and don't think Melbourne has any need to justify itself by defining its terms.

Like all Aussie cities it's a fairly new looking place where some, um, innovative ideas in architectural design are being indulged; as are some quite strange ideas for public art.  The square cow stranded upside down in a tree didn't add much to the dockside promenade for me.

It's what's going on in Melbourne that matters more though.  From hidden away but buzzing rooftop bars, through exhibitions to international sporting events, there's loads happening.  No need for any qualifiers - I had a great time.

ps Congratulations to Team Flotsam for completing the Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne 100km challenge.

Postcard from Exeter

I am assured that, on a sunny day, Cathedral Green in Exeter is full of people sitting, eating, walking, talking, and generally enjoying themselves.  Here's what it's like on a grey and cold day.  What a lovely bit of evening sun that's just caught the windows of the medieval-looking building in the far corner of the square though.  Shame the sun didn't show its face earlier.

The people of Exeter were still sitting, eating and talking though; they just did it indoors.  For example, Michael Caines' restaurant (not "my name is" Michael Caine's) in the Royal Clarence Hotel behind the lamppost here was enticing people in with "The Best Sandwich in the World".  They have an award from a competition held in Paris to back up this astounding claim.  Vegetarians: look away now - the world-beating filling is Devonshire beef.

It does sound good but, unwilling to part with £10 when I was only looking for an afternoon snack, I tried a different Devon speciality: scones.  It may not have been the best scone in the world, but I can confirm that the eating opportunities around Cathedral Green do not disappoint!

Postcard from Topsham

Just one final glimpse of the seaside for this year although, I admit it, this photo dates back a few months.  And, to be absolutely technically accurate, it's an estuary rather than the sea.

 

One thing Topsham is known for is the large number of pubs for the size of the town.  This photo was unsurprisingly taken from the front garden of one of them where I was sipping at a pint of locally brewed cider.  Sometimes folk from Exeter (ok, students) travel to Topsham to take part in a pub crawl around as many of the pubs as they can manage.  My question would be: why move from this one when the view is so perfect?

 

Winter sunsets can be magnificent of course, but they're not often experienced from pub gardens whilst quaffing cool cider.  I'm looking forward to next summer already.

Postcard from the parlour

Sunny afternoons in Britain aren't complete until you've heard the chimes of the ice cream van. The discordant rendition of 'Greensleeves' is a more welcome soundtrack to summer than drumbeats leaking from the open windows of passing cars.

My problem is that a Mr Whippy-style dollop into a cone made of crunchy air cannot satisfy the Pavlovian craving the music triggers. Not even if you stick a Flake in it.

I'm certain there's a gap in the market for quality ice cream parlours in the suburbs. I'd love to be able to wander down the road and choose from a range of delicious flavours as I did in the tiny ice cream parlour in Spain, pictured above.

I selected creamy coffee (and a pink spoon), my companion chose decadently rich chocolate (and a blue spoon) – gender stereotypes are alive and well! The gelato texture was heavy and smooth, the flavours intense. My only disappointment was that they weren't playing 'Greensleeves'.

Postcard from the seaside

Surf's up! Well, it looks a bit rough actually. So much for a holiday in the sun, Fuerteventura's famous winds blew a lot of cloud my way. The kite surfers were well served; the sunbathing book readers weren't so impressed.

On this hazy day we travelled from the soft dunes of Corralejo to the lava shores of El Cotillo (pictured), taking a loop through the mountains of Betancuria. Perhaps in the photo you can just make out the mountains in the distance? So much varied landscape in one small island, and all so much greener than expected because, just my luck, it's rained a lot recently.

Of course, one of the best things about being beside the seaside, is eating a meal at a beachside restaurant, looking out across the water (and eating fish caught in those waters). The food certainly made up for the weather; although, some sunbathing was managed - with interruptions.