Cosmos Tour Europe - 10 Days, 7 Countries

Day 1: London  & shopping

Arriving in London a day before the tour started I decided to tick off a few more of London’s attractions. First on my list was Camden Town. Although I didn’t quite blend in the mass of teenagers wearing black leggings and black eyeliner, I was just as keen on the quirky stalls and left with some Banksy print art boards. 

Day 2: London, The Globe & Mouse Trap

Tube maintenance meant for a long walk from Waterloo station  to the Globe Theatre and, despite my flushed face, I don’t think the Starbucks barista believed I could've walked that far. The Globe theatre tour was very informative! I didn't realise that the Globe was built entirely by hand, using authentic materials, and was built to the exact dimensions of the original Globe theatre.

My uncle Peter took me to see the Mouse Trap that evening which, as the longest running show in London, did not disappoint. It was superb! The 'whodunnit' murder mystery story had me completely a loss and I would never have guessed X was the murderer. (At the closing of the show we were sworn to secrecy, and now over a year on, I've conveniently forgotten who X was anyway!)

Day 3: Art & More Art

A tad over eager the next morning I headed down to Covent Garden and Soho at about 8am. If it hadn't been a Sunday, this wouldn't of been so bad, but not a thing was open. Window shopping was fine though - I needed to save my money for my impending Europe Tour....

The Chris Olifif exhibition at the Tate Britain sported large works ordained with oh so artistic - elephant dung! In Colombo I remember I bought a photo album made from elephant dung paper. Hmm, the curious the uses of elephant waste.

After marvelling at the works of Gainsborough at the Tate, later in afternoon I crossed town (crossing the Thames by boat!) and saw some of the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery, ahh.

Day 4: LONDON- BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, the start of the Tour

This was the official start day of the tour and the lobby of the Thistle Hotel was chaotic to say the least. Being a bit spoilt with the five star hotels I get to stay at with the airline, I was not sorry to leave the "Thistle Euston", by the train station and the creepy park.

We were not the only tour departing that day and as, I surveyed the other members waiting to fill up the buses, my reservations about the next ten days started to mount. Despite the travel agent assuring me that there would be other single travellers, there was only one - luckily a lovely woman, Jenny. Our group was mostly senior couples, three or four families and some young children...oh dear. Later in the week, over some beers on the Rhine, the members jokingly admonished me for not being on an 'under 35s' tour group. Maybe I should have, but I quite liked not having a hangover every day and a nice comfortable room to myself.  

We left England with a poignant view of the Dover White Cliffs behind us, and ahead, the choppy English Channel. That evening we were to be in Brussels – how exciting!

After docking in Calais, we boarded a new bus with a new driver and drove to Brussels. That evening we visited the parliamentary palace surrounded by horizontal trees. ( These horizontal tree shades historically would protect the ladies of the palace from the sun). We had dinner in the square at an oddly Italian restaurant and stayed at the Holiday Inn.

Brussels apparently has French and Flemish influences, and the cobbled stone roads, narrow buildings, canals and little windows were so picturesque. The town happily revealed to us some delectable delights and we sampled Begium chocolate, waffles and the country's beer. We also just had to see the infamous ‘Water Peeing Boy'.

Day 5: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – RHINE CRUISE, GERMANY

From breakfasting in Brussels to an afternoon beer on the Rhine in Germany, this was another day of lots of driving! It was nice then to kick up our feet on the boat and play 'eye-spy a castle'. Castles dotted the steep mountainous terrain which lined the Rhine, and so too did curious vertical vineyards. At one point, when we passed marker 555, our guide told us of the ill-fated story of Lorelei  - the young maiden who dramatically jumped off the now 'Lorelei' rock after her lover was found to be unfaithful.


Day 6: Rothenburg & the ROMATIC ROAD – INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA
On this day we drove through Bavaria and arrived at Rothenburg early in the morning. Rothenburg was absolutely one of the highlights of my trip. This is one of the seats of the old Roman empire and the town, with its castle and traditional buildings intact seems to cling to its byone era.

Travelling to Austria that day necessitated, again, a lot driving. Thankfully though our route was along the Romantic Road.
A vote on board fortunately allowed for a detour in Innsbruck to the Swarovski shop where I bought my mother a necklace. She loves the necklace and I love the photos I took of the gorgeous town! And later that night we were in Frankfurt.

The bus rules included a daily 'seat rotation' of moving up two seats. This was to ensure everyone had a chance to seat at the front of the bus. We had one group member though, Papa Smurf’ (dubbed this name because of his red cap and 'larger' physique) who would snore for hours on end, talk loudly on his phone and eat crisps and apples (breaking the no eating rule). I was quick to break the seat rotation, and rotate myself as far away as possible from him, much to annoyance of Canadian family with their neat maps who were always punctual and seemed to strictly follow all rules. 

Day 7: INNSBRUCK - VENICE, ITALY 


The route today took us through Italy over the “Europa Bridge” and the Brenner Pass.

Once in Venice we visited a typical Venetician glass blowing workshop, and a lovely example of their work now sits on my cabinet:)

We were treated to a gondola ride in Venice and had a group of accordion players to accompany us. They did a good job of strumming up my sentimental chords, and with the semi sunken buildings of Venice all around, it was pure bliss! 

St Marks Square was packed with tourists and pigeons, and not being a fan of large groups of either, I sat with our guide and ate pricy gelato in a quieter spot. Jenny and I later had a glass of wine and discovered that the same glass of wine sells for 3.4 euro standing inside and 7 euro sitting outside. We decided to be cheap and stand.

Day 8: VENICE – VERONA, ITALY – LAKE LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND

At Juilet's balcony and courtyard I read some of the love notes posted on the wall and touched Juliet’s statue for 'good luck' - (I'm guessing its for luck in love, though this is yet to be seen!) I feel very fortunate to have seen this famous wall (which features in the movie 'Letters to Juliet'), although the authenticity of the location is questionable. 

Also in Verona we got the chance to sample local food and watch the buskers at the market of L'arena.

Day 9: LAKE LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND

We arose early as usual and set out on a small boat for a cruise on Lake Lucerne. It was so early, and on a very misty morning, that Lake Lucerne seemed more like Lake Eerie to me! 
Later that morning a cable car took us up the peak of Mount Stanserhorn. As we chugged up the steep rise, we passed by little 'Hansel & Gretal' houses and cute little (near vertical) farms. We lunched at the revolving restaurant on top on Mount Stanserhorn and enjoyed the snow (and the view) at the top. 

For dinner we were entertained by some local Swiss performances and a band whose instuments included spoons.

Day 10: SWITZERLAND –DIJON, FRANCE

Beautiful countryside pathed our way to France. This was the day I learned of the ash cloud grounding all flights in Europe and I became rather apprehensive about how I was going to get home.

Day 11: DIJON – PARIS, FRANCE & our final farewell dinner:)

We arrived in Paris in the afternoon and embarked on a whorlwind sightseeing tour of the city. We went to the Eiffel Tower (I passed on going up it - the queues!), we saw the Lourve, parliment buildings, Sacre Coeur (my favourite place in Paris) and ended the evening in Montparnasse for dinner. Here we were to experience traditional french cuisine - snails and froglegs. Fortunatley the four vegetarians of the group were seated together (and I in the middle), so I could easily overt my eyes from the legs and slimy snails featuring in most of the dinner plates.
Being the last night, and having wine flowing, everyone really let their hair down! Some of the senior couples started dancing, the canadian family made a speech and even Papa Smurf was having a good time (he wasn't dozing off!) 

The bus tour was great and everyone was lovely. Next time though, I'd do it with a friend - or better yet I'd hire a car and do the whole myself!

(The ash cloud did ground me for a extra couple of nights in Paris, but who can really complain about that:)

(Trip from April 2010)

New York New York

Accosted by Elvis

New York is a city that always surprises, and quite literally in my case.  In the dewy hours of a Saturday morning, while walking down to Time Square for a coffee, I encountered Elvis Presley jumping out at me on 7^th Avenue! Appearing from nowhere, with fingers outstretched and a face contorted, he shouted ‘Ahh,’ and gave me such a fright I recoiled and shrieked. Although the chuckles of two young men watching from some steps nearby quickly brought me back to my composure, I turned to ‘Elvis’ and shouted after him.  I told him it was much too early to be scaring people on the street. In actual fact though it was rather nice to see an Elvis impersonator out on the street, and his black woosh-wig, leather pants and silver circle sunglasses did a good job of startling me.  

A Salvdador Dali Surprise

WholeFoods in New York is food heaven for me! And every New York trip I get I always rush to check out the gluten-free, wheat-free, vegan, raw and vegetarian food they stock. While nothing usually would get in the way of me and the WholeFood’s salad bar, on this occasion a large elephant did. Dali’s elephant statue! There was also the ballerina and the grand piano! The actual sculptures were right there, in New York, displayed on the ground level of Colombus Centre. As it had only been a few months earlier that I had been in Paris touring the actual Dali museum, I was so excited and carefully photographed each one. Seeing Salvador Dali’s art, while on the way to the supermarket, just doesn’t happen in most cities. Oh I love New York and its surprises.

Central Park through the Seasons

I have been so lucky to have had New York trips in every season. Here are some of the photos of my favourite place, Central Park; in the sunshine and the snow. AhhJ 

Modern City, Ancient Art

Discovering Dubai through its Arabic Calligraphy

By Gillian Gilbride

If a white board is the perfect canvas for a painting, then the desert may just be the perfect canvas for building a city.

Dubai, with it’s tallest tower, indoor ski-field and Palm island has certainly met that creative challenge.

Although outwardly modern in appearance, Dubai has strong traditional roots and a revered traditional art form – Arabic calligraphy. What place does this ancient craft have in Dubai’s modern city today?

Gillian Gilbride trails the calligrapher’s pen around Dubai to find out. 

Mohammed sits cross-legged. Poised in one hand is his reed pen dripping black ink. Pressed under his other hand is a camel-skin leather parchment. He wipes his brow, cautious that the sweat on his forehead does not stain the page before his pen does. His hand is steady though, sturdy with the knowledge of his masters. Years of practice culminates as the black ink pools at the tip of his pen. The proportion and line of the stroke must be exact, or else the parchment is ruined.

Who is this Mohammed? Is he real? And does he exist in Dubai?

Dubai is a city renowned for its skyscrapers and seven-star opulence. I’m curious to find out if, with all the glitz and glamour, there are still Emiratis delicately penning calligraphic scrolls in Dubai’s desert dunes.   

I begin my journey during the holy month of Ramadan, on a Friday, when a 40 degree heat is already fierce in the lunchtime sky. Google promises me traditional handicrafts, camels, Bedouin tents and art at Dubai’s Heritage Village. I head off to the Shindaga area and visit the open-air expanse where traditional Barasti style souqs (small shops) line a central courtyard arena of sand, hot sand.

I scour the arena simultaneously for signs of Islamic art and an air-conditioned powered Barasti hut. As I pass empty Bedouin tents, it dawns on me that Ramadan, the holy month of prayers and fasting - when much of the city is at rest during the day - is probably not the best month for my foray into Arabic calligraphy. 

Any culturally-inclined tourist, in addition to the Heritage Village, will undoubtedly seek out the Dubai Museum. The Dubai Museum sits along the Dubai Creek, the stretch of water separating ‘old’ and ‘new’ Dubai.  Much of the new development of Dubai has taken place on the Bur Dubai side of the creek, while Diera, the old trading hub, is still dense with older buildings and merchant souqs.

(The abra station on the Dubai Creek)

These creek waterways were an important thoroughfare for the trading dhows from India and, for a dirham, locals and tourists can ride the abra (a traditional wooden boat) across. Also bobbing by the creek side are the rickety dhows (the larger traditional wooden boats) flaunting garlands of drying clothes, and still trading today in the shadows of the city skyline. 

                                                                       (Traditional dhows on the creekside)

The old Al Fahidi Fort which houses the museum is small, but offers a good overview of traditional Bedouin life, the significance of camels, dates and pearls. Unfortunately though, there is little about calligraphy.

I’m beginning to wonder whether Mohammed and his scrolls are a mere mirage.

However, adjacent to the Museum, is an area known as the Bastikya and it is here I see some calligraphy script. In the alcoves and bedrooms of the traditional houses now sit curious courtyard cafes and quaint galleries. Early Persian influences helped shape Emirati architecture, and the Bastikya residential area, which inherits its name from the Bastak region in Iran, is an example of this. This area is an important historical quarter and during cooler months its tranquil tenor livens to a vibrant pitch with the hum of stalls, live music and outdoor painting sessions.

Meandering through the maze-like buildings, under wind towers and stooping through small doorways I pass the XVA and Majlis galleries which showcase both Arabic and Western pieces.

Arabic calligraphy spans from Turkey, to Muslim India, China and the Middle East, and its beginnings can be traced back as far as 4BC.  Kufic is the style that became widely popular and influenced arabesque design - decorating even the Alhambra Palace in Spain. Kufic script penned the first copies of the Quran and as many as 25 versions of the style are still used today.

The journey from the Bastikiya to the industrial area of Al Quoz is sprinkled with mosques. The nearly 200 minarets of the city stand tall and proud - sounding the call to prayer five times a day. Mosques are the obvious canvases of the Islamic calligraphic verse and examples can be seen at the Jumeriah Mosque - which is open to the non-Muslim public for guided tours.  

Part of the appeal of traditional Arabic calligraphy lies in its abstract aesthetics. The balance of composition and harmony of line can create an energy of triumph or tranquility.  

(Bastikiya Café & Restaurant)
 Surrounded by dusty warehouses and acting as an apparent meeting ground for buses and trucks, Al Quoz is an unlikely spot for the city’s art. But many of Dubai’s established and up-and-coming galleries are located here.

At the Third Line Gallery in Al Quoz, Golnaz Fathi unveils large canvases where bold strokes of black sweep across splashes of red, blue and yellow. The calligraphy swirls are defiantly illegible but distinctly Arabic. In this abstract abyss, even non-Arabs, can appreciate the balance, harmony and flow of this art form.

Across town, between the Burj Khalifa - the tallest tower in the world, and the iconic Emirates Towers, stands the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).  The huge arch-like structure is a hub for Dubai’s financial elite and a hotspot for some of the city’s best art. Galleries here include the Opera Gallery, Artspace and the Farjam Collection at the DIFC.

The Farjam Collection claims to be one of the most impressive privately owned collections of Islamic art in the world today. Here, intricate Islamic miniatures are displayed along with large expressive works of Arabic script on mixed media. I’m thrilled to finally find such an extensive collection. Modern artists from the region like Moshiri and Ehsai feature in the collection, as do international masters like Picasso.

On Sunday and Monday mornings calligraphy enthusiasts can be found creating their own Islamic masterpieces at the Mall of the Emirates, and it is here at last that I find my modern calligrapher. My imaginary calligrapher Mohammed, hunched over ink-stained parchments turns out to be a charismatic young woman.  

(Modern Arabic calligraphy piece by Fatima Nadia Rehman)

Fatima Nadia Rehman is an artist, curator and teacher. Her 10 year study of calligraphy includes an apprenticeship to Ustad Ghauhar Qalam, who has work displayed at the British Museum, and the study of miniatures and Arabic calligraphy at the University of Philadelphia. She now teaches Arabic Calligraphy classes at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre.  

When Fatima first arrived in Dubai in 2007 there were no classes for Arabic calligraphy and she still sources her reed pens and books overseas. She even makes her own paper.

Traditionally Islamic art, with its aversion to human and animal representation, has been founded in the written word. But what of modern Arabic calligraphy? Are images permitted?

Fatima has used the human face in a calligraphy piece and although the response was good, she is careful not to push the boundaries too far. Her students typically stick to letters, poems, verses from the Quran, and occasionally incorporate some botany.

Fatima tells me that “it’s the thickness and the thinness of the line that give it the look.” Patience is a necessary virtue in this craft but Fatima says she can spot the ones with natural talent.

It seems fitting that just as Dubai is a multi-cultural microcosm of old and new, Fatima is a female calligrapher of Pakistani heritage and American education practicing centuries old methods, using traditional materials and passing down her knowledge to a mixed palette of Emirati, Japanese, and American students.

                                                                                                              

(Traditional Arabic calligraphy piece by Fatima Nadia Rehman)

Discovering Dubai’s Arabic calligraphy scene hasn’t been easy but, as they say, ‘the journey is half the fun’. 

While I don’t find the elusive Mohammed hunched over leather parchments with ink-stained finger tips, I discover something much better. I’ve visited places I wouldn’t have ventured to otherwise, I’ve gained an appreciation of an art form I knew nothing about and I’ve met a modern calligrapher helping the city embrace its ancient art.

Fact File

Where to stay

Try a night at the Orient Guest House in the historic Bastikya area.

It is pricey but worthwhile for those who want a traditional experience.

www.orientguesthouse.com

What to do

The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding offers guided tours of the Bastikya and mosque, and cultural talks over traditional Emirati food.

http://www.cultures.ae/

What to see

Take a guided bus tour around the city’s galleries. There are two routes – the Al Quoz route and the Bastikya route (Check the website for dates)

www.artinthecity.com