Vow of Silence

Call me anti-social, but for me, part of the appeal of travelling is the time you get to spend alone. Even if I'm on just a day trip, I enjoy spending time in my own company. Especially if I'm out in the countryside with an expanse of blue and white above me.

Last week, I packed my sandwiches, pulled on my boots and headed into a field somewhere just inside Wales. I was to spend a day mooching around Tintern Abbey.

First, I wanted to see it from up on high so I found a path that would lead to what is known as Devil's Pulpit, an overlooking point from where the devil is alleged to have preached to the monks in the valley below displaying a particularly devil may care attitude, even for Lucifer himself. To get to the viewpoint, I had a journey through several landscapes: a forest heathland, rolling grass fields and ancient woodland. And the best thing was that I didn't see another living soul (save a few birds) for close to an hour on the walk. It was bliss.

I passed through gates, followed the signposts and tramped my route with the sun getting ever stronger in the midday sky. My surroundings were so peaceful and so quiet I even felt slightly unnerved at one point. It's not often that you get to feel such solitude. The unnerving moment passed and I continued on, happy in my temporary, open-air hermitage.

The walk was very much worth the effort. By the time I wondered if I'd taken a wrong path or had missed a sign, the latest copse of trees led me up a slight incline to open up to gap in the undergrowth that looked out over a cliff edge and down into the valley below. I was blessed to share the same view that once belonged to the devil. An actual "wow" escaped my lips as my eyes fluttered in panic to take in all the sights of the winding river, the green hills and the ancient ruins, all framed by nature.

I don't think I've ever before eaten my sandwiches with a better view. 

But I couldn't stay there all day. I had other ground to cover. 

I retraced my steps across the various terrains. I was soon back down in the valley, ready to explore a little closer. There were slightly more people here that the none I had encountered on my walk, but I was still enjoying the relative isolation. 

Sure, I looked around the outside of the abbey. It's very grand and architecturally beautiful. But did I pay to go in and read a lot of signs? No, I did not. I don't think the medieval monks would've wanted me to do that. I read up about the former inhabitants of the site. These Cistercian monks took pledges of austerity and silence. I liked their chutzpah. 

They endeared themselves to me further when I discovered their planning requirements: "None of our houses is to be built in cities, in castles or villages; but in places remote from the conversation of men." Amen to that I say. We are often better off without the conversation of men. And when the scenery is as breathtakingly, naturally magnificent as the Wye Valley, what else is left to say? 

Hidden Hengistbury

This is a little embarrassing.

I generally pride myself on my navigational skills - GCSE Geography don't you know?

But there has always been one thorn in my side, one niggling Achilles' heel in my travelling boots: Hengistbury Head.

I'm a Bournemouth girl, for sure. Although I live in Southampton, "going to the beach" has always meant going to Bournemouth beach. I have been going to one of the beaches along that stretch of coastline as long as I can remember. Digging huge holes in the sand, playing in and out of the water, crabbing on the quayside, eating sandy crisp sandwiches, walking every inch of promenade, and of course swimming until I thought I'd turn into a fish.

I go to many beaches in and around the Bournemouth area, but Hengistbury Head had always escaped me. Not through lack of effort though. Over the past fifteen years or so, I had tried to find it on two separate occasions. It's not that hard to find, one might think.

One would be wrong. This was in pre-Sat-Nav days it should be noted, but that is still no excuse. I couldn't find the bloody place. I remember hitting the coast and just not being able to find the fabled stretch of sandbank leading to the grand headland. Several times, on visiting Mudeford, I was literally a stone's throw away. Farcical! (Although I wasn't paying a ferry fare to get there.)

I had banished thoughts of these failures to the back of my mind and made peace with the fact I was never going to make it. Until New Year's Eve. My friend Kate asked if I fancied an end of year trip to the seaside.

"Do you want to go to Hengistbury Head?"

Yes Kate, I bloody well do.

And so, under the guidance of more seasoned visitors to the Head, I was driven to my destiny.

I mean, I knew I was going to love it, and I did love it. I loved every single bit of it.

Love list:

1) Sheep
Nobody told me there were sheep there.
I loved seeing a flock of sheep being led down a hill as I embarked on my journey.

2) The sea
Of course I bloody loved the sea. What's not to love? You're surrounded by it as you walk up the headland and along the sandbank. I always love the sea.

3) The dogs
There are loads and loads of dogs (with their walkers) everywhere. Got a dog? Take it to walk Hengistbury. Love dogs? Go there to vicariously live out your dog walking dreams with the hordes of hounds already there. (My favourite was the tiny dachshund that I was amazed had got up the hill - shh, don't tell the other dogs I have favourites.)

4) The hill
Yes, it's a steep hill. Yes, it's hard on the legs to push forward. Yes, your lungs burn in the numbingly cold air at the exertion (especially after Christmas excesses). But isn't that the joy? The feeling of being pushed to confront your own existence. There were a lot of runners taking the hill a lot faster than us. Maybe I'll do that next time. Maybe.

5) The end of the hill
When you reach the top of the headland, you are treated to a wonderful view of the sandbank below that reaches towards Mudeford, allowing your eyes to adjust to the moving waves that lap the sand, the screeching gulls overhead and the general colourful mosaic of a British seaside vista. And you know that it's all downhill from there. (Physically, definitely not metaphorically.)

6) The beach huts
The sandbank is filled, crammed, chock-a-block even, with beach huts of different shapes, sizes and personalities. They are their own living entities, jostling for their position facing the sea, or Christchurch harbour, or in some case, both. Some are blue, some are new, some are cracked, some are worn. All are lucky to stand watch over the sea.

7) The Beach House
This is a cafe on the sand spit. It sits on the beach, pride of place, nestled amongst the colourful beach huts. Unfortunately, it suffered a fire recently and so I was unable to experience it fully. However, it's currently still working to provide rejuvenation for tired beach walkers from a small kiosk. My cup of sweet tea and a cheese and onion pasty was a culinary delight. I don't know whether it was because I was tired, or I was cold, or I was very, very hungry, or because of the breathtaking view, or if it was a combination of factors, but, I kid you not, that cheese and onion pasty was the best bloody pasty I've ever had. The best.

It was a very cold day, yet there was no wind. Even the five layers I had bundled on to keep the elements at bay would have been no match to a gusty headwind blowing in off the sea. I was thankful that mother nature chose to let me enjoy my snacks in peace on my first visit to Hengistbury Head. I guess it owed me a treat after the hassle of actually finding the place.

Yet now, due to the law of averages, I fear that the next time I head down to this magical seaside escape, I will have to contend with whipping winds that push me backwards down the hill and send sand into my tea. Bring it on, I say. I think I'll love it whatever the weather.

As long as I can find the bloody place again.

Dance Badajoz Dance!

I found it. I found the choreographed dance centre of the universe.

I didn't know I was even looking for it, but I'm super glad I found it.

It was a slightly unexpected find as I had presumed my visit to Spain would consist mostly of drum playing with only a smattering of dancing. I was wrong. They were dancing in the streets in Badajoz. Literally.

Badajoz, a city next to the Portuguese border, hosts a wonderful carnival every year that lasts several days. I was lucky enough to be invited to play with Batala, a samba-reggae band that I'm also lucky enough to be a part of.

The carnival engulfs the whole city and everyone in it. You can't walk to the supermercado without bumping into a family of bears or having to skirt past a loitering group of Incredibles - one presumes waiting for disaster to strike in order to spring into superhero action. If you're wearing 'regular' clothes, YOU'RE the oddball. It's brilliant.

But enough talk of costumes; let the dancing begin!

The people of Badajoz love to dance. I love to dance. I guess that's why I spent a lot of my youth making up bedroom dance routines or learning the grapevine for the Scout and Guide Gang Show. And I guess that's why, on some level, I joined Batala.    

Yes, we play drums. Yes, we are incredibly good at drumming. But we also like a little movement with our music. I, personally, find it easier to remember the music when I have a dance to go with it. Which is handy as a lot of our songs have dances. Yet when I got to rehearse with the super-band made up of the Badajoz contingent and delegates from Batala bands from around the world, there were MORE dance moves. And heaps of sun-invigorated energy. We were adding extra steps and bending here there and everywhere. There was a dance train and I was running along trying to keep up.

The Badajoz dancing didn't stop at rehearsals either. Party time is always dancing time in Spain, but at these parties, the dancing was a finely tuned, chaotically choreographed affair. Apparently, I missed the best of the dancing on the night before I arrived but the upshot was that there was a dance for every song. The Badajoz band were kind enough to dance the rest of us through the basic moves. So much so, that when certain songs started, there was a cheer and the collective was called into dancing action. Having missed the tutorial night, my favourite was the one where we basically charged around the dance floor like teenagers hyped up on too many Haribo and then let loose in a circle pit. Not the prettiest of dances, but fun.

The Badajoz band had a more civilised dance planned as a surprise for us visitors later in the night. I say civilised, but it's always hard to be civilised when dancing to 'Cotton Eye Joe'. They demonstrated the routine and then urged us to join in. Which we did, with gusto. It's not often you get to line dance amongst farm animals, DC super villains and Frida Kahlo. (A party without costumes isn't allowed during carnival.)

Alongside our recreational dancing, Badajoz is overtaken by the serious business of the main parade on the Sunday with the Desfile de Comparsas. This is when hundreds of people, all dressed in the most elaborate and wonderful costumes, parade through the city, dancing all the way. Each comparsa has a different theme and so a corresponding costume and dance. They are an explosion of colour and material. The time and effort that goes into this is astounding. I'm reliably informed that local comparsas spend the whole year secretly planning what to showcase during the carnival.

The dancing is incredible. There are lines upon lines of people (men, women and children) all dressed immaculately and all doing the same choreographed moves. Incredible is an over-used word, but I completely couldn't work out how, logistically, so many people had learnt the same things and were performing their moves so militarily.

Dancing is a passion and a serious business here. Take a look at some of the comparsas' work here. I loved the Marvel heroes particularly, but if you pick any moment in the video, it will bring a smile to your face. And isn't that why we all dance? That's why I dance - for the joy it brings me and the joy we can spread through dance. Nos encanta bailar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a84xN4Teuc

The Sweet Side of Cheddar

Cheddar. Like the cheese? 

Exactly like the cheese. The place where the cheese was first brought into existence and continues to be lovingly cultured in order to make our lives all the more enjoyable, and cheesy. 

Cheddar is a village in Somerset that you have to reach by driving through a gorge (Cheddar Gorge by coincidence) that is basically a magic portal. As you wind you way down the hill, flanked by giant, foreboding  walls of rock either side, it does actually feel like you're leaving Earth as you know it. A feeling that's further compounded once you get into the village. It's like you've shifted back through time. There are small shops that wouldn't look out of place in a photo of 1950s England. Each of the shops are small outlets selling only food, drink, souvenirs or Christmas crap (honestly). 

Let me give you a little context. A few weeks ago, I managed to persuade two of my friends to join me in a cheese based pilgrimage - the best kind of pilgrimage surely? We were on an adventure to go see the caves and cheese.

So on arrival, our first port of call was the cheese shop. Well, it was supposed to be, but our long drive and the impending onset of hanger dictated that we had to fuel up with lunch and so had to visit a quaint cafe. What else is there to eat in Cheddar? We devoured cheese toasties, with molten gold oozing down the pitifully effective napkins. It was glorious. And then we hit the cheese shop. 

I consider myself a bit of a cheese connoisseur and I don't say this lightly, but I think the best Cheddar in the world is the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company cave-matured cheddar. It really is the good shit. I have managed to eke out my wedge until now. The last slither of it disappeared into my mouth this very day. I have only eaten it solo. It is too good to be grated nonchalantly on undeserving pasta or lost in a sandwich with common pickle. It has to be savoured. 

Anyway, cheese covered, we continued our mooch around Cheddar to see what goodies it had to offer. As it turned out, all the goodies were sweetie goodies. And they were EVERYWHERE. 

Walking down the main drag of Cheddar village is like running the gauntlet of a diabetic coma. There are fudge shops, sweet shops, ice cream shops, cider shops, a marshmallow shop (yep, my first as well), nougat shops and of course, a whole plethora of various afternoon tea / cream tea / cake outlets. 

It was AMAZING! 

I was in heaven. Sickly, sugary, gooey heaven. 

The realisation soon came upon me that this would be the perfect place for a cream tea crawl. I am 100% committed to this idea of spending a (calorific) day stumbling in and out of the establishments in the shadow of Cheddar Gorge and sampling a variety of the goods on offer. A different cake or treat at every stop. This is a thing right?  

Time constraints being what they were, the day we visited, I had to make so with only dipping my toe into the sea of sugar. After spending time underground in the caves, I staggered to the nearest ice cream outlet ready for a cone of salted caramel. Then we ventured into another cave which was again followed by a stop at an ice cream counter. Yes, it was a two ice cream kind of day. But you weren't there man: you don't know! The second ice cream place had more flavours than I'd ever seen or could dare imagine. Added to this was the fact that there was free toppings. FREE TOPPINGS. It was a no brainer. 

Here's our selection from the ice cream kiosk. Yes, that's hundreds and thousands AND marshmallows. I was all in on the sugar count. 

On the way back to the car, we called into one of the fudge shops but I resisted the urge to indulge further. For a village so steeped in savoury fame, Cheddar is impressive in its selection of sweet treats. I certainly need to return sometime for that cream tea crawl. I reckon I have the form and the experience for such a mammoth task. Especially when there's the best Cheddar cheese in the world to take home as a prize at the end. 

Who's with me? 

Nothing Really Matters

It's taken me over a week to start to write about the journey I went on to Finland.

Jen and I went to the annual World Air Guitar Championships in Oulu.

Yes, you heard right. Air Guitar. It's a thing. And an amazing, wonderful, joyful thing that brings out the kindest, the craziest and the best qualities in everyone.

I've talked about it. A lot. I've talked to anyone who'll listen to my random blathering. I've run out of superlatives. I've run out of words. And as I'm starting to run out of memory and magic, I feel I now need to try to create some semblance of an account to document the experience.

Magic is probably the best place to start.

From the off, things seemed to just work out. We were on a super early flight from Heathrow to Oulu in northern Finland via Helsinki. We had a tight turnaround in Helsinki airport, but we made it. Taken off the plane, bus to the terminal, ran through the airport, bus to the plane. All to get back on THE EXACT SAME PLANE. The woman at the boarding gate chuckled at the whimsical nature of it. We wiped the moisture from our sweaty faces that were now plastered with fake smiles.

Once we arrived in Oulu we had less than an hour to get to the start of the tour. Another tight schedule. But then something amazing happened: our suitcase was first off the carousel.

First! That never happens. I thought it was always a fake suitcase to start the ball rolling.

Which meant we made it to the start of the tour just as the lady with the Madonna headset was starting her spiel. We wandered around the city of Oulu with our tour guide pointing out sights and adding anecdotes here and there. I was listening but equally attempting to people-watch our fellow members of the tour group. Who were they? Where had they come from? What had brought them to this point?

My internal musings were soon answered. At the end of the tour came the excruciatingly school-like introductions.

"Hi, my name is Katie and I'm from Southampton, England."

Fortunately, Jen and I were at the end of the semi-circle of sharing so we heard everyone else's tale first. Yet that started to make things worse. It soon became apparent that everyone else on the tour was either a competitor, a mum or partner of a competitor or press.

As I shuffled side to side awkwardly, waiting for my turn to be thrust into the spotlight, I desperately needed a nervous wee. I panicked that we had stumbled into the tour, not belonging to this world. My general anxiety was added to by the fact that most people there seemed to know each other. As the speaker moved around the semi-circle, our time came to speak and to be rumbled for the charlatans we were and thus unceremoniously ejected from the Air Guitar fold.

But that was not to be.

I'd paid my money for the tour, so I thought, fuck it. Let's just be honest.

"Hi, my name is Katie and I'm from Southampton, England..... and we're here for fun....?"

Cool.

No dramas.

From that moment, everyone we met was so incredibly welcoming and friendly. I cannot put into words how accepted we felt.

There is something about the Air Guitar community. They are all lovely...a word I usually avoid as it sounds so insipid and is almost as bad as nice. But I have used both words a great deal in recounting my experiences in Oulu.

Nice doesn't have to be a bad word. Nice can be great. Nice can mean making some weird girls from England feel welcome and included. Nice can mean smiling to just let someone know that we're part of this world together. Nice can mean saying hello to people as you pass them riding awesome Finnish bikes. Nice can make the world a better place.

Now, stay with me here. I'm fully aware that this sounds all a little hippy-like. But, in this day and age, maybe that's what we need more of. The ethos of air guitar is that if you're holding an air guitar, you can't hold a gun. So if more people around the world played air guitar, the world would be a more peaceful place. It's worth a go, surely? #MakeAirNotWar

Don't worry, I didn't join a cult. Along with the hippy vibe, we also experienced our fair share of face-melting rock. Like I said, everyone was welcoming and so we hung out with all the competitors for the Airentation, Karaoke and then into the Dark Horse round of qualifying.

This was my first air guitar live show. We got there early to get a good spot. It was a small, dark club venue. I was so excited.

The show started and it was like an express train of rock riffs. Air Guitar performances are one minute maximum. Each competitor put every effort in their being into that sixty second show. They have characters and costumes and beautifully crafted air guitar playing. It's impossible not to get wrapped up in the spectacle of it all. At one point there was a glitter explosion. I lost my shit. I was shouting and clapping like a crazy person. I may have even whooped. On several occasions.

At the end of the show I wanted everyone to win. I was out of breath and my face ached from pure joy. I was hooked. Here's the scene of stage at the end of the Dark Horses round. I seriously don't understand why everyone doesn't air guitar.

After the competition, we moved the party to the basement. That's where Aireaoke started. Like karaoke but playing air instruments: the whole band. We had air guitar (obvs), air drums, air piano, air harmonica, air triangle, air maracas... 

People put their name down for songs but pretty soon it dissolved into a free-for-all where everyone was playing and singing and air-grasping til their hearts content. And boy was my heart content. You know that feeling when you're out with your friends and you know the exact riff of a particular song, and then another friend adds the cowbell, and then you have a certain silly dance move to finish off the chorus. It was like that. All night. I had found my place. 

And then we had the best song in the world. Any guesses? 

Bohemian Rhapsody of course. 

Now, I know how great this song is. It's part of me. I can't remember it not being. But now it's taken on a much deeper meaning. It's the unofficial Air Guitar anthem. It was ace to play along to it with the World Champions, past and present. But then my tiny little mind was blown. 

Nothing really matters. Nothing (holds up air guitar) really matters, to me. 

Boom. 

The few days I spent in Oulu were fantastic. Nothing has had a real impact on me; it really does matter. I have always believed in being nice and trying to change the world, even a little at a time, but this has reinvigorated by beliefs and my need to try to do something, anything. 

The Championships went on and the finals came. We watched, we laughed, we clapped like crazy folk. Airistotle was the winner, but in my eyes, every single person on stage was a hero to me. I have to admit cheering the female competitors extra loudly. I may be biased, but they were awesome. Mom Jeans Jeanie's sticker is now pride of place on the fridge. 

The end came too soon - although my woolly-glove clad fingers might disagree - thanks Finnish 'summer'! For the finale, our new friends included us in their fun once more. We got to play air guitar on stage. Rockin' In The Free World is the song they end every finals with. Man, that song makes me cry anyway. This almost tipped me over the edge. All the feels. So painful, so happy to be there, so much need to capture that feeling and spread it into "the real world". 

Which brings me to a very important point. Everyone there was nice and kind to each other. Why does that have to be something we do just for special occasions? I totally believe that people are inherently nice underneath it all. Why can't we roll this feeling of peace out into our 'normal' lives? I shall endeavour to do this more, at all times.

Relive the magic of the finals here. You might even catch Jen and I playing on stage at the end. 

http://www.ilmakitara.fi/fi/stream?utm_content=buffer01773&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

When people ask me what I did in my summer holidays, I'll tell them, with joy: I stood in a soggy field, in freezing rain to watch people play pretend instruments. 

And it was worth every goddamn second. Kiitos Oulu. 

#MakeAirNotWar