Saturday, April 14, 2012

Totnes - UK's lil Bohemia!

Totnes is a scenic train journey away from Exeter. Refreshingly scenic. One passes the river Exe and then passes by the sea and in forty minutes of all this passing, one finds oneself at Totnes. The train station is small, the little town is small. But the ideas in Totnes are huge and influential, like its people.
Known for its artists, thinkers, organic farms, eco friendly houses, forward-looking people, revolutionary ideas : Totnes is one of its kind. The high street is devoid of primark and zara (though my heart flutters a little when I see them, it flutters better when I dont!) Instead there is a whole assortment of “alternative” clothing stores. The saturday market is filled with clothes, dvds, aisles, paints, paintbrushes, plants, collectibles, curiousities, jaggery, glassware and what not! Its like Aladdin's cave, just the brighter less-dinghy version of it. Dartington, just off Totnes hosts a number of lovely, green, beautiful self-sustainable houses.



Totnes is a pioneer. Its a place where “Transition” is very popular. In case you haven't heard of it, Totnes and many other parts of the world, are now preparing themselves for a world in the times of “peak oil” (ie, the point in time when the maximum rate of petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline). Based on a movement by Rob Hopkins, the Transition takes after the Permaculture ways. Basically, Totnes tries to build a sustainable, less oil dependent community. They talk of “food feet” (growing and using locally grown food). Totnes has its own currency, called 'Totnes Pounds' which can be used in its stores. All these are little steps towards building a self contained and self sustainable environment.
There's never a dull moment in Totnes. Its known for its vibrant theatre scene. If you're into music, the place has a large number of world music afficiandos. The cuisine at Totnes is remarkable : from Bangladeshi to Mexican with everything in between (and organic too!).
Gifted with picture postcard scenary, Totnes is breathtaking. Its close to dartmoor, all the combes, the coast and the metropolitans. But who wants to leave Bohemia? Not I!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Exeter

What's really lovely about Exeter, is that its not London. Decentralized smaller urban spaces are so much more endearing, feel good, fairy tale like than a giant 24X7 city. Exeter and the rest of Devon, are so much more personalised, I feel. Its no sleepy town, this. In fact, by some random googling and wiki-ing, one can ascertain that Exeter is one of the most coveted places to base your business out of, in the UK. The University of Exeter pumps in the adrenaline into the city. Stylish, cheaper than london, with a lot of students : Exeter is quite the fun destination (if you know your lanes, nooks and corners, that is).



There are two railway stations in Exeter : the St David's and then the Exeter Central (Not that they're really far away or anything. Just might help with your logistics). The London to Exeter journey took me a good three hours. Green fields, with cotton ball like sheep made me think of the movie Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (its a popular Bollywood film, in case you're wondering. The title roughly translates to “The moony lover boy will take his bride away” (in the dialect of Hindi, which I call my-poor-Hindi-translation-skill), somehow.

I stayed with a friend on Black boy street. Once you get out of the central railway station, you'll be welcomed and warmly so, by an assortment of stores at the High street. They have the regular chain of brands, you wont miss Oxford street too much. Its nice to see a buzzing lane anytime, innit? Girls, you know where to shop now.

Exeter is an old city. To answer your historical questions, in a nutshell : “The Romans did it”. A cathedral, magnificent magnificent cathedral stands proudly – reminding us of the history of the place. Watch out for the “green men” in the cathedral : the image of a human or beast's body or head, either surrounded by foliage or with foliage coming from the mouth, eyes or nose, exists in carvings, mostly in religious buildings, throughout Europe and indeed as far away as Asia. But this is the second largest concentration of green men in UK. The cathedral itself is huge, beautiful and elegant. My unskilled vocabulary cant really describe it very well – for I know rudimentary terms like “arches” and “towers” in architecture. But what I mean to say, is probably better said by pictures, poets and architects.



The “green” around the cathedral is picnic-cute. The day I went, was warm and sunny. A lot of people were found relaxing on the green. Ah, picnics! I found a rather interesting cosy make-shift cafe around the green. Its open just from 12 – 1:30 every day and random stuff happens every day : something new and unusual.

I then walked up to the quay. I really thought it was, pardon my disney way of thinking and expression, “cute”. Brown stone lanes lining the blue waters, with ice cream shops and cafes, young and old strolling, some holding hands (and some not, but we wont talk about them) with little white birds (whose name I dont know) flying around : I would have ideally expected prince charming to spring up from somewhere with a bouquet to give me (No, it didnt happen, in case you're wondering).



In Exeter, I caught up with two plays (thanks to my friend, who was volunteering at the theatre at that time). The Cygnet New theatre is a three year course, training artists all over the UK and Europe. Students work on many productions simulaneously. The seating around the place was really different, with no “stage” as such. Its rather creative and up close. I remember seeing this double play about identities. The first play was about the “resting therapy” and how people react to it. The second was about identities again, the inner soul and the outer appearances. (It may be too much information, but its my blog!) The actors were young, beautiful and the shows were really well done.

The sky line of exeter during the night, overlooking the quay is gorgeous. I'd make it my wall paper.

Exeter is a nice base: its close to so many other interesting places. But even in itself, it has a history dating as far back as the 250 BC. Its people, the real “Devonians”, its unique culture, its newly acquired international feel (partly due to the university bringing in International students), its picturesque streets are engaging and intriguing. Exeter reminds me of the fundamentals, a city on a river bed (Exeter is built around the river Exe), like every civilization started. The city has character. And like in every part of Devon, you can get the devonshire tea here, with clotted cream. It is, after all, the heart of Devon. This, is what I'd truly call a “comforting” city.