ON PASSING THROUGH GERMANY

Highway passing through Belgium

Pastures in Luxembourg

 
                            

Highway, Luxemburg

Limburger hof  

                                                       

                                                                          



 We travelled onwards from Calais to Germany passing through Belgium and Luxemburg. The nine-hour drive with occasional breaks seemed a little bit tiresome though the landscape appeared very fascinating with spacious tracts of grassy plains with spacious tracts of grassy land with herds of cattle seen grazing on luxuriant grass. Here and there some farm plains cottages are seen like far-flung islands floating on the sea of verdurous green. Our bus passed by Dunkirk, one of the prominent port towns in northern France, just ten kms. from the Belgian border.Apart from being a naval port, Dunkirk has many industrial establishments like coal, nuclear and thermal plants, oil products, cement, sugar and gas lines. Belgium is a landlocked state which serves as the main gateway for many surrounding countries like Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. As a country of mixed population, three languages (Dutch,French and German) are used. Belgium is famous for mirrors and diamonds. It has also many chemical plants, textile, electrical, automobile and pharmaceutical industries and factories. Being a country blessed with fertile soil, it also produces cereals, vegetables, cocoa and has many food-processing units. Though we did not enter the interior parts of the country, the lush green fields, pastures, trees and distant view of elegant buildings gave us an impression that we were travelling through a fertile and  well-developed region unpolluted by over-industrialization.  

   Luxembourg, the safest tax haven for billionaires, came into our view--almost a pastoral country with green carpeted valleys, broad plains and herds of cattle. Having internet giant organiztions like Sype and Amazon, Luxembourg has latest advanced telecommunication systems and industries. In the late hours of the evening our driver after driving through a maze of narrow lanes stopped before a hotel called Residenz Limburgerhof in a small German village of the same name situated in the Rhineland Palatinate. The tiny tiled houses on both sides of the road with small front yards gave a typical picture of a German village. The whole village remained silent with dim street lights. The hotel rooms are quite  comfortable with all modern amenities. This village is seven Kms. away from the city of Ludwighshafen which is located on the Rhine river opposite Manheim.

A View of the Neckar River

Residenz Limburger hof

                   

Ludwigshaven

 "BASF"(Agro-chemical)  Company, Ludwigshaven

                                                                                            





 Ludwigshafen is the headquarters of the world-famous Agro-Chemical company, BASF. This city is also the birthplace of the former German Chancellor, Helmet Kohl and the Famous German philosopher, Ernst Bloch. As the streets and avenues are laid out in a grid pattern, this city is called "the city of squares"(Quadratestadt). During the Roman occupation water tanks were first constructed here for the sake of water supply to the town. So the civic symbol of Manheim is a Romanesque water tower (Wasserturm). As a memorial a sixty-meter high water tower crowned with the statue of Greek sea-goddess, Amphitrite,was built in 1886. 

Water Tower

Manheim, City of Squares

  










 Next day while continuing our journey through Mannheim , our tour manager pointed at the Neckar River. Mannheim is a famous well-developed city having I.T.Companies like IBM, SAP, Roche and Siemens. Being in the forefront in adopting and inventing new technology, Mannheim is adjudged as the eleventh in the top fifteen inventive cities. This city is in the south-west part of Germany at the confluence of the rivers, the Neckar and the Rhine. The Rhine river separates Mannheim from the city of Ludwigshafen.

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                                                                                                           SOMASESHU GUTALA
                                            

                               


 

ON OUR WAY TO DOVER

                      

Port Entry Point

South A-2 Highway

                                              

   We started our journey to Dover by luxury bus of a private travel agency  which organizes tours  abroad for Indians providing Indian meals twice a day as well as accommodation in hotels. The Tour Manager or Co-Ordinator is a middle-aged gentle man with many degrees appended to his name. Dressed in a formal suit he introduced himself in a friendly manner briefing us a few precautionary measures to be observed during out tour. He repeatedly stressed on strict adherence to time schedule so that we may visit all places . He often made fun of our habit of rushing in a group to answer the calls of nature whenever the bus stops. As there is no free toilet facility everywhere in Europe, he advised us to take advantage of free toilet facility wherever available. The bus driver, a retired British professional from Royal Air Force, seemed sombre with a dignified air. In most of the western countries we find one person doing many tasks unlike in India where one task is sub-divided and given to more than one person--may be due to the fact that in India the labour charges are comparatively cheaper and the population is large enough to get more hands for doing work. In U.K. the driver himself acts as a helper in loading the baggage, and in cleaning the bus as well. In restaurants also we noticed a single person acting as a cook, server and cleaner also.

    The Tour Manager after assuring us of a comfortable and safe journey took us along the High Way No.A2 through Deptford and Blackheath towards Dover, the most ancient coastal town of south eastern England. The Luxury Bus moved smoothly on the broad highway with multiple lanes. After passing through the busy area of Wembley we came across vast green plains with small traditional English houses here and there. The dark green trees with dense bushes on wayside brought Nature's green charm to the forefront leaving aside the congested atmosphere of the city far away.

Light House built by Romans

Dover Castle

                

Chalky Cliffs of Dover

Pride of Burgundy

        
         



     

                                                              
 The distance between Wembley and Dover is nearly seventy-five miles and within two and a half hours the coastal town surrounded by white hills came into our view. Dover is a busy town with a spacious port area having nine docks and served as a center of transportation both for passengers and goods also. The French port Calais is just twenty miles from Dover and it takes one hour to go there by ferry service. Every year more than fifteen million travelers ply from Dover to Calais, and more than five million vehicles use this port for transportation. It is not an exaggeration to say that 90% of U.K.'s freight goes through this port only. An underground Euro-Tunnel was constructed in 1994 to carry passengers with their vehicles by train. A very wonderful achievement of engineering skill indeed !

 The chalky hills of Dover is an added attraction to this historic town. Romans understood  the strategical importance of this and built a tower on the hills in second century A.D.Normans built a castle here in 1066. During the reign of Henry II a castle was built in 1160s with enhanced security. In 1606 James I issued a charter to constitute Dover Harbour Board to look after the port activities and trade. These chalky hills stretching along  ten miles and  reaching up to a height of three hundred fifty feet, form a fitting backdrop to the gentle sea waters of the English channel.

Food Court

The Club Area

Shopping Area

The Lounge Inside the ferry

                                 

                                                                                                  

                         


  The English channel, a part of the Atlantic ocean joins the southern part of the north sea with the Atlantic Ocean. It separates Northern France and the island of Britain. It is approximately 360 miles long and is narrowest in the Strait of Dover measuring about 20.6 miles. To reach Calais from Dover by ferry our bus entered the dock and passed through barriers of tight security to get into the fifth deck of the ferry named  "The Pride of Burgundy", a white floating vessel painted with blue borders. It appeared like a spacious multi-storey building with many rooms and halls. A floating mansion with so many restaurants, shops, lounges and book shops. It has a carrying capacity of 1420 passengers and 600 passenger vehicles or 120 heavy freight vehicles. It has nine decks of which the third and fifth decks are meant for parking vehicles. We were not aware of the fact that we were shifted from land to water. Only the humming of motor made us realize the that we are moving on the sea. The blue water seen through windows with retreating sight of the hills presented a fine view of the marine climate as our ferry moved freely like a sea gull flying through blue expanse of the sky.

  The crowded halls filled with conversation of people in diverse tongues and  interspersed with peals of laughter evoked a joyous climate. Some people seated in sofas were seen absorbed in reading while others sipped drinks or ate delicious refreshments with an air of contentment. On the topmost deck young couples clicked photos standing in amorous postures while children cheered looking at the sea gulls wheeling above their heads. In one and a half hours we disembarked our bus and entered Calais, the French coastal town to pursue our journey onward. Let me conclude this essay with the beautiful lines of Matthew Arnold from his famous poem "Dover Beach".   
                                   
                                          "  The sea is calm to-night.
                                             The tide is full, the moon lies fair
                                             Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
                                             Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand;
                                             Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
                                             Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
                                             Only, from the long line of spray
                                             Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land."

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        9th October, 2015                                                                          Somaseshu Gutala
   

RUSH HOUR

  

                                                                         

       

                                          1)  Our life seems like damn rush-hour city

                                               No time for steady, cool and thoughtful mood ;

                                               From dawn to dusk too busy, no time to brood

                                               No lotus moments of sweet tranquility;

                                               With clock-like precision we have to wake

                                               Go through our chores, no chance for mistake.

                                         2)   Within full-curtained walls encaged we dwell

                                                In glow of electric lights we spend our days

                                                We gulp our breakfast soon to rush away

                                                Shouting hastily a formal farewell ;

                                                Struggling through crowded streets of deafening hell

                                                Unnoticed and unnoticing, talking through cell ;

                                         3)    Like moving automatons do we stress

                                                Mouthing code words like lifeless robots

                                                We live in rutted channels so and so ;

                                                Through loads of data like muzzled beasts we press

                                                As systems crash and our inputs confound

                                                In search of solutions we push round and round.

                                         4)   We grab our lunch and listen to our cell

                                                Some idiot's tale of political cheat ;

                                                Some sensual song impassioned with rugged beat

                                                Some brutal crime done under drunken spell ;

                                                We fly back to our cabins to sweat and fret ;

                                                Like tangled flies in a poisoned net.

                                         

                                         5)    With formal smiles and empty feelings sham

                                                We leave our work half-done and start our ride ;

                                                Through swelling rush of cars at eventide;

                                                Through unruly movements of vehicular jam

                                                We reach our home dead-tired and drop down dead

                                                One more day lost in life's tumultuous tread.

                                         6)    Our dreary tedium we can't express

                                                Our dearth of feelings and of what to say;

                                                We end our talk with bye,byes and dry Okays

                                                We lost our lives in this confounding mess

                                                To our nearest kin an sms we send

                                                Saying too busy and no time to spend.



    

                                

                                       7)      We bury ourselves in blankets blank

                                                 Faking amorous scenes and try to sleep

                                                 Disgusted at our dry excuses we heap

                                                 Counting our shares and savings in bank

                                                 Feeling secure we strive to dream in vain 

                                                 As next day looms to repeat our routine again.

                                       8)      Have we lost our senses to feel ?

                                                Blind to the colorful scenes around ?

                                                Blind to the leisurely pace of Nature sound ?

                                                Blind to see butterflies fluttering with zeal ?

                                                Blind to chirping wings in dancing hues above

                                                In magnificent galaxies throbbing with love ?




      




                                                  


                                                                                                    

                                       9)     No time to watch the fascinating green

                                               Clusters of trees dotting the verdant plain

                                               With no touch of tension and greedy strain ;

                                               How butterflies enjoy sweet honey from flowers !

                                               How flowers dance to the cool thrill of showers !

                                   10)      Look how blissfully sing those birds on trees !

                                              Look how unruffled move those streams so deep !

                                              Look how silently graze those herded sheep !

                                              Look how smoothly glide those white ducks so free !

                                              No disturbing desires or restless state

                                             They live with ease without nurturing hate.

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                                                                                                         SOMASESHU GUTALA                              

                                                 

   

                                         

                                               

                                               

                                                

AT THE GLOBE THEATER (PART---II)

Plan of the Globe Theater

Inside View

Outside View

                

        

                   









 After six years of construction " The Globe Theater" was opened on June 12,1997 by Queen Elizabeth II.
 This theater is located in an area of 1.2 acre land with the construction of a museum, a restaurant, a gift shop and a three hundred-seat lecture theater."The Globe"theater was built in the shape of a twenty-sided circular  shaped building with ninety-nine feet in diameter. The thatched roof of the stage made of Norfolk reeda  was coated with a special fire-protective liquid. The construction work was done by McCurdy & Co, Burkshire.  The open area called "Pit" or "the Yard"  had a raised stage thrust half way into it. The pit is surrounded by three tiers of roofed galleries with balconies overlooking the back of the stage. This theater can house nearly  seven hundred people standing in the pit (called groundlings) and nine hundred people seated in galleries.Two sets of external stairs on either side of the theater provide access to balconies while the four main entrances lead the way to the yard and lower gallery. The stage is forty four feet wide and twenty five feet in depth and is five feet high supported by oak pillars painted like marble with golden leaves, called "Herculean Pillars".Two statues above the stage represent the figures of  Tragedy and Comedy.

View of the roof called "Heavens"

Statues above the stage

   The roof is called "Heavens" painted with the pictures of sun,moon and zodiac. There is a trapdoor in the middle of the ceiling for performers to descend onto the stage using some lever arrangement.Above the roof there is a porthole or opening which was used in Shakespeare's time for firing cannons and fireworks to produce special sound effects like thunder and lightning or to announce arrival of the royal persons. The stage wall (called "Frons Scenae" a name given by the Imperial Rome to  the stage walls of their amphitheaters) has a central doorway along with two other doorways on either side for the actors to make their entrances. The central doorway leads to the dressing room called "a tiring house". There is a trap door on the stage for actors to enter from the cellar beneath the stage. The balcony above the stage is flanked by two balconies on either side for accommodating the prestigious and wealthy people.

 Our elderly tour guide informed us that in Shakespeare's time common people used to pay one penny to stand in the pit and watch the play. Most of them used to drink and munch hazel nuts and garlic. So Shakespeare referred to them as "Pennystinks". The announcement about the performance of plays was done by sounding a trumpet. Our guide spoke in a jovial and entertaining manner, but gave very little information about the Elizabethan stage of Shakespeare's time. We were not allowed to see the Sam Wanamaker Play House as it was not included in our guided tour schedule. A little disappointed we went to the gift-shop. There were many books, stationery items, keychains, pictures and cards concerned with the great dramatist's life and plays. But when compared with Indian editions their cost is rather high. So we came out without buying any mementos to keep as cherished memories of this memorable visit.
                                       
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 17th September, 2015                                                                                Somaseshu Gutala                                  

                                                     

                                                                    

AT THE GLOBE THEATER (Part--I)

Globe Theater

View of the stage

 

Musical Instruments at Exhibition Hall

Props (swords & Daggers) at Exhibition Hall

                                                           

                         
   The present Globe Theater located in the Bankside is a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater constructed by the famous American actor and Director, Sam Wanamaker in 1990s. This theater was completed in 1997. The original site of Shakespeare's Globe Theater was about two hundred meters from the existing theater and is occupied by the heritage-listed Georgian buildings and Southwark Bridge Road. The spot is marked by a plaque and information panel. The design of the present theater is based on that of the early 17th century playhouses and is modelled on the earliest known designs of an English playhouse.

  At first we bought tickets to see the Globe Exhibition set up just below the present Globe Theater, wherein many exhibits of  the Elizabethan age are displayed along  with detailed information about Shakespeare's plays, stage devices, actor's costumes and accessories used by them. We saw a model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater and a chart showing the poet's dramatic career and other important historical events. One can hear the dramatic speeches of various Shakespearean characters by touching the computer screen. An audio guide is also available to help you know about the exhibits. But it needs more than three hours to learn about all these things.

Dressed figures at Exhibition Hall

Dress showcased at Exhibition Hall

Hazel nuts and other items

Chart Showing the dramas of Shakespeare

 





  Many visitors prefer to watch the objects directly and move on see their next place of visit that is the Globe Theater. One is attracted by the heavy and decorative royal dresses of the Elizabethan characters like Cleopatra and other queens. The male characters wore doublets and broad ruffs or collars around their necks. The musical instruments used in Elizabethan theaters such as  the tabor, the lutes, the violins, the flutes and the drums are displayed along with swords, daggers and other props in glass show cases.Heaps of hazel nuts are kept in bowls showing the eating habits of the spectators who used to munch nuts while watching the play. A number of whistles are seen which might have been used by spectators to show off their response to the performances of the actors on the stage. We saw  the earthen pots that had been used to collect pennies as fee from the spectators of those times. We also saw the surviving signboard of "Boar's Head Tavern"

Hercules hanging at Lecture Hall

Atlas hanging

Adonis Hanging

                                                                                                    

                                                
   After spending nearly one hour at the Globe Exhibition we went down the steps to see a practical demonstration lecture on Elizabethan costumes. The hall is decorated with various banners known as Newzealand Hangings. To add classical touch and to attract the attention of the audience various banners depicting characters like Hercules, Atlas and Adonis were displayed during Shakespeare's time. Following the same tradition characters like Hercules, Atlas,and Venus and Adonis are seen on these modern hangings made in Newzealand between January,1990 and April,1991.  These hangings made of finest wool were created by five hundred embroiders under the supervision of the theatrical designer, Raymond Boyce of Newzealand. These hangings were unveiled by the Globe's Patron,Prince Philip in June, 1997.

Queen Elizabeth (1533--1603)

King James I (1566--1625)

 




                                                                              
           

    We watched the elaborate Elizabethan way of dressing consisting of so many items as the speakers explained how class and status distinction in dress code were meticulously observed by people during those times. Everybody used to cover their bodies with four or five layers of clothing giving out a bulging appearance.The innermost clothing was made of linen so that it can be changed frequently. Ladies used to wear smock or shift linen covered by corset or a close fitting bodice stiffened with reeds or whalebone. A cone-shaped skirt stiffened with ropes was worn on the kirtle or under-gown. It is tied down to the corset at the sides to keep it secure without slipping down. A shirt with a high neck and puffed sleeves was worn securely tied under arms. A gown wide-spread like a fan and stiffened with whalebone and ropes was  worn . A cloak was used to safeguard them from rain. Ladies used to wear knee-high stockings made of wool, silk or yarn according to their status.

    Men used to wear a shirt covered by a waist coat and a jacket. They wore breeches or upper hose covering from waist to knee.On it they wore upper or nether hose with a girdle on which they hung their dagger and purse. They used to pad their bellies to give a bulging appearance which was considered a sign of high status. The rich and royal people used clothes made of fine wool, silk and velvet with bright colors like purple, red, gold and blue. The lower class or common people were permitted to use clothes made of linen, coarse wool or sheepskin with sober colors like brown, green, yellow,beige and orange.

  After the demonstration class we were asked to attend the guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe. An elderly gentleman with a booming voice hurriedly led us up into the open air theater re-constructed by the famous American actor and director, Sam Wanamaker. This Theater was opened in 1997 with the performance of  Henry V. Just beside the Globe there is an indoor sister theater built in Jacobean style commemorating Sir Wanamaker called Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, where stage shows are organized. It was opened in 2014 with staging of the play "The Duchess of Malfi". No artificial light is used. Only daylight through openings in shutters or candlelights served for giving illumination during performance of plays.
                       
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   9th September, 2015                                                                                 Somaseshu Gutala