Welcome to Serra’s blog called ‘Passport, Camera- Words in my Mind’ this week entitled Home Is Where The Heart Is. This blog is a description of what it is like to be a foreign national living in Guildford and the different perspective that might give to one that has lived and grown up here in England. Serra was born in Ankara, Turkey and has a mechanical engineering Ph.D. She is an academic staff member at Gazi University but her work has brought her to Guildford as a visiting researcher at the University of Surrey. She loves literature, cinema (especially Walt Disney films, Japanese anime and Marvel) as well as being an amateur photographer and charcoal-drawer. She is hypnotized by the colours green and blue and loves the piano and violin, being particularly fond of Beethoven and Vincent van Gogh, blogging on books, arts and gardening in what is left of her spare time. Please enjoy her charming and enchanting journey through Guildford…
I was at Guildford Cathedral Winter Market & Fair yesterday (Sunday 24 November) and it was absolutely fabulous. Mistakenly remembering the wrong date of the event, thanks to social media, I just made it to the cathedral on time. It was early in the afternoon and the sun was hiding behind cotton-like clouds at times or showing up in the middle of the crystal-blue sky at others.
As I arrived, I saw that the fair was busy and the Cathedral was already full of people. I began with the stands on the left and sweet Christmas gifts, vintage clothes, wine and chocolates all welcomed me one by one; sparkling under the rays of sunlight dancing through the windows. The smell of Indian rose cakes was filling the air too, then as I moved further in, the perfumes of small soaps took over.
The handmade clothes, shoes and bags seemed to be popular with the elderly, whereas the dolls, toys and books were favourite with the children present. The jewellery was some of the finest I have ever seen, especially the incredibly delicate earrings and a lot of the non-British visitors gathered around these stalls.
However, the stall that grabbed the most attention was one with small wooden figures that worked and moved by themselves; I must have stood there for some ten minutes, everybody entranced, laughing when they saw how each one worked. One was playing the accordion when triggered (even its foot was moving to keep time), another playing the drums, one on the piano and a couple turning faces to each other and kissing.
Nevertheless, my personal favourite stall was one that contained lots of elegantly shaped wooden and seasonal crafts. There were pinecones, bits of holly and bark and a mirror surrounded by braided branches with an inscription “Home Is Where The Heart Is”. This hangs on your doors or walls at home and I found it particularly special and poignant.
Hearing some ethereal musical rise from ahead, I discovered it was now time for the children’s choir. They were colourful, each with a unique expression on their faces, singing songs with the piano accompaniment. A baby chuckled with the melody and a boy then played the cello and a girl the violin like angels. Some people thought the music was over and began passing in front of her and a small boy hit the note holder suddenly. Despite all the distractions, it was lovely to listen to her playing and I even put away my camera, just to enjoy the music.
Whatever the word means to you, Christmas can inspire and you could certainly find inspiration at the Guildford Cathedral’s Winter Market & Fair this year. It was great to be there, feeling the excitement and joy together with many natives, from oldest to youngest. I appreciate the efforts of all the exhibitors and cathedral staff (not forgetting the little angels) and I returned home with many nice shots and videos. Hope to meet you all at next year’s Winter Fair!
Serra Topal