Harry Potter at Durham Cathedral

Durham University’s prestige and reputation intrigue my interest to explore this city. 

I know how to use google map to get to a new place, while I prefer interacting with locals. And interestingly, when I asked about the direction to Durham university from the train station or the main street, people reply to me with another question: WHICH COLLEGE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

Then after their explanation, I realize that Durham University has many colleges which ‘separated in different places’. As one local said, ‘It is like Oxford University’. Then an elder man suggested me to go to the ‘CASTLE’ college and muse see Durham Cathedral. The way to the city centre is going up and down as if you walk on a small hill.

To the castle one, I mean the college, I walked through the city centre. There were not so many student-like people walking around the street, I do wonder whether it is the right way to there.

After just a few minutes after walking from the train station, a beautiful square with well-designed blooming flowers unfold into my eyes.

insider the market hall

 

3D Floral Display: BISHOPS MITRE

City of Durham is the name of the civil parish and the county town of County Durham in North East England. 

It was a bit cloudy, alongside the bridge, I have seen a magnificent castle standing in the sky, reminding me of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

This reminds me The Two Towers which represents Sauron's evil. 

This iconic building: Durham Castle is Durham university’s property since 1840 and is home to over 100 students.

Yes, when I stepped into the backyard garden where has accommodations for students, which means 'students ‘live in the castle’!🏰

Norman cathedral became a centre of pilgrimage in medieval England.

More surprisingly, the museum guide told me that ‘Durham Cathedral’s ancient cloisters was as a film location for Hogwarts in Harry Potter!’.

So after exploring Castle, I headed for Cathedral to experience such a connection. 

Seats for senior staffs/students 

I started to feel what is so-called prestige in terms of its historical buildings and nostalgic atmosphere. As Durham World Heritage Site comprises Durham Cathedral and Castle and the buildings between them, which are one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Europe. And I also found that 'palatinate purple' as a noble image is a colour that represents Durham University. 

Harry Potter's classrooms

Inside the Cathedral, the guide told me Durham students have to wear formal gowns at their levels to attend dinner twice a week in this dining hall.

During the meal time, all the doors are closed and students cannot allow to go to toilets. Being part of educational training, I think this is a good way to learn self-discipline and courtesy. 

Gowns are offered on site for you to experience Harry Potter's plots

Should we conclude that studying is a kind of belief, and within this process students are monastics? However, accidentally, this week I experienced another Horry Potter’s story-trip. 

Durham大學的聲望和聲譽激起了我對探索Druham的關注。

我知道如何使用谷歌地圖來到一個新的地方，然而我喜歡與當地人互動。有趣的是，當我在火車站或街道上詢問到達勒姆大學的方向時，人們總是以另1個問題來回答我的問題：你想去哪一個學院？

然後在他們解釋之後，我意識到Durham大學有許多“在不同的地方分散開”的學院。正如一位當地人所說，“它就像牛津大學”。然後一位年老者建議我去'CASTLE'那個，然後去參觀Durham大教堂。一直到市中心都是上下山, 好像走在一座小山丘上。

到城堡這個學院，我必須走過市中心。街上沒有那麼多像學生一樣的人，我不知道這是不是正確的方向?但是從火車站走了幾分鐘後，一個美麗的廣場上擺滿了盛開的鮮花，展現在我的眼前。

Durham市是英格蘭東北部民用教區和Durham郡縣城的名稱。它的羅馬大教堂成為中世紀英格蘭的朝聖中心。

天氣有點陰雲,沿著一座橋，我看到一座壯觀的城堡矗立在天空中, 讓我想起魔戒-雙塔傳奇。

這座標誌性建築 - Durham城堡 - 自1840年以來一直是Durham大學的財產，擁有100多名學生。是的，當我走進後院，這有學生住宿，這意味著學生住在城堡裡!!!

更令人驚訝的是，博物館導覽人員告訴我，“Durham大教堂的古老修道院是哈利波特霍格沃茨的電影場所！”。所以經過探索城堡我前往大教堂體驗這個連結。

以歷史建築和懷舊氣氛來說，我開始感受到所謂的聲望。因為Durham世界遺產包括Durham大教堂和城堡以及它們之間的建築物，它們是歐洲諾曼建築的最佳典範之一。我還發現，作為高貴形象的'palatinate purple'是代表Durham大學的顏色。

在大教堂內，導覽告訴我，Durham學生必須依他們的階層穿著正式禮服，每週兩次在這個餐廳吃飯。在用餐期間，所有門都關閉，學生不能上廁所。作為教育培訓的一部分，我認為這是學習自律和禮貌的好方法。

我們是否應該得出結論認為學習是一種信仰，在這個過程中，學生是僧侶？不管如何，意外地，我這星期經歷了另一個Harry Potter故事之旅。

The Migrant’s Dilemma

So far, the UK is the top 5 destination country in the world for hosting migrants from worldwide. However, there are more than a million British people moved to Australia after WW 2 and later over a quarter came back home. 

Mary Holmes, a British woman once emigrated from Newport to Australia in 1962 with her farmer husband and five children. At that time, under the British migration scheme, adults paid only 10 pounds to travel to the new destination and her children went free. 

When they finally settled down in their new country—Australia, Mary wrote down a poem in next year: 

Oft[en] I toss and turn at night, sleep troubled & uneasy.

Back and forth my thoughts they dance, in a maddening crazy frenzy.

The land is good, full of chance, the people kind & friendly.

So tell me why my wayward heart is always homeward turning.

Finally, Mary eventually returned to live in Wales.

This is the case of a general migrant's homesickness in the new place.  

When you encourage people to do something bravely, you say ‘the sky is the limit’; but for refugees to say, the sea is really the limit. Don’t know what hope they can hold, refugees are contemplating a move to a new destination country. 

The dilemma is when they finally come to the Disneyland in their imagination, they are just starting to face all the challenges in their host country. Not everyone is a lady or a gentleman who welcomes refugees so much. The most concerned issue for refugees is ‘no rights to work’ in a new destination. As such, what is the future? To stay or to return is always a question. 

I herein share a refugee-theme exhibition: ‘The Sea is the Limit’ which is currently held by York Art Gallery. Eleven international artists co-display their works to depict the reality of refugees’ dilemma during the process of immigration. 

‘The sea, boats, and trade routes are regular parts of the refugee and migrant experience’—Trade Winds (2018) by Susan Stockwell, UK

到目前為止，英國是世界上接納全球移民的五大目的地國家。然而，第二次世界大戰後有超過一百萬英國人移居澳大利亞，後來超過四分之一的人回到了家鄉。

1962年，一位英國婦女瑪麗·霍爾姆斯（Mary Holmes）與她的農夫丈夫和五個孩子一起從紐波特移民到澳大利亞。那時，根據英國的移民計劃，成年人只需支付10英鎊就可以到新目的地，而她的孩子則可以免費去。

當他們最終在新的國家 - 澳大利亞定居下來時，瑪麗在第二年寫下了一首詩：

我晚上輾轉反側，睡不著覺。

來回晃動我的思緒，它們瘋狂瘋狂地跳舞。

土地很好，充滿機會，人民善良友善。

所以告訴我為什麼我任性的心永遠向著家。

最後，瑪麗最終回到了英國威爾士。

這是一般移民在新地方的鄉愁。

當你鼓勵人們勇敢地做某事時，你會說'天空是極限'; 但對於難民來說，海洋確實是極限。不知道他們能夠擁有什麼樣的希望，難民們正在考慮著遷移到一個新的目的地國家。

他們的困境是當他們最終來到他們想像中的迪士尼樂園時，他們才剛剛開始面對東道國的所有挑戰。不是每個人都是一位非常歡迎難民的女士或紳士。難民最擔心的問題是“無權力工作”。那麼，未來在哪裡？到底要留下來或返回原鄉總是一個問題。

分享您一個難民主題展覽：“海是極限”正由約克美術館舉辦. 11位國際藝術家共同展示他們的作品，描繪了難民在移民過程中的困境。