Do You Know the Way to, er… Damascus, Perhaps?
I was in the pub this lunchtime, stuffing myself with fish and beer, as we traditionally do at Proper Job, every Friday, as a matter of ritual. Whilst there I vaguely recall seeing a reference to some sort of fish from Normandy and instead my more common thought (mmm.. fish!) I found myself thinking that I liked the sound of Normandy. Just the word. I know that it’s just a pretty dreary, flat and largely unremarkable region of Northern France, but the name appeals to me somehow. A bit like Picardy, its neighbour.
There are a few places I’d like to visit just because of the name, actually. Corsica is another one – it just sounds nice as you pronounce it. Andalucia is another, although only when I pronounce it without the ‘th’. So it sounds really nice, but only if I say it wrong. Damascus has a lovely sound to it as well.
I remember a Mark Knopfler song (yes yes, I know, just fuck off) where a soldier in Napoleon’s armies dreams of returning home to his sweetheart, the “Flower of the Aquitaine”. Places in the Ukraine like Odessa have always sounded impossibly romantic for similar reasons. There’s something so evocative about that part of the world, irrespective of what the reality happens to be like. Or how about Dakar – how could you not want to go there? Or Madagascar? Alexandria always sounded so enticing as well, as do Casablanca and Marrakesh. Or Budapest. Or Mali.
In fact, I think it is possibly to arrange a lifetime of holidays on phonetics alone. Although maybe, looking at that list above, I just like the sound of the hard ‘c’.
/randombollocks
Shout Out Louds – Normandie
Yo La Tengo – Andalucia
The Divine Comedy – Motorway to Damascus
In 1883 Oscar Wilde gave a lecture in London after his return from a trip to the States, where he had this to say:
The Spanish and French have left behind them memorials in the beauty of their names. All the cities that have beautiful names derive them from the Spanish or the French. The English people give intensely ugly names to places. One place had such an ugly name that I refused to lecture there. It was called Grigsville. Supposing I had founded a school of Art there–fancy “Early Grigsville.” Imagine a School of Art teaching “Grigsville Renaissance.”
I think Prague is an ugly name, standing alone, but it nevertheless evokes loveliness because of the beauty of the place. Moscow? Ugly. Durban? Ugly. Ouagadougou? Dreadful. Tampa? Get serious. And don’t even get me started on Pyongyang. Then again, none can hold a candle to Twatt (in the Shetland Islands); Toad Suck (in Arkansas); Middelfart (in Denmark); Shitterton (in Dorset); or, last but not least, Fucking (a village in Austria). Lovely or interesting names, though? Sofia, Buenos Aires, Swansea, Kathmandu, Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur….
I always thought Budapest sounded great. I was most disappointed when I found that the word was formed simply by combining the names of two separate neighbouring towns, Buda and Pest, which individually both sound pretty crap.
I don’t know the way to Damascus, but being an Aussie, I’m well acquainted with many interesting place names. Woy Woy. Wagga Wagga. Yorkey’s Knob. Jeparit. Boing Boing. Tiddy Widdy Beach. Foul Bay. Humpybong. Innaloo. Mount Buggery. Rooty Hill. Poowong. Woolloomooloo. Only in Australia…
And let’s not forget Cockburn, Agnes. Ouch!
Cockburn is quite a common name here too. Co-burn is the pronunciation though, although I find it hard to resist the more obvious…
When I was in Malaysia I met a really fit girl from Wagga Wagga actually. I don’t know if I wanted to shag her because she was so pretty or just for geographical point-scoring!
Haha oh dear me no let’s not forget that one! Classic.
I think Istanbul should change it’s name back to Constantinople – beautiful name …. Persepolis should also be rebuilt … as a new-town maybe – Like Cumbernauld. Imagine that – “What’s it called ? – Persepolis.” I’d move there.
Constantinople is far superior to Istanbul. It’s that hard ‘c’ again.
“What’s it called – Persepolis!” is a moment of genius. And I quite like Oxford, actually.
I’ve always been partial to some of New Zealand’s Maori place names: Mount Taranaki and the Matukituki Valley for example; plenty of hard `c’s for you there.
Even some of those of British origin aren’t too bad: Doubtful Sound has an appealing resonance… (though this is coming from someone who grew up just down the road from Desolation Bay)
Istanbul changing its name back to Constantinople? Sounds like a great idea for a song!..
Yeah, if only we could think of a tune to go with it…
Mount Taranaki is good, but Doubtful Sound and Desolation Bay are masterpieces of nomenclature. Brilliant!
whats wrong with Mark Knopfler???