Dundee – Books, Ships and More Ships

Last weekend saw us head to Dundee for a Book Fair, wonderfully well organised by Wendy Jones. 32 authors and their partners/friends/minders congregated at the Friary and set out a most tempting display of goodies – books, sweets, more books, more sweets -and cakes!

I met many friends there as well as making many more new ones and had some great conversations with them all. In between I even sold some books. All sorts of genres were represented – from Children and Young Adult to Romance and Crime, Fantasy and Horror. Add to that mix some Short Stories, Memoir and How To books and you have the makings of a successful day.

To book-end the Book Fair, we had come to Dundee a day earlier and were leaving a day later to make the most of what is on offer in the city. So first to the new V&A museum, down at the waterfront. It’s a stunning building sitting proud over the water and just as impressive inside.

The museum showcases the best of design and the processes behind them and also had an exhibition about the ocean-going liners of former days, famed for their luxury. Some of the clothing worn by the richest passengers, (including royalty) was quite exquisite and beautifully made, and obviously very expensive. They even brought their tiaras with them!

Next door to the museum, sits the ship, the Discovery, built in Dundee especially to sail to the Antarctic for exploring this great unknown continent as it was at the beginning of the twentieth century. Robert Falcon Scott was the leader of the 1901-04 expedition which included Ernest Shackleton, also to achieve fame as an Antarctic explorer.

They achieved many scientific goals and learned much about the geology, biology and weather of Antarctica which would help later expeditions in their turn. The hardships they endured until they returned safely four years later was graphically depicted in the exhibition. The ship itself has been restored and is docked next its new companion, the V&A, both fitting jewels in Dundee’s crown.