Tower and Town, March 2020 (view the full edition)Travel'What should they know of England who only England know?' - Rudyard Kipling Most of us 20th and 21st century Brits have been fortunate enough to travel. Travel broadens the mind and apparently studies suggest that taking a gap year or studying abroad can positively influence your brain, making you more outgoing and open to new ideas. So, if you are a traveller, you can add travel to your burgeoning list of polymathic skills. Travel! And thou shalt find new friends for old ones left behind: These lines are from ‘The Tale of Nur Al-Din Ali and his son Badr Al-Din Hasan: The Thousand Nights and a Night’, translated by the amazing English polymath Sir Richard Burton KCMG FRGS who was an explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet (The Kasidah), fencer and diplomat. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke 29 European, Asian and African languages, as well as another 18 dialects! Lucinda Hall |