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With summer a long distant memory and bright autumnal colours turning to dreary beige it’s not surprising that the onset of winter is greeted as keenly as President Sarkozy at a bar mitzvah.
It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for all the blessed coughs and sneezes that fill the air and from catching the death bus every morning to working in an office that resembles a doctor’s waiting room, it’s inevitable that at some point during December to March, I’m going to get ill.
Nobody likes to feel unwell however, cast your mind back through the haze of Vicks and Beechams to when you were a child. A doting mother mopping your feverish brow, extra blankets pulled up tight and that all-curing bowl of soup would sometimes make the whole event seem almost enjoyable.
The favourite thing I remember about being ill as a child, aside from turning the lounge into my bedroom, were the comics that my mum would get from the library. She’d come back with a whole stack of Tintin books that perked me up no end until finally I was ready to go back to school.
These days the adventurous young reporter from Belgium has transferred to the silver screen in a 3D blockbuster: The Secret of the Unicorn. I’m sort of tempted to go and watch it but then perhaps it would be better to remember the characters’ tales of courage and adventure in 2D, just as I used to enjoy them whilst tucked up on the couch.
Tintin’s recent foray into the world of Hollywood will no doubt leave him and the rest of the gang feeling slightly exhausted and in need of a bit of r & r. With this in mind, I’ve decided to contemplate where Hergé’s troupe of characters would like to visit once they’ve finished the merry-go-round of red carpets, after show parties and press events.
Enjoy the break Tintin, Haddock and Snowy, you deserve it!
Tintin – Where better to send ‘he of the quiff’ other than on a round of safari holidays? After his exploits in the Congo in 1931, I think he’d relish the opportunity to return to Africa and explore the plains and national parks that are teeming with wildlife and adventure. The neighbouring country to Congo is Zambia and from walking safaris in South Luangwa to watching the watering hole next to his bush camp, chances for photography and telling stories around the fire will undoubtedly give the star of the show a well-earned break.
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Captain Haddock – This crusty old sea dog won’t be at home anywhere other than on the ocean and I think a sailing trip to Croatia would give him the rest he deserves. The rugged Dalmatian coastline is full of tiny deserted islands and once Haddock finds a suitable anchorage he can kick back, watch the sunset and rest his weary bones. Of course, he’d better be careful of his rum intake while in charge of the yacht or else he may end up shipwrecked on board a raft al la The Red Sea Sharks adventure of ‘58.
Snowy – As this Wire Fox Terrier is more suited to adventure holidays over hill and dale as opposed to Arabian deserts (Cigars of the Pharaoh ’34) and the streets of Shanghai (The Blue Lotus ’36), I think he’d relish a trip to the Highlands of Scotland. Tintin’s faithful sidekick would love the chance to leap and bound through bracken and gorse before taking a dip in a refreshing loch. Also, thanks to Snowy’s liking of Loch Lomond single malt whisky, he’d find plenty of opportunities to let his hair down or spend evenings crashed out in front of a roaring pub fire.
There are plenty of other wonderful destinations for the rest of the gang to enjoy and from Professor Calculus going on a scientific trip to study the geothermal activity of Iceland to Thomson and Thompson finally getting to finish the Mediterranean cruise that they started in Cigars of the Pharoah, a well-earned break will undoubtedly fend off any winter ailments just as well as a library-borrowed copy of a Tintin comic book.
Chris is an avid Tintin fan and hopes to visit the Hergé museum in Brussels as soon as possible.
