ISLE OF MAN – Guess where cats lack tails, sheep have four horns and huge sharks in the coastal waters pose no threat to people?
All of these strange species live on a small island, located between the United Kingdom and Ireland, in the middle of the Irish Sea.
It is the Isle of Man, or Ellan Vannin, as the locals call it.
This island, however, belongs neither to the United Kingdom nor to the European Union, and is still technically in a state of war with Germany as the Manx government never signed the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I.
But the oddities of the island are not limited to this strange historic fact.
When boarding the ferry to Man from Liverpool, I was preparing myself for the rugged beauty of the north, but instead Douglas, the capital of the island, welcomed me with the rawness of subtropical palms and flowers. In fact, it looked more like a northern Nice.
It turns out that moderate temperature with cool summers and mild winters, together with ample rainfall, allow this beauty to flourish year-round.
In fact, the Isle of Man used to be a popular resort in the times when Britain was reigned by Queen Victoria, whose statue stands in the center of Douglas on a street named in her honor. The fashionable Victorian villas along Douglas’ long seafront are reminiscent of that belle époque of the island.
But later British tourists found more accessible and warmer travel destinations, and the luxury villas, later converted into hotels, remain half-empty.
Another rare legacy of Victorian times is a huge horse pulling an iron tram full of passengers. Perhaps animal rights activists don’t come often to this island, or the horse only looks tired when it is forced to make a stop at every red traffic light and then pull the heavy tram forward once more.
Fans of Victorian times will also enjoy the antiquated locomotives. The Isle of Man is proud of its steam and electric trains, which connect the towns and villages of the entire territory – all 588-square kilometers. Modern double-decker buses supplement the Manx transport system, making travel around the island fast and comfortable thanks to great state of the local roads.
It takes around 20 minutes for the bus to get you from Douglas to the former capital Castletown, unsurprisingly best known for its Castle Rushen. Once a stronghold of Man’s kings and lords, it is now one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe.
The Isle of Man has a history similar to that of the British islands, being initially inhabited by Celtic people and later colonized by the Norse from Scandinavia. Its name comes from Manannan, the Island’s mythological sea god, who kept the island safe from disasters throughout its 10,000 year-long history.
After a stint under both the English and Scottish kings, in turn, the Isle of Man came under the lordship of English Crown in 1399, but was never part of Great Britain. The island still remains under Crown dependency and Queen Elizabeth II holds the title of Lord of Man, and is represented on the island by a Lieutenant Governor.
The tiny but beautiful Castletown resembles the fishing villages of adventure books, with small yachts, picturesque houses, sea breeze, and smell of fish. Walking at sunrise along the beach and onto the sea is amazing, but mind the tide, which is so fast here that it may cut you off from land in just a few minutes.
Another prominent thing in Castletown is the Old House of Keys, former home of Manx parliament or Tynwald, which has a 1,000-year history making it the world’s oldest continuous parliament, locals claim. Later this two-branch parliament was relocated to Douglas, where it manages all the internal issues of the island.
The foreign policy of Man, however, is operated by the government of the United Kingdom. This partly independent status of the island is manifested in many ways: British pounds circulated on the island’s territory often carry Manx symbols; more than half of the 80,000 inhabitants came from the UK but are still considered as “comeovers.”
An exotic place even for most Brits, this remote island attracts mainly downshifters thanks to its virgin nature, and rich men thanks to the low tax rates. The maximum income tax rate on the Isle of Man is 20 percent, compared to 50 percent in Britain.
Other people, lured by the island, are adventure seekers. These are motorcyclists – the Isle of Man lacks speed limits in non-built-up areas and hosts road racing competitions in warm period every year – and also space tourists, as the island has recently become a center of private space companies, which opened some research stations there.
The working day ends early on this island, and most shops and businesses are closed at 4 p.m. But soon after numerous night venues light up, as the Isle of Man is a popular place for partying thanks to its cheap alcohol taxes.
But if fast booze is not the aim, I would advise just to taste the fine local Okells ale in one of the numerous pubs of Douglas, remembering all the miracles seen on this island along the day.
Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Grytsenko can be reached at [email protected]
