Xanadu – my case for it to be a country! Ok, when I decided on my theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge, which is weird and zany things about countries I possibly might or might not have checked whether there was a country for every letter of the alphabet, which creates my current dilemma.
After much discussion we thought that Xanadu actually ‘could’ be a country if we all wanted it to be. And really folks, why wouldn’t we lobby for “X” to be the starting letter of a country. After all Xanadu has come to be known as a place of great luxury and contentment. To put it in simpler terms, it’s a paradise. I am sure that there are many places on Earth that would love to claim this name, Xanadu, as a country.
Evidence 1 for Xanadu
Samuel Taylor Coleridge attempted, albeit in a drug induced state, to start the political lobbying for Xanadu to be a country. After all, it was the summer capital of the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan.
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round;
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
Now this is a pretty convincing case
Evidence 2 for Xanadu
Citizen Kane the movie followed the death of a publishing tycoon, where news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance “Rosebud”. It is no secret that the movie was based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, who himself had a “Xanadu,” which still stands today, know as Hearst Castle.
Our case is getting quite strong for Xanadu
I can’t even say Xanadu without singing it in my head… and you gotta have roller skates. I still remember trying to replicate it on Saturday mornings at the skating rink. Obviously we were fantastic (or thought we were!).
It was so funny watching it again that we had to share the experience and now I am singing it it my head again 🙂
Thanks for the blast from the past! Dancers on roller skates – good enough for any country!
Joshisms A to Z
The Road We’ve Shared A to Z
Can’t get past the ’80’s; hang on yes we can 🙂
I love it when a new country is put on the map…you know changing borders and all that…
Countries have borders? 🙂
You’ve built a good case, and caused everyone who reads this to sing that song for the rest of the day.
Did you see Angels & Demons with Tom Hanks? They say that one of the ways to elect a new pope is if everyone starts chanting his name or something. Is adding the song part of how you’re going to make it a country? If everyone in the world is singing Xanadu – it’s a country? 🙂
You don’t know close I came to doing X marks the spot. Had both written but went with Xanadu. Hope you enjoyed the music clip too. I think that we are onto something 🙂
Argh….too late. I know the song well from my teenage years and now it is stuck in my head! 😛 I concur with your strong case for a Xanadu. 🙂
Thank you. We couldn’t stop laughing at the youtube :))