England, Greece & Japan. 1983-4
Another exciting holiday is about to unfold starting with my plane being delayed by five hours. There was quite a crowd to wish me farewell, it was getting late and some of my friends Lynn & Bruce left, along with my uncle & aunt, Max & Gloria, Don & Judy stayed till the bar closed at midnight. There was the long wait but finally the plane departed at 4.45am.for the start of my journey to England, a bus tour of Greece and a stopover in Tokyo on my return.
My body clock was soon put out of focus with bar service and a meal which should have been dinner, anyway that’s the penalty one pays if you want to travel the world.
The flight was via Papeete in Tahiti where another hour was lost through some maintenance on one of the motors, finally arriving at Los Angeles, where there was a change of planes and another delay, somehow it didn’t matter anymore, we must get to England sometime. My friend Keith Bougher was waiting for me at Gatwick airport, we were soon motoring to Feltham in London. Where Keith lives. A welcome shower and a few enjoyable beers and I was ready for the lovely English roast dinner and some nice wine.
The morning dawned cold and wet, it is winter here, but a temperature of a high of 11 degs was not the makings of a white Christmas. Keith was off to work and I had instructions of how to find the township, which was a 10 minutes walk. I had brought with me a large selection of parcels and letters to post to various family members living in England and soon decided it was time to sample my first draught beer, a Carlsberg Lager, plus a generous helping of sausage pie. I decided to explore the other direction, another township with the usual streets of terraced houses. English pubs fascinate me so it was time to check the décor of another gem.
Keith suggested we take a drive to downtown London to view the Christmas lighting, Harrods Department store was beautifully decorated, a portion of it had been recently damaged by a car bomb killing five people and injuring scores, moving on to Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, again a fairytale of lights. There were police everywhere on full alert keeping a close watch out for further bombings. Finally we settled for a cosy little pub beside the Thames. Luckily the rain had stopped and it was quite pleasant walking around the famous landmarks, then enjoying a late supper at Maxwells.
Awoke early next morning, Yes, it was my birthday, Keith’s flatmates surprised me with a lovely cake all lit up with sparklers, not very elegant sitting up in bed dropping crumbs everywhere. Keith called for me to take me to the train station, as I was going to spend Christmas with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Kerry and Angela Baine. It was a marathon journey firstly starting at Boston Manor station on the Piccadilly Line from London, changing at Green Park for the Jubilee Line to Kilburn, that all went smooth, remembering past accomplishments. I soon found my way to Kerry & Angela’s terraced home which they are currently renovating. The house has three floors, one large room wide, over a hundred years old, they had lovingly restored the grand staircase all the way to the top floor, carpeted and painted, installed gas heating throughout, just the kitchen and dining room to go The kitchen had all the floor boards removed, just a wide plank over to the stove, tricky. There was a lot of excitement meeting up again after about eighteen months, and of course meeting their daughter Emma for the first time. I had brought lots of Christmas parcels from home to go under the tree. The duty free rum got quite an airing also, as it was still my birthday.
It was another mild morning, dam, and no snow for Christmas. Kerry did room service with tea and toast, then it was time to do some exploring, I tried to locate my cousin, Velmai Becker, who lived close by, she wasn’t home so I decided on a stroll into Kilburn and explore the town.
Later I tried out my skills with the underground trains, quite simple now that I understand the different lines, my first stop was around Waterloo and Trafalgar Square which is the undisputed centre of London where a statue of Nelson stands high on a column guarded by lions, taking photos and just gazing of the many recognizable identities. With darkness falling early as it was winter, I did a quick trip to view Buckingham Palace but will need to come back to watch the changing of the guards which is held at noon daily. My return tube journey (as it is called) was with ease and there was still time to enjoy a beer in another quaint pub.
It was a nice day for more exploring, Kerry went to work, Angela and I travelled to a huge shopping centre where I was able to buy some much needed warmer clothes, also a chance to buy a few Christmas presents. Kerry suggested we go to an Irish pub close by, a very enjoyable evening with entertainment by a group of Irish singers; the Guinness was extra flavoursome also.
Another mild morning, I decided on a journey back to central London, visit more exciting landmarks like the Tower of London, which has a long and gory history since Roman times, it was also the sight of several beheadings including Anne Boleyn, the tower also houses the Crown Jewels of England. Madame Tussaud”s Wax museum with its extremely lifelike statues of famous people the world over. I found another very interesting pub called “the Glass Blower” which served a wonderful chicken and ham pie. Time to catch up with my cousin Valmai and her husband David for a Christmas toast, they showed me around some more interesting places and we finally settled in a comfortable pub with a roaring fire, an enjoyable meal and sparkling beers. Walking back home we discovered a pub called the “King of Bohemia”, appropriate for my heritage, so it was nice to have a farewell drink there.
Next morning being Christmas Eve day Kerry and I needed to beat the crowds and buy some liquid refreshments for the big day, I am looking forward to taking part in the English way of celebrations. After the important chores were done we took a drive via the M1 motorway to the lovely old city of St Albans with a huge nine centuries old Cathedral which had a very beautifully decor interior with lovely stained glass windows beautifully preserved .We then moved on to Hammerstead, another well kept city of old Victorian buildings, next was Harrow with the well known University of Harrow, many buildings of the complex dated back many centuries, it seemed to be a city within a city built on a hill. Returning to Kilburn we never seemed to leave the multitude of towns and housing estates.
Christmas day has arrived, crisp but no sign of snow or rain, a very excited Emma deciding on which present to open first, the turkey stuffed and with doing a balancing act over planks set down on the unfinished floor, placed in the oven, the vegetables prepared and a huge Christmas pudding on the boil, a few celebrated drinks were called for, I was the first relation to spend the festive season with them since living in England, I’m sure that was a good enough excuse.
The meal was cooked to perfection, cranberry sauce commented the turkey and the brandy poured over the pudding set alight, then enjoyed. Angela had done an excellent job of keeping the style of Christmas as close to tradition as possible.
A long after dinner walk was a means of settling down the huge amount of food, young Emma received a trike as a present so I seemed to have the task of teaching her to ride. We all enjoyed celebrating Christmas together but there were sad times reminiscing over loved ones back home.
Boxing day dawned to sunshine but a cold wind, Kerry and I returned to the centre of London, first call was Westminster Abbey in Parliament Square, British sovereigns are married and crowned, many great men and women are buried there, a huge dark very ornate building, wonderful to actually visit it. Next the sight of Big Ben dwarfed surrounding buildings, an incredible landmark. I am now completely lost but thanks for my tour guide Kerry we found St. Katherine’s Dock for old marine ships, set out like a floating museum. Then the East End, original home of the Cockney people. We travelled through the Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames to the Royal Navel College then on to Greenwich where the Tee-clipper, Cutty Sark was launched in 1869 and Gipsy Moth, a ketch in which Sir Francis Chichester sailed around the world in 1966, both vessels are there on display. Greenwich Park Museum has a long maritime history with nautical clocks; adjacent is the Greenwich Meridian (0 degrees longitude) is where you can have one foot in each hemisphere. Passing Blackheath we noticed a sign which told us that this was the place where the dead from the “Black Plague” of London were buried After seeing this it was time for some refreshing beers before returning via St Paul’s Cathedral, it was a clear afternoon and this allowed some impressive photos. Covet Gardens was worth spending some time and the famous Drury Lane Theatre, finally there was a wonderful view of Greater London from Primrose Hill before heading back. It had been a very interesting outing and a wonderful way to spend Boxing Day in London.
Next morning Angela and Emma joined us on a further exploration around this vast city, driving first on the north circular road, then joined up with the south circular road, bi-passing many towns and villages, a slow trip with many traffic jams as thousands of cars seem to be sightseeing. then over the Kew Bridge and into Richmond Park where we took a long stroll along the banks of the River Thames. It turned quite cold so what’s better than a cosy pub, which by coincidence was where Keith and I had visited. We motored through the south west and Middlesex where the huge brick Palace of Hampton Court came into view with it’s capacious bay windows gazing out into the countryside, elaborate chimney stacks joined the gables and turrets of the 16th and 17th century palace. The interior was very elaborate as were royal households of that era. We returned by a different route, going through many towns and as this is mid-winter it gets dark soon after 4 pm. Angela cooked a lovely meal of assorted leftovers from Christmas and as this was my last night with them a few farewell drinks were called for.
Rose a little earlier this morning as I needed to organise my own itinerary, after some sad goodbyes it was firstly a trip on the tube to Liverpool Station to catch the train to visit my friends at Clacton-on-Sea, the train took a coastal route passing rural and orchard country, thanks to a lady sitting beside me I was told all the history of the area, small boats travelled the tidal rivers collecting goods like timber and steel from different jetty’s. My friends, the Kirk’s were waiting for me and after a tour of the area we arrived at their local club to enjoy a few drinks and meet their friends, next was the quaint old pub with low beams called “Robin Hood” for further drinks and a nice meal. It was nice to catch up with these folks again, I had met them while working in a pub in Hamilton, New Zealand, and they had decided to return to their homeland.
It was just an overnight stay with my friends and I was soon back on the train heading north to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I needed to go back to Liverpool Station where I caught the express. It was a very smooth journey with only two stops on the three-hour trip. Again another friend, Harry Letch whom I had also met in Hamilton, we had previously travelled in America together before he came back to his hometown .He was there to meet me at the station, a happy reunion, then we were headed for the small coal mining town of Birtley where he lives. A drive around the town refreshed my memory of a previous visit in 1981, the local pub was a good place to meet again all the friends I had made and enjoy a few pints of liquid amber, along with the familiar Geordie accent.
Next morning we took a drive into the city, Newcastle, where I bought some new photographic equipment in a large department store. The city is a sprawling industrial conurbation, not pretty at first sight but with plenty of atmosphere. It has six bridges including Robert Stephenson’s double-decker road ad rail bridge of the 1840’s. There are many medieval quayside buildings, the 17th century guildhall and castle, which are pre-industrial survivals. Moving out into the countryside we visited a popular ridge overlooking Birtley to watch some daredevil hang gliders in action. The temperature had dropped below zero and I thought my body had frozen up, I felt paralysed, quite scary, but I soon managed to thaw out again once back in the valley. By this time we had earned a drink, this time to the local club where there was a gathering of more familiar faces.
This is the last day of December, rather windy and very cold, Harry and I took a drive to South shields on the north sea, It was even colder here but we did walk around the pier to view the lighthouse, then drove on to Marsden Grotto, where there was a hotel built into the cliff wall with natural caves turned into bars, most unusual. It was cosy inside so we enjoyed a sample of their fine product. The wind died down so we were able to enjoy a walk along the beach to view a huge rock shaped like a needle.
This is New Years Eve and what better way to celebrate than to all congregate at the local pub. At the stroke of midnight the custom was to carry out arranged first footing at selected friends homes, this meant someone has the honour of arriving with a piece of coal wrapped in newspaper to keep the fire going, I was selected for some of this ritual, pounding the streets trying to keep upright in the gale force winds, flying debris getting dangerously close but somehow we all safely arrived at different homes, enjoying a drink, then moving on again. This went on till the wee hours of 1984; I think it took hours for me to get feeling back in my limbs again.
Awoke late next morning, the weather had cleared so it was a good time for some photo shoots around Birtley, then back home for a delicious turkey New Year luncheon. A trip to Durham Cathedral and Castle just on dusk was to view the lighting, a wonderful sight, in all their ghostly splendour. Returning via a lookout spot gave us a further view of all the galaxy of lights
An early start this morning as Harry is doing the tour guide job again, this time, nearly to the Scottish border, Holly Island, Our journey followed some lovely northern aspect of rolling countryside, views of villages and towns dotted here and there, occasional sights of old stone bridges and fences, with only Cheviot sheep for company, the roads wound through towns called Longhorsley and Rothbury, then onto Alnwick, a dignified stone built market town, the huge Castle dating back from Norman times , has a sumptuous Renaissance-style interior. Leaving the rolling countryside behind we headed for Holly Island, Northumberland, which has a causeway from the mainland, which can only be used at low tide. We were in luck and had time to explore the old township and Lindisfarne Castle built high up on rocks, there was a bitter wind blowing but worth the effort to explore this rugged landscape. Next on our list was Bamburgh Norman Castle, revamped in the 18th century, has vast porcelain and armour collections. Our return journey was through Denwick and Morpeth, then taking the Tyne tunnel. A most interesting and scenic day out, but sadly this is my last here so a group of friends joined me for some farewell drinks in a lovely old “Potters Wheel” country pub.
Awoke next morning to snow, what a transformation of the landscape, everything coated in a virginal white. Harry suggested we had better go early to the station as it could become impassable later.
Once more, I needed to say goodbye to my excellent host and boarded the express train to London. Flurries of snow drifted past the windows and the whole countryside was a blanket of white, just as a Christmas card picture. Back to green pastures and a milky sun as we approached my destination. London. Again the tube proved an easy challenge arriving back to the family; Angela had prepared a lovely farewell dinner with lots of very nice wine
The morning proved nice and sunny after heavy rain overnight, more goodbyes and I was back on the tube again, this time for Heathrow Airport for my flight to Greece. There was a three-hour gain in time, I arrived at Athens about 8 pm, a taxi was there to meet me for the tricky drive into the city, it always seems a lot worse when you are driving on the other side of the road. The Electra Hotel, right in the centre of the city had a lovely marble foyer with Greek Statues, I booked in and was keen to explore some of the highlights of the city while there was still some light, finding a nice little restaurant, nice cold beer and light entertainment. Later I stopped into a bar to sample their Ouzo, not that it was among my favourite drinks but you need to try the local drinks, it was okay but, oops, I soon realised I was in a Gay bar, finishing my drink swiftly I decided on a night cap in the shelter of my hotel.
Booking a city tour next morning, first there was a general drive around explaining the attractions, then an hour at the Archaeological Museum, very interesting, hard to realise you were viewing articles of B.C. era. Next was the world famous Acropolis, standing in all it’s glory on a hilltop overlooking Athens. The architecture was magnificent, brightly coloured exterior sculptural decorations of splendid craftsmanship, 44 figures of the pediments, 92 metopes depicted the battles of the giants. The Erechtheion displayed some wonderfully preserved statues. The Temple of Zeus in the valley below the Acropolis was also very interesting; this was a good way to start my historical journey of the next four days. Lastly we stopped to view Athens Stadium, where the first Olympics of modern times were held in 1896 On the return to the city we were able to view the Evzones presidential guards, dressed in their multi-pleated white kilts, tight cream stockings and turned up shoes.
I decided on a trip to the old city of Plaka on the eastern slopes of the Acropolis, the narrow lanes have preserved their characteristic local colour, nighttime the echoes of guitars and orchestras are popular with the tourists
The city came alive at five p.m. after a siesta of three hours, huge markets appeared selling just about everything, streets upon streets of inviting souvenirs, very colourful clothing and many small food stalls. I bought some lovely small Roman Urns, beautifully decorated, it was explained to me if there was a piece of lead wired onto the handles, then it was original, they cost more, hope the info was right?
Next morning I join a tour bus of twenty people for a historical four-day trip around Greece. There were Australians, South Africans, Americans and, as usual, I seemed to be the only Kiwi. It was an overcast day but no rain. We were soon into citrus orchards and olive groves as far as you could see. The bus passed over the Corinth Canal, which was six kilometres long and eighty metres high, into the town of Corinth’s where we were able to view Temple of Apollo, the Greek God of Sun and the interesting museum. Next was the Epidauros, God of Health and Healing museum and the huge stadium, which has a capacity of sixty thousand people in a natural setting. The rest of the day was taken up with visiting various ancient ruins.
Our hotel for the night had a beautiful, very ornate marble foyer, a large fountain as a centrepiece and many reproductions of Greek Gods. A severe thunderstorm with lots of hail stopped us from exploring so I guess it was a good night to enjoy a few ouzos with some or our people from the tour bus
An early start for the long journey over very mountainous roads, great coast views and rugged cliffs, we arrived at the ancient town of Tripolis, lots of cobbled streets and white washed houses, very picturesque, next stop was Olympia, home of the first ancient Olympic games. Lots of excavation around the ruins, and an interesting display of how it all once looked like, this helped to understand the craftsmanship of some of the huge marble columns and even bigger stone slabs. It started to rain again so I took refuge in the streets of the town to check out the shops and enjoy the company of some of the other tour passengers, then a nice meal, now that I enjoy the taste of ouzo, there was not much else to do with all the heavy rain around.
The morning dawned bright and sunny, the way I had expected it to be, we travelled on to our final destination, Delphi, the roads wound around very hilly and barren countryside, passed through many interesting villages, I was amazed by the way the roads were constructed, at times they seem to cross over the lower levels as they headed higher into the hills, in the distance were snow capped mountains An unusual “Red Rock” appeared and I learned it is mined as a substance in the making of aluminium .
We arrived at our destination, Delphi, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus in time to benefit from the museum of Greek and Roman relics, including the famous bronze statue of the charioteer from the early 5th century B.C. We walked the Sacred Way to the sanctuary of Apollo in its wild and lonely setting and the treasury of Athenians .So much ancient history, here to view instead of reading about in books.
The town was almost deserted, but a few of us ventured out in the cool night air to explore the streets, found some very cheap wines which were later enjoyed. My three lady friends from Ballarat, Victoria, Australia were never far away and ready to sample a few ouzos and a nice meal and lots of laughs.
A later start next morning allowed time to visit more of the Apollo Temple which seemed to be built on a hillside, also the ancient stadium theatre, very large and impressive, further uphill was a wonderful view of all the ruins and the valley below. Starting our journey back to Athens we stopped at an old monastery called Mozaico of Saints, (Greek Orthodox) Built in the 11th century, A.D. it was magnificently decorated in lots of pure gold and also had a wonderful view from high in the mountains, there were still eight monks living there. This was a grand setting for a group photo.
On the outskirts of Athens we passed through some modern villages and lots of market gardens, a wonderful sunset was experienced just before arrival in the city, which was just coming to life again after siesta time.
A group of us decided on dinner at a Taverner as a farewell to a wonderful few days together. There was a continuous floorshow of Greek Zorba dancing and singing, plus some great displays of Belly Dancing. Somehow I was chosen to join the group and being guided through the intricate movements of hips and hands, (somehow I think I had been recommended to join them by my lady friends) The meal seemed to go on for hours with many a tasty dishes set before us to enjoy. On our walk back to our hotels two of my constant lady companions confessed to me they were not only sisters, they were nuns, here to enjoy a holiday just like the rest of us, this I wouldn’t believe till they showed my photos of themselves in their religious habits. Immediately my mind went back over the last few days, wondering if I had been a thorough gentleman or not?
Next morning I was excited as I boarded a small cruise ship for a three Greek Island trip, the day was calm, fine and quite warm, the first port of call was the Island of Aghia, a mythical sheltered harbour, perfect for swimming, explored another temple and noticed there were lots of citrus and nuts growing in the fertile soil.
Next stop was the Island of Poros, a small volcanic popular getaway of great beauty for Greek and foreign tourists alike, in the many lovely resorts scattered around the coastline.
The gem in the crown was Hydra, again an island of much beauty, rugged mountains in the background, although very poor soil, the brightness of bougainvillea against the whitewashed houses left a lasting impression of peace and tranquillity, no cars, only donkey’s as transport up very steep hillside villages. Our cruise boat had tied up right in the centre of town, which dwarfed the small houses and shops. I enjoyed climbing the cobbled steps from the sea front to explore the neat and stark whiteness of the homes, some decorated with ceramic pots of flowering geraniums and petunias.
My time spent on this beautiful Island was far from enough to take in the atmosphere of the way the inhabitants have lived for centuries, under grudge I boarded the cruise boat for the journey back to Athens, vowing to return one day to take in more of these exciting Islands in the Aegean Sea.
Some of the folk from the Greek tour were still in Athens and we had made arrangements to meet at another Taverner for a final farewell meal. We had chosen a more original place with excellent performances of Greek national dancing and singing; the entertainers were very talented and made everyone feel special.
The time has come to take a final glance at the city of Athens and catch my bus to the Airport for my flight to Tokyo, Japan, via London, with wonderful views of the Swiss Alps and the “The Matterhorn. Arriving in London was a culture shock, 5 degs C. and light drizzle. My friend Keith was there to meet me, we were soon away from the hassles of the airport and headed for his home, our first thought were some celebratory beers, even with the coldness of the day somehow didn’t matter. A group of us went to a very nice French restaurant, after all the mix of food in Greece I was looking forward to some good English food, never mind, I did enjoy, selected dishes I knew.
All too soon, my overnight stay with Keith was over and time for me to head back to the airport with Keith was my faithful chauffeur. I had managed to contact Kerry & Angela to say goodbye, now after a farewell drink at the airport I was on my own again for a nine-hour flight to Tokyo. The route was via the North Pole having a two-hour stop at Anchorage in Alaska. The outside temperature there was well below zero, and covered with a blanket of snow. Japanese people ran all the duty free shops, and even the food was Asian. The flight on followed the sun and landing at Narita Airport in the early evening, I was soon through customs control and on a bus to the huge city of Tokyo, clear skies but quite cool. My lovely room with kimono and slippers provided was on the 8th floor of the Shiba Park Hotel in the centre of town, still time for a exploratory stroll around the streets, then booked a four hour tour of the city for next morning.
The first stop of the tour was to Tokyo Tower and the viewing platform, sadly some low fog prevented me from admiring the huge vastness of this home of many millions. Next was the Imperial Palace, with all it’s glory, and gardens which displayed winter colours and hedges manicured to perfection With all the people in this vast metropolis this seemed to be a haven of tranquillity. Our next calling was to a flower arranging and pearl demonstration, not much interest to me but somehow the Japanese people seem to make a wonderful story around each display. It would be a wonderful place to come back to in spring with all the cherry blossoms in full bloom, but this was winter and I guess I was lucky to be able to enjoy the vastness of this huge clockwork city.
All too soon the tour was over and I just had time to collect my case and catch the bus for the 1-½ hour drive back to the airport for my flight to New Zealand. An unusual stop before the airport, we all had to leave the bus and take our belongings to a huge building where it was explained that everyone needed to had a full bag search, this was carried out by the very nimble fingers of Japanese girls, apologising all the time for any inconvenience, their expert checking left hardly a ripple in my well packed bag, a further culture shock was a full body search, I loved it…. I had the feeling arriving at the airport that I was safe from any problems with bombs and guns while flying home. A short stop at Fiji was a great feeling of warmer weather after the northern winter.
Well another wonderful holiday has come to an end, the usual full check through customs, just in case you were trying to smuggle some goods which they were able to charge duty on, I was slugged $70 for what I thought was quite petty, but one must shut up and pay up if you want to see the outside of the airport. So it is back to work again to save for another exciting holiday somewhere. Till next time. Goodbye
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