Overseas Travel. Wonderful Scandinavia, Germany and Thailand

Wonderful Scandinavia, Germany & Thailand 1988
Boarded a near new D.C.10 aircraft for a 12 hour flight to Bangkok in Thailand, a short rest, then back on a 747 Jumbo bound for Copenhagen in Denmark, another one hour flight got me to my destination, Oslo in Norway, quite a marathon way to travel but I would rather spend more time in the countries I am visiting first and have a stopover on my way home. I arrived in the morning, too early to book into my hotel so left my baggage there and started my own little tour to discover the superb Norwegian capital of half a million people. There are many hard to pronounce words and I know during this holiday spelling and speaking them will be difficult. Most locals speak beautiful English with an Oxford accent. A long walk around the sea frontage was a must to get my body adjusted after such a long flight. The day was pleasant and warm, being high summer everyone seemed to be out enjoying some of the nearly 24-hour daylight, I could just imagine winter, it hardly makes twilight. I discovered the massive Akershus fortress; it had been destroyed by fire in 1624 and rebuilt along with the replanning of the city, which was named Christiana, reverting back to Norway in 1905 when independence was gained from Sweden. The medieval fortress houses the Defence and Resistance museum, a moving, factual memorial to World War 11. An attractive seafaring adventures housed in the Bygdoy, here the some Viking ships are displayed, plus Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki, this balsa raft was used for a voyage from Peru across the Pacific to Polynesia in 1947, also there is the Ra 11, the papyrus-built (replica of an vessel of ancient Egypt in which he crossed the Atlantic in 1970. Close by were many fine examples of ancient buildings, including a 13th century church. I took a mini cruise of Oslo from the Fjord, viewing many Islands in the inner part of the Oslofjord. I made it back to the Hotel in time to meet up with the bus tour, which I was touring, and covering Norway, Sweden and Denmark for two weeks. After a friendly gathering and discussion of what we will see there was still time to take a trip to see the famous Ski Jump, Holmenkollen, there is an annual festival in March, attracting visitors from around the world, the surroundings offer fine walks and views over looking the city. I enjoyed a lovely meal of Norwegian salmon, plus other seafoods.
Our bus tour started next morning with a drive around the city, some of the highlights I had already seen. Passing through Oslo’s main thoroughfare of Karl Johan’s Gate and the 19th century Royal Palace, watched the changing of the guards, the Palace grounds are open to the public. We visited the Vigeland Sculptures in Frognel Park; his 192 sculptures of bronze, granite, and wrought iron depict the various stages of the human cycle from birth to death. The bronze statue of a boy having a tantrum was superb The impressive Oslo Cathedral built in 1694 has been restored had splendid doors with fine bronze reliefs and a large statue of Christian 1V.
Our tour bus departed for Sweden, motoring south through mostly fields of wheat and forest, stopping briefly for lunch at the border town of Svinesund, the light rain had stopped so the bus took the scenic route via the Islands of Orust and Tjorn, connected by bridges, some very nice fjord backdrops. Finally reaching our destination for the night, Gothenburg, it’s population of half a million is situated on the river Gota and Sweden’s principal port Canals wind right through the older part of the city and a popular way of sightseeing is by broad, flat bottomed boats that ply their waters. It has sea links with the U.K and Denmark, seems to have a small town atmosphere despite the major harbour and industry all around.
A 6.30 am start this morning, a nice fine, mild morning, we needed to catch a vehicle ferry for a three hour crossing to Jutland, north Denmark. Motoring through very flat lush dairy countryside, a lunch stop was a small town called Hobro, wild roses and lupins were in full bloom along the roadside. Legoland was our next stop, a fantastic masterpiece of construction, millions of pieces of this world known children’s toy put together to form village buildings in miniature, a river with boats and an airport with planes. The distinctive colours of red and white, it’s called the Disneyland of north Europe. Moving on again, this time to our night stop, a lovely old converted thatched house, near Frederica, beautiful views of green pastures and crops. The group of 39 on the bus tour are getting to know each other; I think there will soon be more socialising! .A lovely country meal was served to us that evening.
We left this delightful rural setting, our first stop was Odense and Hans Christian Andersons (1805-75) house traditionally believed to be his birthplace, has been restored and turned into a fascinating memorial illustrating his life through letters, manuscripts, documents, pictures and other memorabilia. His fairy tales enchanted the world; the street has beautiful half-timbered houses, a collection of 16-17th century buildings, which illustrated the lifestyle of those times, along with very old cobbled streets. A short ferry trip to the Island of Sealand, and on to Roskilde, which has many palaces and castles, we visited a cathedral in Romanesque and Gothis styles which goes back to 1170, remarkable preserved and is the burial place for kings, many of the tombs are magnificent works in marble and alabaster Just a short drive and we were in Copenhagen, the Danish capital, as well as being a great industrial city of one and a half million people, it is a seafaring port, one of Europe’s most graceful places with its myriad copper spires and domes punctuating the skyline above the narrow streets and canals. A city tour took in the Amalienborg Royal Palace and Royal Residence we just missed the changing of the guards at noon, but did wander around the grounds, we viewed the Parliament buildings, all very impressive. Beautiful. Trivoli Gardens are undoubtedly one of the cities great attractions, this world famous amusement park was laid out in 1843 with very colourful flowers and fountains, popular open-air performances of plays and ballets, a night time view was like a fairyland with thousands of lights. A symbol of Copenhagen instantly recognised throughout the world is the famous bronze statue of “Little Mermaid”, pensively observing the ships that come and go. I later took a walk around the many quaint cobbled streets and canals close by our waterfront hotel viewing tall ships, many ferry’s and overseas liners, included was another visit to the ‘Little Mermaid”
Next morning was free to discover the city, I walked along the fascinating pedestrian precinct of five streets packed full of interesting shops and tourist traders, huge department stores, I wanted to buy some Copenhagen porcelain but decided against that when I priced the smallest specimen, I settled for a reproduction. Even at this early hour there were lots of people of all ages sitting around drinking beer, in parks, on seats in the streets, it seems to be a normal social occurrence, tramps were everywhere waiting for the empty bottles, I found out they were worth a Krona each and I guess that helped in a country with a very high cost of living .I took a canal cruise for an hour, some great views of lovely old buildings and tree lined streets, lots of small boats and a multitude of sea birds everywhere.
The evening was spent first with a lovely meal in a nice restaurant, followed by a visit to the Copenhagen Circus, quite amazing, with many world-renowned trapeze artists, acrobatics and lots of clowns, an excellent show.
An early start next morning for a ferry crossing into Sweden, passed Kronborg Castle which guards over the city of Elinore, then a long 545 klm. Drive to Stockholm
Firstly travelling through thick forest, which had high fences on either side of the road to keep out the moose and deer. A stop for a leg stretch at a lovely lake setting near the old city of Jonkoping, and then on to a lead glass factory where we were fortunate to watch a demonstration of glass moulding, my attempts of making a kiwi were a disaster. Moving on we were now in farming country, lush green pasture and market gardening, scattered along the way were many small lovely lakes. We arrived in Stockholm about 6pm, a city of 1-½ million people, still full sunshine and many hours of daylight still ahead. Our hotel was situated in the older part of the city among lots of beautiful 16th-17th century buildings, a maze of narrow traffic free streets full of antique and art shops, boutiques and restaurants. Many musicians were playing, some only young children.
A nice 24 degs. to start a tour of the city, first stop the fine-looking City Hall, built in 1923 with it’s piazza like Blue Hall, and majestic Golden Hall whose walls are entirely covered with 18 million glistening mosaic tiles depicting the history of Stockholm. Next the massive18th century Royal Palace which houses a museum of beautifully arranged armoury, we were lucky to view the changing of the guards. There are about fifty bridges linking the Islands of the city together. Some of us walked back to the older part of town to take in the great atmosphere. For dinner that night we took a launch to the outer island of Vaxholm, through an area called the Archipelago, a very nice old wooden homestead overlooking the fjords that serve some delightful seafood including salmon and herrings cooked in various ways, plus some very nice wines. Our return was by our tour bus, rather confusing as I never saw a bridge on the way over.
Sadly we left this lovely exciting city and headed north towards the city of Mora, lots of simular scenery, very lush and green, first stop was the lakeside Sigtuna, Sweden’s oldest town, with quaint shops and a very small town hall. Along the way was the city of Uppsala, one-time royal capital; the site of Scandinavia’s oldest university completed in 1477, there was also an elegant cathedral also of the 14th century. We passed many lakes, calling into another small village with quaint wooden houses, all painted in a redwood colour contrasting the greens of the pastures around the lake. A lunch stop in a small town had many inviting shops selling porcelain, lead crystal and hand made jewellery. We visited a wooden horse factory; hand made and all very brightly painted, an attraction I couldn’t resist to buying some. After an interesting day our coach took us to our stop for the night, a peaceful lakeside hotel at Mora. I still can’t get used to the sun setting after midnight and daylight at three am.
Mora is a large town which has an interesting museum illustrating works of the great artist Anders Zorn, as well as peasant art and architecture, Hantverksbyn is a delightful district of shops and houses recently built in traditional style. The town is also the starting point for the marathon Wasaloppet ( Wasa Race) every March when 12.000 skiers follow a traditional route covering 85 klms of cross country competitions, the temperature in winter can drop to as much as –40, that is cold…
Moving on again we were soon on the Norwegian border, the town of Lillehammer and the open air museum, life’s work of a dentist Anders Sandvig, a collection of 120 timber buildings set in a leafy park, displaying life as it was around the 15th century. On the road again we finally reached our stop for the night, a delightful mountain resort built near a lake and promoting some wonderful scenery. The evening meal here was quite traditional, followed be music and dancing in the coffee room, I remember that was the first time I had heard the “ Chicken Dance” that has became popular world wide. I enjoyed some very nice beers and danced the night away.
Next morning I awoke to peace and quiet, the only sounds were from the bells clanging around the sheep’s necks. Today we travelled along a river road, passing some of the finer views of this trip so far; we were in a gorge with farming going right up the mountainside with many changing landscapes, passing through many small villages, one with an old stave church from the 12th century. Reaching the Geiranger fjord we caught the vehicle ferry at Hellesylt for a very beautiful cruise through Norway’s most stunning fjord, huge passenger liners use the deep waters for the awesome spectacle of the mountains which drop in sheer rock cliffs into the fjord, there facades streaming with waterfalls, we passed two cruise ships which were dwarfed by the vastness of the cliffs. Our delightful hotel for the night, overlooking these stunning views was very equipped with saunas and indoor swimming pools. A fellow passenger Charles and I decided on a walk up the hills to a spot we had seen advertising the fjords, it had a rock protruding and travel magazines have photos showing people sitting out on the ledge overlooking the cruise boats hundreds of metres below, we attempted the same thing but could only stay there for a minute, especially me, I am not keen on heights. A very tasty seafood meal was served had an enjoyable swim in the heated pool, amazing, the temperature got to 28 degs during the day and a mild night, somehow I don’t think I would enjoy their winter degrees.
Light drizzle was falling as our coach took us on a tour to Trollsteigen, the road wound over the surrounding mountains with great views of the Geiranger fjord, then to the valleys where strawberries and cherries flourished, up some steep mountainous roads for some wonderful scenery, the road then travelled down the other side to Valldal with very little room to spare for our bus to turn around the sharp bends, some shear drops of hundreds of metres, it was an anxious 15 minute trip but worth the panorama , luckily there were many good photo stops . The return wasn’t so bad; I managed to enjoy the rugged scenery in a more relaxed mode. The evening meal was another delicious seafood assortment, followed by some great entertainment in the ballroom of the hotel by an Italian band.
Time to move on, a last look at the stunning views of the fjord; the reflections were picture postcard, blue skies and great reflections. Our bus took us to where Charles and I did our ledge sitting, our fellow bus passengers were amazed that we were so stupid to climb out there, oh well one must have a few dares in our lives. Travelling on over some very rugged terrains, at times reaching 1500 mts. The road was steeper and more rugged than yesterday, but equally breathtaking views. Passing many huge glaciers and ice fields, also Norway’s highest peak contrasted by a cloudless sky. Winding back down into valleys of lush green and pebbles mountain rivers it was nice to see the fields growing all sorts of vegetables, hay stacked for drying, also more strawberries and cherries. Our destination for the night was another lovely hotel at Sogndal, near a lovely fjord. Dinner was another example of traditional seafoods, then we were entertained by local musicians performing folk songs.
Next morning started with light drizzle which spoilt the spectacular views along the toll road of Dalsnibba, climbing some treacherous heights overlooking more ice fields, a two hour ferry trip was marred by low cloud and rain, we passed through the narrowest fjord passage that boats attempt, then back on the bus going through peaceful countryside and valley rivers following the road. Thinking our climbing days were over, our bus took us on a 1—20 road up to a high peak for more amazing views of the valleys below. The road was so narrow, just enough room for a car, a squeeze for a bus, we met a car coming the other way which had to back up to a passing lane. The weather had cleared which allowed more wonderful views of this very rugged country. I nearly forgot to mention, Trollsteigen and most of the highland towns and villages displayed and sold a large variety of Norway’s Trolls. The legend of these very ugly little fellows is that they hate being happy, can’t see very well and don’t like daylight, live under rocks and bridges, and scare people. A childhood story I remember is “ Three Billy Goats Gruff”. I just had to bring home some example statues, one I really liked had his finger up his nostril but couldn’t get one small enough, they have a prime spot in my house now. Our night stop was a small town called Os. This is the last one for some of our tour folk so it was a dress up evening, a nice meal and farewell drinks, it is only 30 klms from Bergen, our final destination
After a morning mist the next morning cleared to bright sunshine, the short drive to Bergen by the sea and our bus driver let us off in the middle of the city for some exploring of the colourful market area, fantastic displays of all types of fish, smoked salmon seemed to be the specialty in vacuum packs, a huge selection of flowers from around the world, close by is the undoubtedly top attraction, the Hanseatic district where a row of ancient 16th century wooden houses with their high pointed gables providing a frontage for a network of narrow alleys leading back into the cobbled courtyards, workshops and living quarters. Striking examples of rustic colours reflected into the calm waters of the harbour. I took the funicular cable car up into the hills above the city, the unusual beauty of the whole sprawl of the panorama view, the steep hillside was scattered with delightful old wooden houses. Our bus collected us later for a tour around the city, lots more beautiful old wooden buildings and cobbled streets, it was soon time to say goodbye to some of our fellow passengers, the last nine of us were taken to a striking near new hotel where another farewell dinner together was enjoyed, my flight to Frankfurt was to be 6 am, in the morning.
It was only an hour’s flight to Copenhagen, then another hour plus a 30-minute circle of the airport waiting for space to land. My friends Jutta and Maggie were there to meet me, a delight to meet up again, they had organised a little side tour instead of heading back to their hometown of Wiesbaden. Driving east on the autobahn calling into some very beautiful villages called Goeßweonstien and Pottanstein, both with their distinctive church steeples. A hotel was booked in a town called Hummeltal, this was close to the Czech border, time to meet up with Juttas brother Axel and family at their cosy home where we enjoyed a lovely traditional German dinner with lots of delectable lager beer.
A beautiful morning, lovely blue sky was a pleasure to see, we enjoyed a huge breakfast of crispy bread rolls, cold meats and cheeses, then drove to Nürnberg, Bayern’s second largest city. Many of Germany’s talented artists were born here; Albrecht Dürer; woodcarver Veit Stoss; sculptor Adam Kraft. We took a walk through the older part of the city, enjoyed the church of St. Lorenz with it’s beautiful stained glass windows and huge stone tabernacle. Walking on through the attractive markets and the town hall to view the underground prison where inmates were held before hanging in the city square, (a bit gruesome), there were also some frightening torture chambers. Moving on, next was the court buildings where many trials for world war 11 criminals were held. The imperial castle is situated on a hilltop, dating back to the 12th century, it is flood lit at night. Also in the Hauptmarkt, (main square) is the magnificent Schöner Brunnen fountain, it is ornamented with 40 statues and dates back to the 14th century, there is an ring set in the wrought iron surround that you can turn so many times for your private wishes? another lovely fountain is the Gänsemännchenbrunnen in the court square of the Rathaus, ( town hall), cast in bronze in 1550 and depicting a peasant taking two geese to market. Lots of interesting shops specialising in glassware. We watched a group of entertainers in full Victorian dress practise for a musical. I was able to enjoy once more a favourite German meal of Nürnberg sausage and sauerkraut, with a huge stein of beer of course. Back to Hummeltal in time for some more enjoyable lager beer and cold snacks of meats and cheeses, (wonder if that was okay for my cholesterol)?

Not a very promising morning, although it was mild with no rain. Today we drove to Bayreuth, an important arts and music centre, our first stop was the Robert Wagner theatre for opera, the acoustics are suppose to be the best in the world, all the interior was timber, even the seats. Next on our list was the Margrave Opera House, beautifully decorated, again with timber interior but not as famous as Wagner. A stroll around the market place, alive with the daily produce and craft ware. there were many beautiful buildings including Wagner’s home. Just on the outskirts of the city was the Eremitage, a castle and park of elaborate fountains and flower beds, we were fortunate to be there when the fountains were turned on to their full splendour. The return trip was via the small neat town of Bischofsgrün, a delightful tall, narrow church dominated the square, we were only 30 klms from the Czech border, the country of my ancestors. Another night at Hummeltal and dinner again with Jutta’s brother and family.
Next morning we left the peaceful little town for the drive back to Wiesbaden, first winding our way through nice lush countryside and small villages, then the uninteresting but swifter autobahn. It was nice to return to Wiesbaden again and visit familiar landmarks, I took 16 rolls of film to get developed and finished off the day with some more delightful German beers while packing a small bag for a three day visit to Berlin.
I caught local train for my connection with the Berlin express. Going through the barbed wire border into East Germany was a remarkable change of scenery, quite depressing, the houses old and drab, primitive farming, small Russian cars everywhere, we only stopped once for passport inspection, even the train didn’t run as smooth as the west ones, renovation was badly needed all over. After six hours the train re-entered West Germany and Berlin, an immediate change in everything, brightness of buildings, big shiny cars and well dressed people. I had a hotel booked and still being light I was eager to explore the vitality of this exciting city. Close by was the popular Kurfursten Damm with it’s numerous cafes and little bars. Performers were entertaining everywhere possible, there seems to be just about every nation enjoying this exciting city. I enjoyed a very nice meal of ham hock, sauerkraut and vegetables and some of that divine amber liquid.
The morning was warm and sunny so after a typical German breakfast I set out by foot to explore the inner city, firstly walking the entire length of Kurfüstendam Street, stopping now and then for a photo shoot, just about all the buildings in the tree lines streets were post war, no beautiful half timbered houses here. I arrived at the Berlin Zoo, very well presented and Europe’s most modern. A little foot sore by then so I decided on a three hour bus tour, first stop Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall, three of the world’s most talked about places, very historical to actually see them, the wall is fully covered in graffiti, our tour guide explained about how many people died trying to escape from East to West Berlin, so sad, we stopped at the place where Hitler and his family committed suicide at the end of World War 11 . There was a raised lookout for viewing the East, a drab and sad looking sight; hopefully I will be able to make a tour there. Our guide explained all about the British, American and Russian sectors and bus tours were available passing through to the Eastern zone at Frieddrichstrasse, commonly known as Checkpoint Charlie. Unter den Linden, an Avenue named after the lime trees which once lined it is now full of exciting and huge department stores, including the largest in Europe called ‘KADEWE’, six floors of just about everything you could imagine. The damaged steeple of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche was a reminder of the destruction of the war, a new cathedral is built next to it, also the towering mass of the Europa-Centre was very impressive. We passed the University of Berlin, and the famous Tiergartens. After this very interesting tour I decided on a lovely bier garten I had seen and settled there for a few of their fine products, a storm suddenly appeared, lucky for the shelter as it was quite severe, unfortunately I had to stay longer than I had intended to, .so I enjoyed more of the delicious food that was everywhere.
Booking a four and a half hour tour of East Berlin I was anxious to go there and experience for myself all the rumours I have been listening to over the years. After a thorough examination of my passport and a cold stare into my eyes by a big Russian woman, I was determined not to blink and give her reason to interrogate me further; our tour bus was allowed to proceed through Brandenburg Gate as long as we promised not to take any photos until we were in the East. Our Guide was full of propaganda, of life in this Russian controlled country, boastings on the free education programme, employment and lifestyle, hospitals, doctors and dentists free. Women work at equal pay to men, there is no unemployment, apartments are issued as to the size of the families. Food, clothing is very cheap but limited. Cars are mostly Russian Trabants, a range of colours as long as you like light blue, grey and white and very expensive and have a waiting list of approximately five years .a pleasant picture was put to us about life in the east, one Dutch person on the bus exclaimed that there was one thing they didn’t have, “ Freedom”. And why did most people want to leave? Of the 17 million people living in East Germany only 1.5 million belonged to the communist party. A stop to view the huge Egyptian Museum was a surprise to see all that irreplaceable art carefully tendered, I was told most of it was brought back from Egypt during the war. We stopped at a café for refreshments, not a bit like the lavish cakes and pastries of the west, it was hot so I settled on a coke, shelf temperature and tasted horrible . A passport check was made again before entering into the West, don’t know why, no one would have wanted to defect there, the bus was thoroughly searched, we needed to walk across no mans land while this was done, no wonder everyone was employed. Anyway, I was pleased to have the opportunity to visit East Berlin, people didn’t seem very happy but at least they had food, employment and shelter, I think I’ll settle for the bright and flashy West. I enjoyed a final huge meal, plus enjoying some final thirst quenching beers.
Time to leave this exciting city, an early start for my train journey back to Wiesbaden, it still amazed me on how quickly the scene changed going back into the east, the only part that wasn’t depressing was the freshness of crops growing, wheat in the fields and animals grazing. Border control was no hassle and we were soon back through the coils of barbed wire into the west after a thorough search of the carriages in case someone was trying to defect to a brighter future. There was no problem with the efficiency of, D.B. or Deutsche Bahn, (German Rail) if you arrive for your train one minute late, you have missed it. I changed trains in Frankfurt for the tube express to Wiesbaden, again congratulating myself on my ability to change trains without any dilemma. I met with my friends once again and after a refreshing shower we were again on the road to enjoy my farewell dinner of lots of cold meats, cheeses and pickles in a quaint little beer and wine pub in Mains.
My holiday in Germany is all but over, today I’m catching a late afternoon flight to Bangkok, Maggie had to go to work, but Jutta and I took a drive to Mains for a last look around, called in to say goodbye to another friend, Frau Schön, then it was time to catch the airport train and sadly another goodbye to my dear friend Jutta and be on my way for an eight hour flight. The plane was full, I was allotted a seat in the back with the smokers, a horrible thought, wish planes were smoke free. Arriving early next morning, a car was there to meet me for the 25klm hair raising drive to the city, my first glimpse of an army of people and vehicles, moped bikes darting in and out of traffic, horns blasting and brakes screeching. My downtown hotel was very pleasant as was the lovely room on the eighth floor. A welcome shower and change of clothes and I was ready to explore what makes this place so exciting. . Down in the reception area I noticed a large door with shopping centre written above it, opening it I was soon carried along with hundreds of shoppers in what seemed to be two stories of shops, you name it, it was there. I felt penned in and fought my way out to the street only to be met with a simular problem, many more people, I think all six million inhabitants were in town. I did find a tailor who made to measure clothes; I ordered some shirts and trousers at a very reasonable price for such high quality. Taking a stroll along the over crowded streets I came across the Civic Centre, again teaming with people, shop keepers were out on the streets trying to sell their product, all ready to bargain. After hours of walking this vibrate city (or should I say being carried along the streets with throngs of people) I settled for a nice dinner at my hotel, it was the only place I could get a beer as it was a religious day, tomorrow I am booked on a city and palace tour, just now I was pleased to collapse into my bed after about 36 hours without sleep.
A steamy morning, I was collect from the hotel by a mini bus, although quite early the streets were alive with people already. the first stop, the fabulous Palace, dazzling gold and ornate sculpturing , multi coloured roofs and stark white walls, just so rich in design and culture, a vast contrast to our next stop, China town and some of the depressing slum areas, then an interesting tour of a furniture carving factory, plus gem, silk and clothing manufacturers. I had bought a cold can of drink, one taste and I new it was not what the label said, it had a sweet raspberry flavour and very soon after I started getting cramps in the stomach, I warned others on the tour not to drink theirs, that will teach me to drink anything except bottled water and beer. After some of my magic medicine I felt a little better so I took an afternoon tour of the canals and countryside, firstly a speedboat trip to connect with a large barge, cruising along a river, homes built alongside, people doing their washing on the shores, children swimming in the muddy waters, there were caged parts which had small fish farms, into the farm lands we were taken through farms of ducks, chickens and animals, then rice fields and vegetable plots. A lovely luncheon was served on the barge, delicious fruits and pastries; a favourite drink called “ Bangkok Dynamite” (rum base) lived up to its name. A stop at a typical village was educational; the children entertained us with very colourful dancing and singing. a great afternoon which was certainly a different side to the hustle and bustle of the huge city. I collected my tailored clothes, they were beautifully styled and finished to perfection, I was delighted.
Well, time to say farewell to another adventure, my flight back to Auckland, New Zealand was waiting, a wonderful holiday coming to a close. It will take a while to stop daydreaming, but it will be back to work again and start planning another fabulous holiday, somewhere different and exciting.
Till next time
Cheers
JIM.Fitzthum

Travel. overseas. England to America

England, Germany, Spain & U.S.A. Bonanza
1987

I boarded an Air N.Z. flight at midnight, bound for England to experience a wonderful two month holiday taking in a variety of countries and customs, first stop Los Angeles for a three hour wait in a transit lounge, a delay with a problem in the hold of the plane meant an extra four hour delay, (the joys of travel), another long haul flight, Gatwick airport in London the destination. My friends Molly and Hubert Beaumont were waiting for me and soon we were motoring south to Hampshire where I will spend the first few days of my holidays. Dolphin Cottage, their delightful home set among beautiful gardens with every fruit tree imaginable, a small stream meandering among the lawns and flower gardens, an ornamental curved bridge completed this lovely peaceful setting.
Awake and refreshed and after a lovely English breakfast my friends took me on a sight seeing drive around the surrounding district, our first stop was the old town of Milford with its many quaint shops and churches, then on to Yarmouth to view the boat marina and rugged seaside with many little changing sheds scattered along the beaches. We carried on to the town of Lymington, lots of lovely exposed timber buildings and cobbled streets, we called into a garden centre, my interest in horticulture was interesting to compare the different plants and shrubs. Next was a visit to a typical country pub for a pint of lager and a yummy ploughman’s lunch. St. Nicholas church at Brockenhurst had the graves of over 100 servicemen from the First World War. , Moving on again we took a walk through the lovely mature trees of the New Forrest, the undergrowth was a blaze of colour with very colourful rhododendrons in full bloom. In a clearing there was a demonstration of local May Day or Terry dancers, a new experience for me and I enjoyed this different culture and action. In the evening I enjoyed a lovely home cooked roast dinner cooked by Molly and complimented with some very nice home made wines
Another interesting day of exploring, with a drive to Beaulieu, (in the heart of the new forest) and the home of Lord Montague, his Motor Museum has perhaps the world’s finest collection of historical cars, along with Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird racing car. Palace House, the Montague family home was built in the thirteenth century was open to the public and the Lord himself was wandering through the rooms. There was an old Cistercian Abbey, which used to house monks, plus a theme park, amusements and exhibitions. Two miles away was the shipyard of Buckland’s Hard on the banks of the Beaulieu River where Nelson’s fleet was built, also an interesting Maritime Museum with displays of models of Sir Francis Chichester’s yachts. The little eighteenth century village was another delightful place with its old world charm shops and cobbled streets.
The morning arrived with lots of sunshine, Hubert went to work so Molly decided to take me to the diamond shaped Isle of Wight, catching the ferry at Lymington for the thirty minute ride, landing at the quaint little town of Yarmouth which remains unchanged as it was 100 years ago. We caught a bus tour of the Island, having a very humorous driver, he kept us amused with his jokes and lots of history, firstly driving through rural countryside, small villages with quaint churches, then the remains of Carisbrooke Castle, one of the best reserved, some of the inner rooms dated back to 1470, Charles 1st was imprisoned there pending his execution. Newport is the capitol of the Island and Cowes has a real yachty atmosphere, late June is the start of the “round the Island race featuring over a thousand competitors. Unfortunately Queen Victoria’s Osborne House couldn’t be seen from the road but our driver told us it was typical of the Victorian era and was the Queen’s residence for many years. The largest town was Ryde, which faced the mainland and along with many small villages there were fine examples of thatched cottages, one which was very impressive was the post office, the doorway being so low most people needed to duck, The bus continued passing many bays where early smugglers in bygone years brought in mostly Brandy and laces. The tour circled the Island; I enjoyed the very descriptive historical talks the driver gave, a most enjoyable day out, thanks to Molly suggesting it.
Another exciting day was planned with a journey to Southampton, a large city famous for its docks and boat builder’s. Most of the docks have become a container port; few liners use the port now, although Queen Elizabeth 11 still makes her transatlantic crossings from there. The city was badly bombed during world war two so reconstruction has given the city a modern appearance. There were still a lot of beautifully restored old exposed timber buildings. The city has many fine art galleries and museums, which we discovered while doing a walk through the busy streets and waterfront. On leaving we returned via Lyndhurst, very narrow streets and big traffic jams, we were able to view some very lovely old churches. I wandered along a lovely little winding road with primroses growing among the hedges to a local pub while Molly prepared dinner, Hubert had a busy week in his job as a school teacher and couldn’t join me, enjoying a few pints of a nice thirst quenching larger, which is chilled, the darker beers were at room temperature, not my type.
Time to say goodbye to my friends, thanking them for their great hospitality I caught a bus to Bristol, a journey that took four hours, I was meeting an my mate Harry Letch at the railway station to spend a few days touring around Wales. On arrival I was a little disappointed in the city, too modern but then meeting up again with Harry was exciting. We became friends in Hamilton, N.Z. while I was working part time in a pub and he was a lonely schoolteacher, a long was from his home of Birtley near New Castle-on-Tyne, England. We were soon planning an itinerary for our journey through Wales. Taking a motorway, it wasn’t very long before we crossed the graceful suspension bridge over the Severn River and into Chepstow and the mighty Norman Castle. It was probably the first to be built in stone after the conquest, with lines of red Roman tiles robbed from ancient sites nearby. The town still has some of its medieval walls, winding streets with little bow-fronted shops. Following the Wye River we passed lush green meadows and wooded cliffs and the eloquent ruins of Tintern Abbey. We found a bed and breakfast for the night, then more important a nice little pub so Harry and I could enjoy a few celebration beers together, a good remanence talk and a good meal. It was still daylight at 9.30 p.m. so there was time to do some exploring of the village, finally settling for a nightcap in another pub, Harry and I have always enjoyed simular tastes in History, Landscapes, Worldly happenings and most important a desire for a pint or two.
Our first Welsh breakfast was enough to last us till dinner time, now we motored north, keeping to small country roads as much as possible, called in to view the remains of Monmouth Castle where Henry V. was born, enjoyed a stroll around the cobbled streets, found an interesting market, some folk dressed in local costumes. Once more on the road we travelled through some beautiful green fields, mountain streams, crops of brilliant golden Canola, tree lined narrow lanes contrasted with bluebells growing wild. Arriving at the lovely town of Builth Wells, our stop for the night we found another bed and breakfast, then took a long walk around the town and delightful little country lanes, enjoying the beautiful summer with blue skies and trees of many shades of green. A very unusual arched brick; bridge was a focal point for the entrance to the town. Speaking with some locals in a pub that night we learnt that the Walsh language is still spoken by most people, especially in the small towns and villages, hearing it I would think it would have been very difficult to learn.
The first overcast day, but still quite warm, we motored further north through more unspoilt countryside, lovely little villages which always seem to have a pub as a focal point, then a church. We took a detour to Devils Bridge to view some very picturesque waterfalls, which were in full flow after much rain over the winter months; I enjoyed the freshness of the surrounding bush. The next stop was Aberystwyth, the main seaside resort for Cardigan Bay. The bay-windowed Victorian Guesthouse overlooked a shingle beach, hemmed in by the bulky bluff of Constitution Hill; a cliff railway made an effortless ascent for a panorama view of Snowdonia and the Preseli Hills, also some fine photography. Coming back down the rolling countryside and calling into a small town called Dolgellau, I took one look and decided this had to be a place to stop for the night to explore the delights of old unspoilt beauty. One amazing thing about this place, the whole town was built with a grey slate stone, the houses, shops, churches, roads and fences, a sight to enjoy. Even the bed & breakfast Hotel I discovered was until 1745 a prison, the dining room was through an underground passage to what was the cells. I couldn’t wait to set out with my camera and enjoy the stone contrasts against the greenery of the hedgerows and colourful flowers in the gardens of the very old cottages. We enjoyed a very tasty Welsh lamb meal along with a few pints of liquid gold, remembering to duck our heads through the doorways on returning to the main house.
Rain set in but not cold for the start of our next days travel further north, passing some very rugged country with some lovely stands of mature trees lining the road and many small villages in far off valleys. We reached Caernarfon by the sea where we explored the castle, which was very well preserved, inside was a huge Museum, and there was some very interesting Walsh history. The castle was where the Prince of Wales investiture was held in 1969. I noticed most churches around here had turret style steeples, relating back to the great medieval wars that were fought around North Wales. On towards Bangor, the home of a branch of the University of Wales, I found out the impressive Cathedral was deceptive, the result of a restoration in the nineteenth century. A view of Menai Bridge was the first practical heavy-duty suspension bridge built 30 mitres about the water to allow navel ships to pass under. Turning south we called into a small village called Llanberis where a steam engine driven train takes you into the Snowdonia Hills, it was misty rain with low cloud so a trip was not advisable. We found another small bed & breakfast, enjoyed the usual few pints of ale and a lovely steak meal
The weather was still showery as we made our way out of Wales over some very rugged countryside, back on the motorway, bypassing the cities of Manchester and Leeds and onto familiar countryside as we got closer to New Castle-upon-Tyne, finally arriving back to Harry’s hometown of Birtley, a coal mining town. The streets of terraced houses all looked the same so it was important you have the street name and number. Just in time to freshen up and off again to explore the small town, some nice old buildings and churches, the Geordie sing-song accents of the locals was certainly a lot different than the Walsh I have been hearing, it was difficult to follow unless they spoke slowly. A nice pub meal and a few pints of the local brew rounded off another lovely day of sightseeing.
Incredibly darkness doesn’t arrive till after 10pm. and it is daylight again at about 4 am. when the birds start their wake-up calls. A tour around Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a sprawling industrial city, firstly I admired the huge structure of the biggest of six bridges, Robert Stephenson’s Double –Decker road/rail crossing the Tyne River into the city, I enjoyed the medieval quayside buildings, the 17th century Guildhall and a castle, being a port for coal export which has sadly declined leaving thousands of miners out of work, it is still got growth in boat building and heavy industry. The Victorian era made for a fine city centre; an amazing footbridge spans the river and can be drawn up by weights to allow large boats to pass. It was a chance to check out some huge department stores, buying a few necessary things, including a sturdy camera bag for my European part of this holiday.
An overcast start for a drive south to the city of York, first stop was the town museum while we waited for the rain to pass, it housed many Roman artefacts, a large display of mounted animals and birds, plus historical collections. As the rain stopped it was time to explore the warmth and beauty of York Minster, the vast size, (it is the largest medieval castle in Great Britain), was completed in 1475, it’s glory would be the fabulous stained glass windows which has somehow survived civil wars, religious turmoil and the ravages of fires. History is packed into the ancient walls of this jewel of English cities, narrow streets twist and turn like a maze. York was the headquarters of Roman Emperors. There were many rulers over the last two centuries. Today it is a photographers dream strolling along the “Shambles”, having half-timbered buildings, their upper floors overhanging and nearly touching each other along cobbled streets. The medieval wall that surrounds the city is 4.5 klms long and provides some splendid views.
Another exciting day, a trip to the Beamish open air museum, the complex covering 200 acres with tram services to all the sights, a full replica of a 19 century town, including a pub, bakery and many shops of the period. There was a working farm, a drift mine and miner’s cottages street scenes complete with horse-drawn vehicles
Time had come to say goodbye to all my friends and thank Harry for being a top tourist guide to me. I caught a double-decker bus for the five-hour non-stop trip to London, I managed an upstairs seat, which gave me panorama views of the lush countryside, and being the main route motorway the bus bypassed most towns. In London I caught the tube to Kilburn for a brief visit to my brother-in-law Kerry and his wife Angela, who were soon to move back to New Zealand after many years in England. They were about to sell their beautifully restored terraced home which had taken many hours of restoring a 100 years of paint and varnish. We just stayed in for the night to be able to catch up on family news.
Next morning Kerry drove me to Heathrow airport for a flight to Frankfurt in Germany, which only took two hours, my friends Jutta & Maggie were there to greet me, a lovely reunion after two years, were soon on our way to Wiesbaden where they lived. After settling in we all took a walk around this wonderful city, with it’s beautiful Opera house and Casino, Film festivals are held there along with lots of beer and wine festivals.
Next morning Jutta and I visited her travel shop to check on my two week bus tour of Spain which she had kindly organised, received the details and vouches, then we were off to view some more of this lovely city, I will be seeing more after my return from Spain .A drive into the country, then some lovely forest walks along sealed shaded paths was a pleasure after the city, we arrived at the fork of the rivers Rhine and Maine, viewed an old castle and gardens, then a Greek Orthodox temple then returned to the city, enjoying a few lovely German beers .
This is the start of my Spanish bus tour, it will be unusual, it is a German company and it looks like I will be the only English speaking person on board, a challenge but I’m sure I will cope. Back to the Frankfurt airport for my two hour flight on an airbus to Madrid the capitol of Spain. On arrival I met with three other people taking the same tour, it was easy to identify each other by the tags on our luggage, One of the three persons immediately approached me speaking Deutsch (German), “Guten Tag”, he said, then he started a conversation, I cut in smartly with “ Ich spreche kuam Deutsch” (I don’t speak much German. Luckily he spoke English so we discussed how to get to our hotel, I suggested we share a taxi, what a drive at hair raising speed through the busy streets of the city, cars darting everywhere, there seemed to be no traffic rules. Our Hotel Esperador seemed to be very central, so after checking in I decided on a walk around to get my bearings, the buildings seem to be huge, beautiful and ornate, I had been warned about the many thieves that roam the streets pouncing on unsuspecting tourists, I had put my valuables in a safe deposit locker so I could view things with peace of mind. That evening after dinner our tour guide hosted a gathering of those taking the bus tour, luckily there were quite a few who spoke English and seem to be a happy lot, keen on exploring the beauty of Spain. Our guide translated anything of interest to me, she was keen on the practise as her next tour was to be in English
A beautiful day to start out, firstly with a one hour bus drive to Escorial to view the beautiful Monastery of Phillip 11th, the edifice covers eight acres, has 300 rooms full of priceless art, fine tapestries, the library holds 45.000 books and manuscripts, including the 11th century Codici Aereo, whose illumination necessitated 8 kilos of pure gold, the buildings took 1500 workers twenty-one years to build. Moving on, next stop was to the Valley de los Caidos, a fantastic memorial to the dead of the civil war of 1936-9, there was a gigantic black marble cross way up in the hills, the basilica hewn out of solid rock, the main alter bearing a statue of Christ. Looking over the vast valley, I took note of the landscape, which was very poor and barren.
Returning to Madrid the first stop was at the Royal Palace, unfortunately it was closed to the public but references in books stated the huge black and white marble staircase, throne room with vaulted ceilings would have been suburb, as with the museum of royal armoury and carriages .The exterior was very ornate and beautiful. A further tour of the city showing its vastness and beauty, huge buildings along wide Avenues, spacious parks; especially the Ritro with its many rose gardens and a large artificial lake. Time for a little more of the city sights by myself, just so many people it was hard to stop and admire places of beauty, I did find a market which was full of exciting local gifts and food.
Another beautiful morning, our bus took us to the Prado museum, which houses some of the world’s most valuable paintings including 110 of Goyas. Our tour guide was always with me to explain everything in English, I insisted I had read about the churches and museums before viewing them but she did so want to practise English, most of the Germans on the bus were finding it difficult to understand the German speaking Spanish guides, their accents were not very good. Moving out of Madrid, our destination was the city of Toledo, along the way we stopped to view a shop doing gold inlaid “damascening” engraving, very beautiful and professional. Toledo, is built on the curve of the River Tagus. I fell in love with the city as we viewed it from a hill looking down on its grey/light brown buildings that blended into the surrounding barren countryside, my camera got a work out like no other place. We took a walking tour, (as the cobbled streets were too narrow for vehicles), to view the historical beauty and amazing structures. Calling into “The Cathedral”, one of the biggest and loveliest in Spain, built in 1226, it contains 750 beautiful stained glass windows, 22 chapels, a 17 ton bell housed in it’s slender tower, plus some magnificent paintings of the apostles line the walls There were many more churches to see along the way, all with their own piece of history dating back to the 14th century, over the years there had been many changes in design and style according to the artists and builders. Our Hotel was very central in the main but noisy square. it was an old dark place but had lots of character. A nice chance to enjoy a few cold Spanish beers with my new friends, they sure enjoy eating and drinking.
An early start for a journey to Cordoba, took a last look at the fascinating city of Toledo enjoying some wonderful sunrise scenes. A very interesting drive with changing scenes of first lots of wheat fields, then acres of grapes and olive grove, then into the valleys of tobacco and corn, an early break was to view a converted old winery, beautifully decorated and now a restaurant. Arriving at Cordoba we were taken on a walking tour of the main city centre, enjoying the old charm of potted plants, whitewashed courtyards with lots of delicate ironwork balconies and gates .The city is famous for its Moorish mosque, character and beauty. The huge Mosque (la Mezequita) is one of the most beautiful buildings of the world from an architectural point of view; it dates back to the 8th century and has been a Christian Cathedral since the 12th century. Its huge marble, granite and jasper pillars gives it a breath-taking beauty, also intricate wood carving around the alter and walls.
Still some time left to do some exploring around the brilliant narrow cobbles streets worn nearly smooth with years of traffic chose an interesting restaurant and enjoyed a nice meal of (I don’t know what?)
There was heavy rain overnight but dawn has come along with heat and humidity. After a bus tour around the city with its many churches, it was time to move on once more, this time heading towards the city of Sevilla, just a short drive today, this gave us time to tour some of the cities beauty spots, the first being the Hospital de la Caridad, (charity), the brilliance of gold around the alter of the chapel, also gold coloured wall tiles was a treat to see. Our next stop was Moorish Alcazaba, converted to a palace and once the home of King Ferdinand and Queen Isobel, and featured many lovely Moorish architecture, also beautiful gardens.
Sevilla is a university town, spiritual home of bull fighting, pottery, tiles and oranges. Its Barrio de Santa Cruz, a district of cool alleyways, shady patios and wrought iron work, jewellery and ladies fans. After booking into our hotel Nueva Lar it was back on the bus for a visit to the Old Jewish quarters, the Royal Fortress, then on to the 15th century Cathedral, biggest in Spain and third biggest after St. Peters in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. Its size is so immense you could easily loose your way. Our tour guide excelled herself with her expertise of this cathedral, explaining in depth a description in English, pleased with her effort, I commended her.
The evening was spent watching the best Flamenco dancers in Spain, so it was claimed and not being able to compare I truly enjoyed the non-stop entertainment of two hours duration.
Back on the road again, not much time for relaxing but then there is just so many interesting things to see, we now headed for Granada passing simular olive grooves, tobacco and the golden mass of sunflowers, many quaint villages with their tall church steeples. A rest stop high in the mountains was ideal for some wonderful photos of valley serenity. . Granada, I immediately lost my heart to this wonderful city, cobbled narrow streets white washed houses, it would have to be the showplace of Europe. built on twin hills, it thrives on tourism, craftsmanship in carpets, embroidery, tapestry, copper work and leatherwork. A visit to “The Cathedral”, it’s beauty unsurpassed, finally completed in 1703, has many sculptures adorning it’s interior, along with many paintings once belonging to Catholic monarchy. Next was a visit to the Royal Chapel and the Monastery of St.Jerome, both worthy of my admiration. After a nice dinner we did a climb through cobbled stairways to view the Alhambra Castle in all its floodlit glory, a magnificent sight, so huge and draped in ghostly lighting. The tour is staying at Granada another night our first stop next morning was to view Alhambra in daylight, built in 1248-1350, in its heyday there were 30 towers, some of them veritable palaces. The Emperor Charles V destroyed some of them and built himself a beautiful palace, which had outstanding examples of Renaissance architecture. There were some attractive arches of fine lace-like alabaster. Earthquakes damaged took out some more, finally it was restored by Queen Isabel 11 in 1862 and now it is there for all people to admire. The gardens and fountains plus the pool bordering the courtyard were flanked with lovely arches and 12 giant lions among 124 marble pillars. It’s size is so immense one could spend hours there and not see it all.
The afternoon was free to be able to explore the quaint narrow cobbled streets, plus admire the colourful stalls everywhere displaying mostly local crafts, which included grand copper work, leather, embroidery and tapestries. Another place to enjoy street side cafes with a wide range of fish and meats and wonderful beer.
An early start as there is 360 klms to cover, climbing over the hills we got our last glimpse of beautiful Granada, then two hours of rugged mountainous driving to Guadix where the majority of the towns folk live in caves. We were fortunate to be able to visit one of their homes, tunnelled into the soft stone, a beautifully kept dwelling consisting of four bedrooms, kitchen and lovely arched lounge room, the floors were tiled, the walls white washed. The town’s main course of income seemed to be ceramics, vases, ornaments and tiles. Moving on again down from the mountains there were an abundance of orange groves and date palms. The next stop was Elche to visit the Priests gardens, which has the unique palm trees of eight branches. No time to check out the rest of the town, the next stop was the lovely seaside city of Alicante where our hotel, the Sidi San Juan Palace on the waterfront with a lovely beach, I enjoyed a welcome swim in the warm Mediterranean Ocean and some relaxing sunbathing. Would have liked to stay here a while.
Said a fond farewell to this delightful spot and started north again with the destination, Valencia. Following the coastline, the first stop was Calpe, being very warm it was a delight to have time to take another swim in the warm waters again, dominated by a huge rock resembling Gibraltar which was almost surrounded by the sea, a quiet spot which seamed to be enjoyed by English and German people. Moving on again, into orange tree country, they were everywhere, even on steep hills, anywhere that attracted the sun. In the valleys rice had just been planted, quite a contrast to citrus and olives.
Valencia is a city of gardens, it claims to be the most fertile area of Spain, there was still time to explore the Cathedral with it’s abundance of treasures, beautiful paintings by Goya, goldsmith and others, also the home of the holy grail. The interior was a bit bland but I stood in awe at the beauty at the magnificent tabernacle with many jewels and lots of gold. A visit to a ceramic museum was included in a walking tour of the city. A comment I needed to make was of how dirty it looked, plus the unfriendliness of the local people. We stopped in to the 17th century Basilica of the “Madonna of the forsaken” very important to the Spanish people.
Next morning was the start of a 350 klm. Journey to Barcelona, after leaving the untidy streets and buildings we were soon back into orange country on one side, the Mediterranean on the other, lots of fancy beach resorts. We took a three hour break in a delightful resort built mostly on a rock almost surrounded by water, it had a 14th century Castle and was once the home of a Spanish Pope. We were taken by launch on a trip around the rock, nice and relaxing. Our tour took another rest stop at the old city of Tarragona, some unusual cobbled streets led us to yet another huge Cathedral which displayed a beautiful alter, once more with lots of gold and jewels. Leaving there it was grape country again, this time champagne varieties special to the area.
At last the beautiful city of Barcelona with its two thousand years of history, it was late when we arrived so the excitement of exploring needed to wait till morning.
Light rain was falling, the first on this bus tour, I have been trying to keep up with my new German friends with their love of good food and drink, I was not doing a very good job at it. We made a tour of the city visiting many famous streets including Gran Via, Catalunya and the one I was looking forward to see, “ the Ramblas”which has been described by a Spanish poet as the gayest street in the world, I will describe it as an exciting work of art. it forms one continuous promenade, shaded by trees and with traffic and shops on either side and the centre strip for sitting and relaxing with a drink or meal . Next we toured the “church of the Holy Family”, started in 1882 and still unfinished. The church has a massive central tower, three elaborately ornamented facades, each with four slender, tapering belfry towers, and my thoughts were it was quite ugly and drab. The bus took us to the Monastery of Montsterrat, high in the mountains overlooking the city; it was a very winding and narrow road slowly rising to 700 mts. with spectacular views of the villages and valleys below. The monastery is built on solid rock with little greenery. is dedicated to the “Black Virgin”, said to be carved by St. Luke, brought to Spain by St. Peter. It is set in a holy cave, which is open to the public. We were in time to view a Spanish wedding in the monastery and hear the boy’s quoir performing, rather impressive. Back in Barcelona, there was still time to wander the quaint cobbled streets with many beautiful buildings, lots of hanging gardens, geraniums in full flower everywhere. I then enjoyed a few welcome drinks with my friends in the “Ramblas, keeping ourselves amused by watching the waiters dodge traffic to bring drinks and food to people, just wondered how many have an accident, they did look very professional.
Early next morning a group of us were brave enough to adventure on the underground rail system into the city centre, with a bit of study, managed to change trains without any drama and arrived directly to the place we wanted to go, the Museum of Catalan Art where there was some of the worlds most famous gothic arts and murals, then on to view a reconstruction of a Spanish village, built in 1929, also represents the architecture and styles from all over Spain. Then a brisk stroll to the Ramblas once again, exploring the many shops and eating places along it’s length, next we found a wide street full of book stalls, birds and animals, more books, then an abundance of flower stalls, just amazing the immense size and a wonder how everyone made a living.
This was my last evening with the group; I was leaving to go back to Frankfurt, in Germany, the rest travelling onto to France. There was a lovely farewell dinner to celebrate a wonderful bus tour of Spain, I was called someone special being game enough to join a group of big eating and drinking Germans on a bus tour and I seem to pass the test
A further farewell next morning and sadness of leaving this happy group who have helped me enjoy two weeks of sightseeing through some most beautiful scenery throughout Spain, then my two hour flight back to Frankfurt, arriving in pouring rain. My friends Jutta and Maggie were waiting for me, we sheltered in a nice little pub till the worst of the rain was over, then continued onto Wiesbaden, their home town, the rain had stopped so we enjoyed more exploring of this lovely city, the town square was alive with throngs of people joining in a promotional festival of Italian food and wine, the reds were wonderful, entertainment went on for hours with top class singers and bands.
Wiesbaden is the Capitol of the State of Hessen, on the Rhine, a short distance to the city of Mainz, a little further to Frankfurt, my friends lived in the central downtown area so with just a short walk I found the beautiful pink/white Eiebrich Palace, very striking and unusual colours, then the Marktkirche Cathedral with many huge steeples making up the vast buildings. The city also has a huge beautiful casino. There are often film festivals on in the Staatstheater, also lots of concerts and plays.
My friend Jutta took me on a drive into the country to visit an old Roman village, built about 60 B.C. Reconstructed last century, interesting how there was internal central heating supplied by a thermal spring, also a model village displaying many styles of buildings of the past. A drive up a high peak gave us wonderful panoramas of the skyline of Frankfurt and Wiesbaden with an abundance of villages and towns in the valleys below. Folk were giving their falcons some training, they were huge, beautiful and graceful birds, I noted the razor sharp claws with awe
Now that the weather has cleared to nice sunny days we planned a small tour to south Germany for about three days. First stage was on the autobahn bypassing cities like Heidelberg and Stuttgart, quite scary, there seemed to be no speed limits so the 400-klm journey soon passed and we reached the delightful town of Hagnau and found our guest house close to the shores of Lake Constance, with the Swiss border on the other side. Doing some exploring further along the shores we found old Meersburg, there were some delightful old half-timbered buildings with lots of potential for photography. A stroll around the streets, the waterfront and marketplace was a treat, beautiful displays of colour among the many gardens and ceramic pots. A huge surprise was found on our journey on to the stilted houses of Unteruhldingen, ( what a mouthful?) amazing people still live this way , they showed us their craftwork of weaving, ceramics and coins. The houses are built on stilts on the lake with bridges connecting them; this was supposed to protect them from wild animals many centuries ago. It had been a long but wonderful day so arriving back to Hagnau there was still time to enjoy a nice meal and many wines, then found a little bar on the shoreline for a few more drinks and a sample plate of local cheeses.
A beautiful morning for our boat trip to the tropical island of Mainau on the lake, yes I said tropical, they grow bananas, citrus, very colourful masses of bougainvillea, hibiscus and many warm climate flowers, there were also stunning displays of art work creations all done in flowers. The reason I was told for this achievement where snow can be metres deep on the mainland is a warm flow of air crossing continuously over the island. Back on the mainland there was still time to visit Salem/Baden, an old monastery still used for very bright pupils but was originally used for monks who lived their whole lives building this huge complex. Next to see was the Castle Heiligenberg, beautiful ornate interior including delicately carved wooden figures plus a lovely chapel.
We left this lovely little village and travelled along the lakeside, a wonderful view of the snow capped mountains of the Swiss Alps, our first stop was the city of Ravensburg, some of it dating back to the 14th century, and an old tower was part of the original wall that surrounded the city. Now we were leaving this beautiful part of Germany behind us, looking back on my photos I think I must have taken just about every stunning half-timbered building around the lakeside. Climbing into the mountains the next surprise was the city of Sigmaringen and it’s lovely old castle which was still occupied until 1973 by members of a royal household of a Count, the magnificent private chambers have beautiful inlaid marble inlays, also the worlds largest private collection of old firearms and armour. Carrying on through the high country, thick forest, many small towns and villages, some houses still have the stables attached to them to shelter stock over the winter months. A stop at the Bärenhöhle limestone caves were simular to others I have explored, maybe a little lower, they were originally home to bears many years ago.
Our stop for the night was the old University City of Tübingen. The older part of the was full of lovely half-timbered houses, picturesque canals running beside the cobbled streets, a charming old castle was close to the University, again my camera worked overtime. A large market seem to be the centre of activity, selling the produce of the area, a large section was devoted to just about every flower you could imagine. On the outskirts of the city we linked up with the autobahn again, very boring after such pictorial scenery of country lanes and main roads.
Back in Wiesbaden again, there was just time to freshen up as we were going to Juttas mothers country home for dinner, she served lots of fantastic German dishes and lots of first class wine. Poor Jutta was sick of toasting in fruit juices, as she was the driver. It was a happy evening; the feeling of welcome was very strong. After some sad farewells it was time to travel back to Juttas flat, I felt in a happy mood and that’s when I talk a lot, this was soon to end when a car turning in front of us collided with a motor bike, a vision of the rider flying through the air like he had a jet engine attached will never leave me, we narrowly missed him. I dashed out of the car to find the lady passenger of the bike, she was crying out with pain, no wonder her femur was poking through her jeans, I became very sober very fast. Jutta called the police and soon the road was alive with people, a huge mobile hospital arrived and was able to give immediate attention to the lady, sadly the bike rider was passed needing attention. My traffic skills came into being by guiding cars passed the horror scene, if they only new how difficult and confusing it was for me when everything is opposite to what I am used to .An early start to visit Mainz City, Maggie took the car so Jutta and I caught the train. Our first call was to the Museum of Printing which was introduced to the world by Johannes Gutenberg, first prints of the bible dated in the 14th century. The smallest bible was there; it had a prayer written in seven languages. Nest visit was to the Mainz Cathedral, built in Romanesque style, additions over many centuries from various architectural influences, and gave it an interesting skyline. The huge interior had many statues of saints carved in stone, the alter was not as impressive as some in Spain, but still beautiful. A huge market demanded an inspection, mainly fruit and vegetables, plus a blaze of colour from the flower stalls. The River Rhine was a delight to stroll along it’s banks, stopping to watch the many barges and tourist boats travelling up and down the swift flowing river. Time to catch the train back to Wiesbaden, they run strictly on time, fast and efficient.
My holiday in Europe has ended and after many goodbyes and promises of a return visit I caught my flight back to Gatwick, London to connect my 11 hour flight to Los Angeles, America .It all went along smoothly and on arrival I soon was on my way to my Skyways hotel close to the airport.
I had booked a tour the night before, after a good nights sleep I was back in travel mode again, travelling south on a bus tour of the Queen Mary the first stop was a whalers village called Port-o-Call at San Pedro which was very picturesque, lots of souvenir shops and sea food restaurants, next a harbour cruise around the huge container port, ship builders and Navel docks, very interesting. Moving on, the next place on our itinerary was the Queen Mary Liner, now a tourist attraction, spending two hours exploring the huge interior with it’s elegant ballroom, beautiful entrance stairway and dining rooms, it is used as a hotel now. Nearby was the giant Spruce Goose, an eight propeller plane built during W.W.11, made primarily of wood, a savings of critical war materials, It was claimed it would never take off but Howard Hughes proved that was wrong as it did fly for nearly a mile After the war it was not needed as modern aircraft took over and it has become a museum piece, housed in a giant hanger. It was a pleasant bus tour and I covered quite a lot of the L.A. coastline, which I hadn’t seen before.
Next morning I started an inland trip by taking a local bus to downtown L.A. where I checked out a Greyhound bus trip, buying a two week pass so I can get on and off as I please, while checking out a reservation the booking officer shouted to me to duck down which I did as a rein of shotgun pellets embedded in the wall above us, I got one hell of a shock, luckily the person was overpowered by security guards and taken away, I decided on the next bus out of the city. There was some time to fill in which was good for checking out some of the shopping streets of L.A., scores of jewellery and clothing shops around 5th & 6th Ave. Gold chain was sold be the foot, I bought enough for a mans bracelet with a resell price of five time back home, there were lots of small parks in this area but sadly there were many tramps lying around with their wine bottles, also the streets were very untidy with rubbish, perhaps I was in the wrong place, as I noticed many brothels and sex shops, thought I had better move out of there.
My bus departed at 7 pm for an all night journey to Flagstaff in Arizona, there were a few undesirables on the bus for the first few hours, two sitting behind me were talking about what size knives they carried and how mush they paid for their drugs, not a chance for taking a nap! Finally arrived at Flagstaff at 7 am, checked into a motel I had previously stayed in, then decided on a few hours sleep before sightseeing. The town is very much set up for tourists, my last visit was mid-winter with snow, this time it is hot and dry. I checked out a few souvenirs, mostly Indian craft and very colourful
This morning has started with a glorious sunrise and promise of a lovely day, I caught a bus to the Grand Canyon, on my last visit it was snow capped, now you could see the heat rising from it, the colours unbelievable in full sun. An air tour looked interesting so I booked an hours flight into the canyon, what a sight, everywhere I turned there was a different kaleidoscope of brilliant colour, my poor camera worked overtime again. I was told these flights may be stopped as the vibrations was causing damage to the walls of the canyon, I’m sure the plane got fairly close to them. I chickened out of a trek by donkey into the canyon floor, where the Colorado River flows the full length of the canyon, white water rafting is very popular along the swift flowing river maybe my horse riding skills were not that good, anyway there was time to gaze at this spectacular panoramic views staged in front of me, the cheeky little chipmunks were still there causing dust clouds instead of throwing up snow.
On the road again, the greyhound bus left early for my next destination, Albuquerque, this time in daylight, heading east through desert country, many Indian reservations along the way. We travelled on through New Mexico, very rough and barren country, then rocky cliffs of glorious colours. I arrived late afternoon at Albuquerque, the benefit of air condition was soon noticed as the heat was overpowering when I got off the bus. I soon found a hotel close by and enjoyed some very cold beers This is only a rest stop so after a stroll around parts of the city, enjoying some of it’s Indian influence, it was time to eat and get some sleep.
My next section of travel is north towards Denver in Colorado, the bus was new and had more luxury seats and only partly full. The journey took me through the Carson National Forest, into the hills passing Angles Fire Ski resort, the Lake Resort of Eagles Nest, then a most scenic drive through some real rugged countryside, Cimarron Canyon, again a wonderful spectacle, finally arriving at Raton for a lunch stop. The buildings here were mostly of a red sand stone with flat roofs, Indian style windows and doors. Back on the road again, passed Walsenburg, the town looked very old and had some fine buildings. Then into more greener country with large cattle ranches, next was Castle Rock and finally arrived into the sprawling city of Denver, very modern with lots of tree lined streets, will be great to explore, checking into a Quality Inn Hotel feeling a little tired after such a long time on a bus, I phoned Ann. Clarke, an old friend of mine who said she would be around in the morning to take me sightseeing.
Ann was at the hotel early in her huge beautiful red auto Chrysler; we motored back south towards Albert near Colorado Springs to meet another friend Betty who lived in a lovely old farmhouse. I enjoyed walking across the lush pasture, wild flowers of brilliant colours blooming everywhere, animals grazing and a wide selection of birds everywhere. It was hard to imagine all this is covered with deep snow during winter. Betty joined us for a trip into the hills above Colorado Springs; this gave us a great view of the surrounding valleys with the Rockies in the far distance, lots of fresh clear air and rugged beauty.
Our next stop was the old goldmining town of Victor, which recently had a hailstorm and was still covered in a sheet of white simular to snow. The old timbered shops and houses of the town added to the scenic display. Starting back down the hills we passed through Cripple Creek where we stopped at a quaint little restaurant where we enjoyed a lovely meal together, then it was time to say goodbye to my dear old friend Betty and return to Denver after a wonderful sightseeing day.
Next morning I took a two hour bus tour of the city, passing the Golden Domed Civic Centre, the State Capitol, city centre which has a huge delightful Mall, then the old part with it’s stately homes. A stop at the U.S. mint was very interesting, copper and silver coins are minted there, no samples though! I enjoyed a swim in the hotel pool while waiting for Ann and her friend Tony to arrive for some more sight seeing, arriving this time in a huge Mercury car with every luxury. We drove into the Rocky Mountains through many little resort towns and ski villages. Climbing to a peak of 12,000 ft .for a spectacular view of these rugged snow-capped mountains, although it was summer there was still some snow lying in the villages even though it wasn’t cold, just a little crisp. Descending back down into the valley we passed through a two-mile tunnel, quite an experience. Ann bought me a tiny bottle from an antique shop, she said after a few years it would turn a lovely shade of mid-blue. Arriving back at Ann’s place it was just on dusk and time to stoke up the barby for a nice home cooked meal. Another very interesting sight seeing day thanks to the hospitality of these wonderful people
The next leg of my journey was Salt Lake City, again nice green pastures and fields of all sorts of crops, we arrived at the cowboy town of Cheyenne for a lunch stop and were soon into gentle rolling country with lots of wooden barriers on either side of the road, I was told they were to hold back the snow drifts during winter. The Rockies could be seen in the far distance, we crossed the continental divide and into dessert type barren country, the road hardly had any corners, passed many small towns, who knows what they survived on there, Rock Springs had a few motels and not much else. The bus was running late and arrived in S.L.C. after dark, luckily I found a motel close by. It will be interesting to explore the city tomorrow. I had made friends with a German guy, which had helped to pass the time on this long journey.
The morning dawned to lovely blue skies and quite warm. I booked a city tour for the afternoon, this gave me time to check out the huge Mormon Temple, built of white granite which was hauled 20 miles by donkeys, was finally finished in 1897, forty years after it was started by Brigham Young who brought the first Mormons across to Utah. The bus tour started and took us back around the Temple Square explaining all the history, mostly of Mormons, a visit to hear the wonderful acoustics in the Temples choir room where a huge pipe organ gave a recital was very rewarding. The main Temple is out of bounds to visitors so we had to be content in just hearing about it. The tour took us around the city Capitol, University, the streets numbers all start from the Temple Square. The most interesting part was a drive to the Salt lakes which is 26% salt, swimming there is quite a sensation, you just float. There are no hotels or bars except in resorts, some indiscrete liquor shops, I took note of were many people sitting in parks drinking alcohol, not a good example for a 70% Mormon city, I could imagine what it would be like during night time! I needed to enjoy some nice cold beer in the privacy of my motel room.
Back on the road again, today with a journey to Reno. The bus followed the salt lakes for about an hour, then into the Bonneville Salt Flats, a white expanse as far as you could see. The first town on the Nevada border was Wendover, soon we had reached the Casino town of Reno rising out of very flat desert like country, it was hot and humid, I found a motel, freshened up and went to explore the Casinos, on booking into the motel I was given lots of concessions to spend so firstly I cashed in my free chips for betting on the pokies, then had a few free drinks, finally a huge steak meal and still I hadn’t spent a cent, this is great, I think what they expect you to do is attack the gambling with eagerness to make or break a fortune, I was wise and became a spectator, it was like a mini Los Vegas.
I wasn’t leaving till afternoon so this gave me a chance to walk around the Casinos, which looked rather plain without their colourful lighting, taking note of many pawn shops, I wonder why? Leaving the city of gambling the countryside changed to lush green farmland, old towns and forests of pine trees. The city of Sacramento was where I needed to change buses for my journey on to Stockton, which is back in California. On arrival my friends Joe & Alice were there to greet me and take me to their beautiful home on a lakes edge. Stockton is the 13th largest city of California, it is situated along the San Joaquin waterway which connects to the San Francisco Bay, having deep water large overseas boats can come right up to the city. We dined out at a lovely riverside restaurant; the lights of the city reflected the water.
It was nice to stay in a private home for a change, my friends wanted to take me to see some real huge redwood trees, driving first through many vineyards and market gardens, it is very fertile soil but needs constant irrigation. Joe and Alice own a lumber mill so naturally we stopped to view it before entering the forest. Following a very windy road we stopped at some of their friends home for a nice luncheon before carrying on through dense undergrowth, taking a walk we were soon in view of some huge specimens like sequoias and redwoods, some with bark 10 inches thick. Smaller varieties were dogwoods and hazelnuts trees. It was so peaceful, not a sound bar the occasional chirp of a bird. I had built up an appetite, Alice new of a delightful Italian restaurant in the hills, which was most enjoyable.
I was badly in need of a semi rest day so what better than to take a leisure walk around the lake front, then a tour around the city sights, which included the beautiful Memorial Civic Auditorium and the Burns Tower in the University of the Pacific, still not a lot of high rise buildings which meant the old charm of yester year were still there. Joe stoked up the barby for dinner and we all enjoyed his cuisine along with some very nice red wine, it had been a very relaxing day and now I needed to get moving again.
I decided on a day tour to Yosemite National Park, catching the Amtrak rail for a 1 ½ hour trip, there was a bus to take me on the two hour drive into the Valley, the first glimpse was when you come out of a tunnel to see breathtaking views of the bridal veil falls, and the mighty El Capitan. The massive size of the valley walls was just about too much for my wide-angle lenses; my camera got a good workout. A lovely lunch was served at the Ahwahnee Hotel, built of river stones and timber; it was a very impressive building with interior décor of years gone by. My return trip to Stockton was late leaving; finally making it back to my friend’s home
Back on the Greyhound again, first to San José, then to my destination Monterey, it was another sad goodbye to more great friends but my time is running out. The bus passed much very dry countryside, a range of mountains; there were thousands of windmills that are used to generate power, and not many turning, as there just wasn’t any wind. San Jose is a very large city, a banking centre for overseas clients. After a short wait I caught another bus for Monterey, and back on the shores of the Pacific, it is a spectacular coastal city with a temperate climate, rich in history, timbered holiday influence in buildings added character to this seaside town. It was school holidays so I was lucky to find accommodation in the Travel Lodge and was soon out to explore, first place Fisherman’s Wharf with its many craft shops selling hand made copper and tin ornaments, lots of places to eat, seafood their specialty. A huge marina was home to scores of luxury boats. I settled for my favourite dinner, fish and chips.
This morning there is a low mist over the sea and quite cool, locals told me there was quite often a fog over the city also. I found the Monterey Aquarium, the first part was a huge tank with seeing platforms on three levels, with a large variety of seawater fish, a simulated tank held all types of kelp waving to and fro where Sea Otters tumble and dive, these playful animals are the smallest mammals in the world Hundreds of small specialty tanks housed tropical fish, sea urchins and fossils. A visit to the waxworks was very interesting; it covered the history of early Monterey, then a walk around the many unusual buildings with very colourful gardens and potted flowers.
On the road again this morning, following the coast for a while and then acres of market gardens, the soil looked dark and fertile and the crops lush and green. I was on my way to Santa Barbara with a change of bus at Salinas for the southbound link. Moving into mountainous scenery with quite barren countryside but this soon passed as we made our way back to the coastline again, following many small seaside resorts.
Arriving at Santa Barbara, I was fortunate to find a comfy hotel near the middle of the city. The cities Spanish heritage was still there in the lovely buildings, which I plan to view in more detail. Unusually beautiful places like the Museum of Natural History, The mission of Santa Barbara, the Courthouse, are places to admire, as was the Botanical Gardens and Stearns Wharf. Santa Barbara is nestled between Los Angeles and San Francisco, having a pleasant climate it is a wonderful holiday destination. I did lots of walking, the only way to admire the lovely clean streets, tourists all with a relaxed feel about them. This is my last chance to buy some souvenirs to take home. Suddenly I realised that tomorrow I needed to go back to Los Angeles and then catch my plane home. I enjoyed a beautifully cooked New York steak for dinner, most tender and juicy, I called it my farewell dinner to America.
After a very hearty breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs, toast and coffee, I caught the last of my Greyhound buses back to L.A. Once again it was coastline most of the way and soon the outskirts of the city appeared, more lanes of fast traffic overbridges and huge roundabouts everywhere. On arrival at the Grey Hound depot I managed a transfer bus to the airport for my long haul Air New Zealand flight home, enjoying the comfort and excellent service of my favourite airline.
To sum up, it has been a most enjoyable and satisfying two month holiday, taking in the wonders of four major countries, wonderful hospitality of old friends, new friends, the genuine help and assistance of many people, now it is time to go home and start dreaming of another wonderful holiday somewhere.

Int. Travel. The wonders of Sth. America

The Wonders of South America.
On the 11th July 1990 I boarded an Aerolineas Argetinas 747 Jumbo Jet, complete with genuine leather seats, and that is the economy class. At Auckland I met all my fellow travellers all of whom were Australians and New Zealanders. It was a direct flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Buenos Aires, the capitol of Argentina. After an eleven-hour flight of excellent service we arrived in the early evening to start a wonderful experience of 30 days bus tour, exploring Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil. with Adventure World. .
I awoke refreshed to a mild winter’s morning, after a huge breakfast we all gathered for a formal introduction to fellow passengers, including my room mate Dallas from Blenheim, New Zealand, our bus driver and Jacque, our New Zealand tour guide, The start of our tour comprised of a general tour of the city, known to many as the “ Paris of the Americas” lots of lovely old French style buildings including the City Hall, Government House, Metro Cathedral, then the La Boca Italian district with it’s multi coloured buildings, singers and artists, plus lots of souvenir market stalls. Moving on, the next stop was the Recolata Cemetary, huge ornate constructions for the wealthy of the city, we also visited the tomb of Eva Baron, wife of the late Presidente Juan Peron.
An afternoon of leisure gave me a chance to explore the inner city with its rows of elegant shops displaying top name clothing and jewellery from around the world, also a place where people dress up, ladies in furs, hats and gloves, men with suits, felt hats and canes, this scene looked very European and traditional. I was fortunate to go to Casa Blanca Nightclub to view some of the national Tango competitions; the dances were very professional and colourful. My first taste of a typical Argentinean beef dinner proved more than I could manage, and a moderate price, waiters kept circulating with huge mountains of meat to refill your plates with delicious top grade steaks.
Early next morning we boarded the first of many internal flights, a four-hour flight to Lima, the capitol of Peru. The aircraft followed a route allowing us to view some of the spectacular scenery that forms the mighty Andes mountain range. Lima, an old colonial city where there has been much unrest and civil wars over many decades, it is often referred to as the “ City of Kings”. On arrival there was plenty of time to get acquainted with a bus tour around the main centre. Huge Government buildings, Torre Tagle Palace, City Hall and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cabildo, also included was the ornate Church of San Francisco framing the lovely Plaza de Armas city square, many buildings were pock marked with countless bullet holes during clashes, thank goodness now there seemed to be peace, allowing the tourists to return. There was much activity among the scores of street sellers who added colour contrast to the old buildings; these happy people came daily from their remote country villages, also the shantytowns around the outskirts of the city. Survival is very hard in this already overpopulated city. Thieving is rampart in South America; they blame it on the roaming gypsies. It was suggested we leave all valuables at our hotel security boxes and only take enough money for daily use, sadly this meant cameras of value, but our tour guide promised plenty of stops to capture the beauty of the countries. Apart from this problem the markets were fantastic, a whole street of floral displays, huge wedding arrangements with dazzling colour. A local drink called Pisco, which is brandy, based with lemon juice, very smooth and a great preparation to a good nights sleep. The country currency is the Intas, cashing in $10 U.S.A. made you an immediate millionaire.
We departed Lima by coach, destination Nazca, a journey of 400 klms, the countryside was very barren and seem to have a permanent fog. The coach climbed over rocky mountain roads badly in need of repair, in the fertile valleys where small towns settled along rivers where crops of potatoes, corn and peppers thrived. Nasca sits in the middle of an oasis surrounded by desert on the coastal plains, there was much poverty everywhere; the best-looking building seemed to be the hotel. Twenty-two klms north of the town is the world famous enormous and mysterious geometrical lines and figures scratched into stony desert resembling landing strips, a condor, monkey and a spider which can be admired by taking an flight to view these amazing markings, I preferred to see them from the ground after checking out the little old vintage planes. Our stay in Nasca left plenty of time to check out the many markets with sellers displaying beautiful handmade Lama and Alpaca jerseys and scarves and lots of colourful ornaments.
Arequipa, was our next destination, we travelled over a combination of more desolate country, coastline scenery and valleys growing citrus and vegetables, the 600 klms journey passed many small primitive villages where the children made money by filling in potholes on the highway. Arequipa is Peru’s second largest city, sitting at the foot of the impressive snow capped volcano Mt. El Misti. It is built almost entirely of low buildings constructed of white volcanic stone. There are many beautiful old Spanish colonial mansions and it’s full of magnificent old churches and a Labyrinthine nunnery which is a city within a city. It has a quiet, kind of charm, quite different from Lima. On another level, it’s a lively centre of folk music and you never run short of a Pena to go to in the evenings. We visited the Monastery of Santa Catalina, recently opened to the public after 400 years, another city within a city, narrow cobbled streets, gardens, fountains and churches, even a cemetery, unfortunately there were few artefacts left from the days when the nuns occupied the entire Monastery, maybe they lived very frugally. The gardeners have made up for that with pots of flowering plants and small gardens on every street corner.
The following morning we were transferred to the airport for a flight to Cuzco which was delayed five hours, which we were told is very common in South American countries. There is no seat allocated numbers so when it is time to board there is a mad scramble to get a window seat, apart from the delay we were soon rewarded by some magnificent mountain scenery including the wonderful El Misti.
Arriving at Cuzco, at an altitude of 4,000 mitres, this beautiful old rose tinted city had been rebuilt many times after very strong earthquakes. The original stone foundations of the Inca era were always used and much of it still remains perfectly intact, even modern day buildings use these foundations, the Spanish conquerors had the good sense to only demolish the upper parts of structures and build on top of the remains. This beautiful stonework is all over the city, even in restaurants and hotels. The Incas built enormous temples to the sun, moon and stars as well as palaces and fortresses, such as the Sacsayhuaman ruins overlooking the city; this is a magnificent sight of night-lights looking down on the entire valley. At this high altitude we were all instructed to walk and breath slowly, and drink an occasional cup of coca tea, a light stimulant to help the body relaxed, it is the leaves of the coca tree which is one of the main ingredients to making cocaine, scary thought, but it works, the locals were always chewing on the leaves, we at least had the option of using it like tea bags. Thieving was ramped in the city, as I walked through the streets with my new friend Dallas he complained about his false teeth hurting as they were just a new pair before the trip, I suggested he take them out for a while which he did, putting them in a side pocket, seconds later a hand appeared and drew them out along with a few dollar notes. The thief got such a shock he dropped them and ran off, sellers on the roadside were in fits of laughter, then said sorry but it looked so funny, they helped us retrieve the money and teeth and stated that the gypsies days of thieving would be over for a while
Now we come to an exciting part of this journey, an early morning departure by train through the mountains to the fantastic ruins of Machu Picchu. Situated on top of a mountain and undiscovered until 1911 it remains today as a monument to the Incas who suffered miserably at the hands of the Spanish. It is probably the most famous archaeological site in the entire Americas. It staddles a narrow mountain, high above a bend in the Urubamba river, against a backdrop of snow capped peaks which rise over 6,000 metres. The train journey itself was a wonderful experience, zigzagging its way up the mountainside, sometimes backing a distance to gain altitude. The final six klms were by bus up a very windy, narrow road.
At first glance at this wonder of the world most people are speechless, curious as to how this city has built way up on the top of a ridge, how were the huge stone blocks carried up the steep hillside without the help of the wheel, and how the city remained a secret for four centuries. Some of the blocks were up to 200 tonnes, shaped to perfection and the joins so well crafted, not even a cigarette paper could be lodged between them. Although the timber and roofs of the houses had long gone, the walls were still intact. There are different levels of fitness for walking the Inca Trails of up to five days, which are very popular and cover the history, and fate of the Inca race.
Descending again from a memorial day and some fantastic scenery, there was still time to visit more Inca ruins in the valleys around Cuzco. Sellers displayed their goods anywhere there was a chance the tourists would be stopping, even trying to make a sale as the train slowed down or changed lines. Back at the hotel we were introduced to a local beer called Cheecha, made from fermented corn and tasted revolting but was very cheap and popular with the locals and made them horribly drunk, one sip was enough for me! One of the ladies on our tour wished to sample the countries delicacy, Guinea pig, the chef at our hotel roasted it and we all stood around while she ate it, so sad as most countries keep them as pets.
Next day was a chance to explore the interesting Indian city of Pisac, the enchantment of local ladies selling their homespun alpaca goods, always open for a good barter. Our bus took us on to Ollantaytambo; another well preserved Inca ruin, then to a Palace, a Temple and more ruins.
Our journey carried on next day with a train trip through some breathtaking Valley scenery with the mighty Andes as a backdrop, our destination, Puno. At least that was what we expected, to start with the train was delayed for five hours, the reason being terrorists had blown up a bridge in a remote area of the Valley. Finally on our way, there was a tourist car attached to the local train, we were served a very nice meal with refreshments at no charge to compensate for the delay. Sellers were following us holding on to the carriages as best they could and every time the train stopped they would spread out their wares for possible sales. We had soldiers to guard us on the journey, just in case of any trouble with terrorists. About mid afternoon the train gave a sudden jolt, then stopped, we were informed that there was another problem with bandits blowing up more of the track. So much for the beautiful views of the lovely scenery, we weren’t going anywhere, it got dark and spooky, a huge quiet spread through the carriage, with many different nationalities on board, equally scared it was suggested we have a party, out came the liquor we were carrying, our mixture of different nations performed some very entertaining songs and dances of their countries, fuelled by whatever drinks they had, the time soon passed and some hours later the train was on it’s way again, a much happier bunch of people with new friendships made fuelled by a mixture of different alcohols.
Arriving in Puno just before dawn we were escorted from the train to a waiting bus, a fight broke out among some locals, we were shielded by our soldiers and safely made it to the bus, we were told the fight was staged to distract the luggage carrier giving the thieves a chance to steel what they wanted, what a welcome!!!. It was twenty-three hours since we started out for this journey; now after a further hour we finally reached our hotel and most welcome beds.
All too soon we were on our way again to visit the floating Islands of Uros, there were about forty of them with whole villages built on reeds, as they rotted the buildings were lifted and new reeds placed on top, not a healthy life, lots of arthritic and lung problems among the residents, but they chose to live there as their ancestors did for centuries. We carried on with a cruise of the lovely Lake Tuticaca, high above sea level, stopping for a visit to Suriqui Island where three brothers made the famous Ra 11 reed boat which crossed the Atlantic, they demonstrated how the reeds were tied and shaped. It is now in a museum in Oslo, Norway, I was fortunate to view it on a recent visit there. Today they still build reed boats, mostly for pleasure seeking people. Joining our bus again at Cocacabana, completing customs control, we were now in Bolivia and journeyed on to La Paz, a beautiful city 3.600 mts. above sea level and it claims to be the highest Capitol city in the world, lots of narrow cobbled streets and colourful markets selling an enormous selection of craft wear, leather jackets and very reasonably priced clothes. The Bolivian people are very happy and friendly, they enjoyed showing their produce without being pushy. The dresses of the ladies were full colourful skirts and black bowler hats. The skyscrapers of the banks and business houses down in the centre are surrounded on all sides by houses, which climb up the steep slopes of the canyon walls. Our bus took us to visit the mysterious “ Valley of the Moon”, an eerie sort of place with an apt name. I enjoyed some free time just exploring the older part of the city which has retained a colourful Colonial flavour plus re-visiting the cobbled streets of the old Quito.
Next morning we were back in the air again for a 50-minute flight to Santa Cruz, which until the mid 1960’s was isolated for centuries through lack of communications, then the town boomed, prospered from the profits gained from cocaine, agriculture and cattle ranching. Another plane trip to Puerto Suarez, there was still an 18 klm. bus trip through thick jungle to Corumba and the Brazilian border. More red tape here, the customs officers tried to give us a hard time by making us come into a grubby office and show our cameras and fill out forms, the officer consigned to questioning me was a dirty little weasel of a man delighted in showing his authority. Our bougainvillea covered hotel was a little primitive but a lovely meal in a nearby restaurant compensated, complimented with some delightful locals dancing the Lambada. This was a relaxing end to a stressful day dealing with border controls.
Travelling on through the heart of the Panternal, a vast swampy area, and one of the worlds greatest wildlife preserves for birds, fish and animals, unique to the area, we crossed many rickety bridges and skilfully manoeuvred over some very narrow winding roads. We were able to visit the Santa Clara ranch; very isolated from civilization, they were very happy and industrious people, our bus was taken by barge across the Paraquay River, our tour followed by a cruise in a long boat Many sightings of alligators and colourful birds could be seen, we noted giant guinea pigs, lots of monkeys were viable through the thick undergrowth. Our lovely old hotel at Pantanal again was a little primitive but a wonderful meal and entertainment made up for any discomfort.
Next morning I awoke to the jungle sounds of many birds and animals, the bus was soon on the road again through more jungle with loads of wildlife, our next destination, Campo Grande, quite a large rural industrial Brazilian city, and of little interest to travellers, we lunched at a remarkably modern shopping centre before heading to the airport for flight to Brasilia, the capitol of Brazil.
The modern plane covered a vast barren countryside of little interest, arriving at the city built in the middle of nowhere, the Capitol was created by the architect Oscar Niemeyer, planned in the shape of an aeroplane, the wings as residential, the fuselage as the administration, shops and offices. Wide tree lined freeways linked the city, gave a feeling of space, hundreds of kilometres from the coast. Apart from being an enormous, almost an expensive monument to the vanity of architects and military dictators, there are some magnificent buildings and sculptures including an underground cathedral, which I was enthralled with it’s beautiful stained glass windows. The Capitol has been referred to as a “ Big White Elephant”
Back in the sky again after noisy nights accommodation, we left the concrete jungle, our plane took us over the jungle around the Amazon, on to Manaus, a duty free port where huge ships make the 2000 klm. journey from the coast. It is a city of legends, set in the middle of the Amazon jungle accessible by river and air only. Despite it’s remoteness there is a colourful collection of buildings, British built Customs House and Portuguese Colonial houses and the Italian Opera House which has rivalled those of many European cities for it’s opulence. The beautiful artwork inside the Opera House needs constant cleaning and painting to stand the severe environmental elements of being 3 degs. from the equator.
Our tour was to board a luxury Amazon River cruise ship, for a three-day tour, somehow there was confusion, and the boat was not there. The Brazilian Government decided to claim it to entertain some V.I.P’s so we were left with alternatives, two smaller crafts that were very cramped, especially the cabins, there were two bunks but only one person could get changed at a time so the other had to wait outside till the first one went to bed, quite a laugh. The dining room, meals and the decks were adequate so we settled back to enjoy the cruise.
First the boats sailed along Amazon, meeting the Rio Negro stopping the first night anchored among overhanging trees along the banks, it had been raining quite heavily but cleared during the night and after a peaceful sleep were awakened to many strange jungle noises. We took an early trek through the thick undergrowth gaining knowledge of different trees, wild life and Indian culture among this steamy unspoilt region. Returning to where the Negro flowed into the Amazon, the almost black water the ran side by side without mingling and there was a distinctive line down the middle with the yellow waters of the Amazon, which lasted for about six klms. This phenomenon is referred to as “the meeting of the waters”. At this point the Amazon is about eight klms wide
After cruising most of the day with a few stops to view native villages, we were entertained with some native songs and dances. A stop at a floating trading post created a lot of interest, selling a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, there were crates of snakes for us to study and handle, most of us were a bit hesitant, although we were told none were venomous . Some of the locally made craft ware was very different and not seen anywhere else. We were taken in powered canoes through the lagoons and tributaries of the river, crossing the Archipelago up to the mouth of the Apuau River, I was amazed by the lack of bird life, maybe it is because the jungle is slowly being milled and they have moved on? Our tour guides organised us in long, narrow boats with canopies for a dusk fishing trip, teaching us how to catch the vicious Piranha, amazing their small size but razor sharp teeth. Our guide caught many other small fish for us to study. As night took over the beady eyes of scores of alligators dotted the river and banks, luckily the small boats kept us at a safe distance. Our boats were anchored closer this time so we could share hospitality nightcaps with the rest of our tour before enjoying another peaceful night in the jungle.
Next morning before we moved on, our tour guide suggested we have a swim in the Amazon, some did, I was a bit wary but after some coxing I dived in only to realise how swift the river flowed and soon I was many metres from the boat, luckily I never panicked, slowly swimming through the strong current till finally making it back to the boat, what a relief, it looked so calm from on board.
The return to Manaus was relaxing, no stops, just cruising and enjoying the jungle scenery. On arrival there was still some time to explore this remote city before joining our craft for the eight-hour flight on to Salvador, making a stopover at Brasilia for refuelling. After a long day I was pleased to take an early night and enjoy a proper bed again.
Salvador, often referred to, as Bahia is unquestionably the most exotic Brazilian city. It is the land of folklore, full of mysticism, historic and cultural traditions. Strange to be back on a coastline again. A tour of the city which was once the capitol of Brazil took us through quaint cobbles streets and colourful marketplaces, beautiful old Cathedrals which were built by Negro slaves, this was a vast contrast to the huge slum areas that seem to be everywhere. We visited the “Mercedo Modelo” with its two floors of Bahian Arts and Crafts, you could bargain for intricate silver jewellery, leather and lace trimmed Bahian blouses. I enjoyed the long stretches of golden beaches and a little cooler from the steamy jungle of the Amazon.
Now, people are also speaking Portuguese, so different from the Spanish spoken all over South America. It is an interesting city partly because of its mixed population, here there were every shape and size and colour of people, its heavily influenced religious ceremonies and colourful fiestas, Until 1763 it was the capitol of Brazil, some areas have definitely have an air of prolonged neglect but others have been restored and home to a wide variety of lively and rustic bars and restaurants.
There was suppose to be a morning to relax but a change of plan meant an earlier flight to Rio de Janeiro, the second capitol of Brazil and home to the most famous. Carnivals. Our hotel was at the end of Copacabana beach, a gem of a setting, a wide paved esplanade followed the golden beach dwarfed with many high-rise hotels. My friend Dallas and I took an evening stroll along this world famous stretch of sand admiring the many volley ball players, and were soon approached by two obvious trouble makers, they wanted the time of day, I told my friend not to tell them, it was a way to bring your arm up so as to make it easier to thieve your watch, we were soon labelled as “white scum”. A scary start to our stay here was to find out a man went missing three days earlier and his wife tried to get the police to start a search which proved fruitless, he was later found on another beach, he had been operated on to remove one of his kidneys, the last we heard he had survived but doctors were anxious to find out whether the surgery was hygienic.
On a lighter side this exciting city had lots of wonderful surprises, first a visit by cable car to the summit of the Sugarloaf for great views of the city, a rail trip up to the eleven story high statue of “Christ Redeemer”, crowning Mt. Corcovado, again there were some fantastic views of the city, then on to Tijuca rain forest and equally famous beaches of Ipanema and Botafogo harbour.
Nest day was a well earned day of relaxing, I started with a swim at Copacabana beach, thieving is so rampart that I had a friend stand on my towel while I enjoyed the tepid waters of this famous beach, all the time watching that nobody forced him aside to steal it. This is so sad in such a lovely place. Later I explored the local shops and markets, all the time keeping an eye out for thieves. After a visit to a huge soccer stadium which houses 250 thousand fans and doubles for huge concerts it was time to experience the marvels of a Samba dance show, very colourful costumes, superb dancing and singing, some of the entertainers had huge baskets of fruit as head gear. The return trip to the hotel was through a massive tunnel, passed the commercial centre and sadly a contrast to the glitter I had just seen, there were many slum areas on the surrounding hillsides.
Still another morning of leisure to enjoy this wonderful city, an afternoon flight took us to the world famous Iguazu Falls, which is on the border of Argentine, Brazil and Paraguay. Our aircraft banked to give us a magnificent view of over 200 falls before landing at Foz do Iguazu. We were transferred to a very beautiful flower covered hotel, There was still time to view some of the falls before dark, which were close to the hotel, the thundering noise was deafening and spectacular. A very nice meal was served, an after meal stroll around the streets was a lot safer than most of the cities I have just visited. Tourism has transformed Foz do Iguazu only two- three decades ago but it is still a pleasant place, no high rise buildings and a much slower pace.
Next morning our coach took us on the grand tour of the falls, they are one of the natural wonders of the world and are equal to the grandeur of Niagara and Victoria Falls. Some of the group opted for a helicopter flight but I was content to view the splendour of millions of litres of water falling at different levels, (the rainy season has just finished so this gave the falls a spectacular show) The bus took us to a lookout to view the eye of the Falls, called the Devils Throat, on the Argentine side, there was a boardwalk going nearly to the centre of this huge whirlpool of water escaping to form the many Falls. After a nice lunch the tour bus took us to visit the huge Itaipu Dam on the Rio Parana, construction of which was still going on. When completed it will have the capacity of producing 12.6 million kilowatts of power. We took a visit to the duty free town of Puetro Stroessner through the border into Paraguay, many markets selling unbelievably cheap product, lots of electrical and imported items, along with a wide range of liquor. My bags are bulging now with memories of the wonderful countries I have visited.
Alas one of my fantastic holidays is coming to an end with a final internal flight to Buenos Aires in Argentine where this memorial journey had started. A day of leisure was welcome to meander through the exciting streets of this wonderful city. Among my experiences I thought this one was a classic. I wanted to purchase a pure leather wallet and pay by Visa Credit Card, being the time before electronic swiping them the young assistant in the shop studied my card, excused herself for a minute, re-appearing and apologised and said she couldn’t except this way of payment as my name wasn’t on the list. Being curious I asked to explain in more detail, she showed me the list, it was for bad debtors, I pointed out her mistake, only when the owner appeared could we solve the problem. I just wondered how many sales she had lost not understanding the system?
Boarding our Aerolineas Argentinas flight home, once more enjoying the comfy leather seats, nice food and excellent service. The thirteen-hour trip was a trans Polar Service with a refuelling stop at a remote base in a bitterly cold isolated place on the southern tip of Argentine.
This was a very memorial holiday for me, rating among the top three of the many countries I have visited, my beloved Germany still rates number one, followed by the unusual beauty of Norway. As for cities around the world, my favourite is still Prague in the Czech Republic, Buenos Aires and strange as it may seem, Frankfurt is high on my list.
One final experience I almost forgot to mention. While walking the streets in La Paz, Bolivia there was a young lady behind the stall of her street side curios, weird medicines, cures, which included dried snakeskins and advertising her ability to tell fortunes. Somehow she attracted my attention and beckoned me over and immediately told me she needed to tell my fortune, I told her a definite NO, she tried again with threatening me that horrible things would happen if I didn’t agree, as her piercing eyes met mine I met her stare with a final refusal, somehow she new she had lost me so she compromised by giving me a little black doll and some coloured wool and told me to hang it in my house and nothing would happen to me. I took the doll, and put it in a draw back home forgetting about the scary incident. Some months later there seemed to be lots of mishaps with me, nothing seem to be going smoothly, one day I remembers the young ladies threats, I searched till I found it and hung it up, amazing everything started to return to normal, ??? I still have the doll on view???
Till next adventure, take care
Jim. Fitzthum

travel local. The Valley Rattler

The Valley Rattler.
I have recently completed another wonderful experience which is not only memorial but very instructive and opened up closed memories of a bygone era on steam trains.
Along with 18 ladies, me being the only male from various information centres around the Maroochyshire this spectacular journey begins in Gympie Historical Station. Leaving the city behind the old lovingly restored steam engine and five assorted carriages collected from around Queensland, the engine soon built up a healthy head of steam to guide us through the very scenic Mary Valley.
The countryside is spectacular, rolling hills, (looking a little parched through lack of rain), a patchwork of pineapple, macadamia and avocado crops, also a huge area of covered export Persimmons.
Just a short stop at the tiny Kandanga station where there was an abundance of local farmers produce for sale, plus the all important partition for stopping the plan to form a dam in the Valley.
Gathering up steam again we were soon on our way to our lunch stop at the biggest town in the area, Imbil where the engine is turned around for the journey back. The old Railway Hotel has dominated the town for many decades and some of the local shops still held great character of the past.
On the return journey, our tour guide Pat, carried on with his instructive comments about the history of the Valley along with some of his corny jokes, also pointing out various areas which will be affected by the proposed dam for the Valley, which will leave a lot of this beautiful countryside under metres of water and causing many residents to sell up and move from their beloved homes and farms. Pat mentioned a bowling green we passed would be under ten metres of water.
Dagun, the final stop on our delightful trip left us time to enjoy some lovely local produce of wine and cheese, crafts and home made preserves and fruits, and even some light musical entertainment.
The Valley Rattler had taken us on a wonderful experience of friendship and hospitality, lovely scenery, reminders of life of many decades ago, well-hosted staff and a treat for all ages.
I fully recommend this wonderful steam train journey to all tourist and locals alike that come and visit our Sunshine Coast and some of the surprises in the picturesque Hinterland
Till my next wonderful experience, enjoy our great attractions.
Jim Fitzthum.