England and Europe. 1981
Another exciting venture is looming, I decided to take my mother-in-law Emily Baine with me to England so she can spend some time with her son Kerry and daughter-in-law Angela. Since the death of her husband Jack, the family thought it would be a nice change to enjoy some overseas travel. This is her first time away from New Zealand and my third. A gathering of friends and relations were at the airport to bid us farewell for our long journey, our plane was an Air N.Z. D.C.10, the first stop being at Honolulu which took just over seven hours, just for refuelling, then on to Los Angeles, then a couple of hours wait till we boarded the plane once again for England. The ruling with Air N.Z was the planes could travel on from L.A. but with a British Airways crew. The service proved a bit disorganised after the splendid crew of Air.N.Z. My mother-in-law, Emily, was quite stressed out after the long journey and was relieved to finally reach our destination, Heathrow, and meet with her son.
It was pleasing to see Kerry & Angela at the airport, also my friend Keith Bougher and his girl friend, only spending a brief time with him and made arrangements to stay on my return from Europe. We all caught the train to Kilburn in London where Kerry & Angela’s had their studio flat, it was difficult for Emily to climb the steep stairway to the third floor, this has been a culture shock for her away from her quiet lifestyle in the small country town of Te Aroha.
Enjoying a happy family reunion plus a sample of my duty free Rum I soon discovered that sleep was overcoming my desire to continue so it was off to bed, it had been many hours since I last slept.
Next morning I sorted out my luggage, said my goodbyes and caught the tube to Kingscross Station where I boarded the Flying Scotsman Express, the journey passed through lovely countryside bursting with signs of Spring everywhere, cities like Nottingham, Shefield, Leads and landmarks like the York Cathedral. then onto my destination, Newcastle-on-Tyne. My friend Harry Letch was waiting for me, after an exciting reunion he took me to his home he shared with his sister Muriel in the coal-mining town of Birtley. The terraced house was among row upon row of identical style and colour, it would be very hard to find his place without a street and number to guide you. Muriel had prepared a lovely late luncheon, which we all toasted in a wee dram of rum.
Off to view the sights, our first destination was to Durham particularly the huge Cathedral and University on a hill dominating the city. Climbing the tower of the cathedral was quite a major event but the view of the city was amazing and rewarding, people boating on the river were like tiny ants, splashes of colour everywhere which proved to be the first flowering of hundreds of roses.
The return trip took us through” the moors” country and the quaint village of Blanchland. That evening I met the locals and friends at Harry’s favourite Buffs Club, I was not very fond of their room temperature beer so I decided on the cold lager which was very palatable at .42 pence a pint. I don’t think I would attempt to keep up the pace of the locals.
Next morning, Harry and I started on a journey north to Scotland, time first to explore the local area driving through quaint country lanes and small villages, we found an interesting factory called “ De La Rue” which mints the New Zealand bank notes. Our next stop was the small town of Richmond, with its cobbled narrow streets, lovely little cottages; the high steeple of the church was the centrepiece. Travelling west we passed through many kilometres of Mooreland country, very baron, stone fences winding over the landscape had probably been there for many centuries. Next the Lake district, very picturesque country, very busy with lots of tourists and locals enjoying the clear air and beauty. Stopping in at a pretty little village called Cockermouth, we found a bed and breakfast place for the night and then explored the town, and were delighted to find the house where the poet Wordsworth was born, and learned all about this famous man from the historical museum. time to sample some of the fine products and a pub meal.
After a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs we were back on the road again, still going north, the first stop was Carlyle after taking a short detour to Keswick to view some beautiful scenery at Derwent waters, climbed into the surrounding hills for a better look. Moving on to the Dumfries via the very popular tourist attraction of Gretna Green, which used to cater for young people who wanted to marry but in England they needed their parents permission but not here. A close up view of highland cattle with their long hair and curly horns reminded me that we were approaching Robbie Burns’s country. We passed through many delightful small towns, all with lots of historical bridges, ancient buildings and cobbled streets; there was a fitting memorial to Burns in the shape of a tower domineering the corner of two streets. Our stop for the night was Ayrshire coastal town of Largs. Took a stroll around the waterfront in the warm summer sunshine with it’s many small craft silhouetting the lovely old buildings and a huge church steeple, decided that we had earned a wee drop of ale and a meal of good old fashioned fish and chips in a pub overlooking the sea, then on to another pub where there was lots of entertainment, it was a “ come as you please” night which I was told meant you could get up and sing or tell a story. We enjoyed the company of some local Scots but never attempted to keep up with their drinking habits.
After a hearty breakfast Harry and I left the coast and headed towards Glasgow, then Edinburgh, it was great taking smaller main roads as we passed through many lovely small towns and villages, lots of rolling barren countryside with very few trees. We bypassed Glasgow and arrived in Edinburgh in glorious sunshine, I was told it rains often there but this was my second visit, both in glorious weather. We are now in the capital of Scotland, an outstanding city, rich in open spaces, museums, beautiful buildings and elegant streets. The older part has dark courts, cobbled streets and steep steps of the medieval ‘Old Town” in contrast with the gracious squares and crescents of the Georgian ‘ New Town” with the Castle overlooking the beautiful gardens and Scott’s Memorial beside Princes St., the exciting main shopping area. We took a tour of the Castle; this gave me a chance to catch up on what I had missed on my last visit.
It was time to head back to New Castle, back over familiar roads, only one stop, Bamburgh Castle by the sea, a Norman Castle revamped in the 18th/19th century, has collections of porcelain and armoury. Its vast size was built on a rise overlooking the sea. Arriving back to Harry’s home, this time via the Tyne tunnel, an experience quite remarkable, going under the Tyne River for about a mile. Just in time to meet with friends at the club and say goodbye as we catch a flight to Amsterdam tomorrow.
Awoke to the shock of light snow falling, this is mid April, suppose to be into spring? We caught the bus to New Castle airport for our British Caledonian flight to Amsterdam, just a 50 minute flight. The amazing sight, endless fields of tulips and daffodils like a patchwork quilt greeted our approach to Holland. After booking into a hotel we strolled around the quaint streets of Amsterdam, trees bursting with blossom and lovely Old Dutch style buildings reflecting into the many canals. Of course one needed to sample the delectable flavour of the Heineken beer, I wasn’t disappointed. We both suffered from a balance problem and a bit dizzy, (that’s before the beer) I found out later the plane was not pressurized enough. I think the beer help reverse our balance to near normal.
A lovely morning with clear blue skies, we caught the train to Köln, I had a Euro rail pass which I started on the German border, soon we were passing through lovely green countryside, then beside the massive Rhein River and disembarked to explore the impressive Gothic Köln Cathedral of St. Peter & Mary, started in 1248 and finally completed in 1880, it is the landmark to the city, narrowly missing being bombed during the second world war. The interior was equally beautiful with lovely stained glass windows, a huge alter behind which is the gold and jewelled shrine of the Three Kings. Köln is the most ancient and busiest city in Rheinland and fourth largest in Germany. Our train timetable only allowed us two hours to explore the bustling city, with it’s many grand shops and small bars everywhere. Time to continue our journey so we were back on the train; next stop Koblenz, our base for the night. Built on the confluence of the Rhein and Mosel rivers, giving the town access to both river regions. The old Promenade of the city is tree shaded and studded with pavement
Cafes, a special feature is the Weindorf (wine village), first built for a wine exhibition in 1926 and now permanently popular with three wine houses surrounding a square with wooden benches and tables set beneath mature shade trees. Among the buildings of historical interest to be seen in Koblenz was the old 13th century Castle which now houses the city library, also the Baroque Rathaus (town hall) I found a wonderful shop full of my favourites, beer steins, a collection so huge, I just loved them all. On our return to our hotel there was a dusting of light snow, how the climates change so rapid in Europe.
The morning dawned to clear skies but a little fresh, after a delicious German breakfast the train left Koblenz for our destination Mainz, following the Rhine again we were soon in wine country, vineyards stretched for miles clinging to the hillsides to catch the sun. Mainz is a University City, built on the fork of the Rivers Rhein and Mainz, it has an ancient history, the most imposing sight is the 1000-year-old Romanesque Cathedral, which houses an impressive collection of church art. A walk toward the rivers was where we could view the busy traffic on the waterways, lots of huge barges chugging their way up and down carrying all sorts of produce.
Back on the train again on our way to Würzburg in Bayern (Bavaria). The scenery was simular, lots more vineyards and many castles dot the hillsides along our route. Arriving early afternoon, Würzburg proved to be a lively city with an ancient history, built on either side of the Main, in a valley, dominated by the Marienberg Fortress. The main attraction The city is famous for it’s wonderful architecture, places like Residenz, the grandest Baroque Palace in Europe, it is built in the form of a huge horseshoe with four inner courtyards and one reception court, then the Käppele (a pilgrimage church) the Cathedral of Kilian, plus the Chronos Fountain with it’s wonderful statues. We enjoyed the smaller city, had found some excellent accommodation and were able to explore these wonderful building at a leisure pace, finally deciding on a small restaurant to enjoy a delicious meal of Schweinaschnitzel (pork) and some equally delicious larger beer.
We decided to stay on another night so as to do a side trip to Bamberg, so next morning we caught a slower train which stopped at all stations, I would have loved to get off and view some of the quaint little villages and towns, the paddocks were mostly ploughed ready for sowing summer crops. Bamberg is situated in river and hillside country and is a city with some very fine architecture. The Rathhaus (town hall) was an interesting Gothic and Rococo combination, with murals and carvings of statues on the walls, unusually located on a bridge across the River Regnitz, connecting the two halves of the town, (the bridge actually passes right the hall), The four spired Romanesque Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George is much admired for it’s grandeur and holds many artistic treasures. Among the many fine buildings clustered about the cathedral is the Old Residence of the princes-bishops, now housing a historical museum. Bamberg was truly a photographers dream, every turn was a new masterpiece to be taken, beautiful half-timbered houses, highly ornamented and sculptured buildings lined the waterways. On our return to Würzburg we made plans to move on in the morning.
Still remarkably fine and warm, an early morning train took us to Regensburg via Nürnberg, It is the principle city of East Bayern, situated on the Donau River, the first stop was to view St. Peters Cathedral, one of Germanys greatest Gothic churches, it’s 105m towers are much admired for their delicate stonework and stained glass windows. The Rathaus (Town Hall) is most famous for it’s Reichstagssaal, where holy Roman Emperors, including Charles V have sat. On the ground floor is a gruesome medieval torture chamber where judges sat to extract “voluntary confessions”, nowadays, however there’s a friendly Ratskeller (wine cellar).
Back on the train again, our next port of call is Passau, this beautiful city built on the fork of the Inn and Donau Rivers. Another very fascinating city, with narrow cobbled streets of various levels, quaint old houses built into the riverbanks, many of which were joined together by decorative arches. There was a beautiful stone bridge, which was completed in 1146 and has 16 arches; a walk across it gave impressive views of Regensburg skyline. Along Bridge St. there were lots of interesting shops selling pewter ware. Our evening meal was another tasty German veal dish with many fruits and vegetables, all washed down with some also very tasty larger beer.
Back on the train again, travelling through more vineyards and market gardens, we were on our way to wonderful München, via the interesting town of Landshut which I would have loved to explore but there was now a time factor. We arrived at München early afternoon and by some fluke I managed to find the same Pension I had stayed in three years earlier, the proprietor even recognised me, amazingly he looked up my name without me giving any details. Harry’s comments were “once seen, never forgotten” We are in Germany’s third largest city, the Bavarian capitol, art and culture along with its famous beer industry. The new Rathaus (town hall) in 19th century Gothic style covers the north side of Marienplatz which is for pedestrians only and has many lovely fountains, cafes, a marble column topped by a magnificent statue of the Madonna, originally intended for the high alter of the cathedral plus lots of flowers. Its main feature is the ornate Glockenspiel, at 11am each day, animated colourful dancing figures emerge from the clock, bells tinkle and tunes play. We did a city tour to get acquainted with places of interest, then went back to admire the beautiful architecture of mostly restore buildings. The city is full of old squares and odd and interesting corners. A stroll in the lovely English garden with its beautiful old mature trees and beds of colourful flowers and lots of statues.
This was the last night Harry and I had together as he is heading back to England via Heidelberg and I’m moving on to Basel in Switzerland, then travelling on to Toulouse in France to take a weeks canal cruise on a barge. We found a wonderful old beer barn and enjoyed some equally wonderful steins of Bavarian beer along with a hearty meal of boiled pork, sauerkraut with klösse (dumplings). We both found our rail euro pass was very convenient and we used it to our advantage being able to visit many different cities and towns throughout our journey, It was very sad to say goodbye to my good friend, he had been a great host whilst I was in England, luckily we enjoyed the same scenery and history, and of course our love of a beer or two, now I have another new adventure to look forward to.
Awoke to light snow again but it wasn’t cold, We both caught the train to Stuttgart where we said a final farewell, Harry heading north and myself booking my journey to Toulouse, which seemed quite complicated, so many changes, so many stops, I had little trouble changing trains at Karlsruhe, even though there was but one minute to change tracks for the train to Geneva. It passed through some beautiful picturesque rugged Swiss countryside. Arriving at Geneva about nine p.m. I was soon on my connecting train to Narbonne in France, then a last connection for a six-hour overnight journey to my destination, Toulouse, France. There were passport checks at the borders which were no problem, arriving at the end of my journey at the horrible hour of 5.30am after no sleep, I was cold, hungry and tired but it was too early for places to open, I left my luggage at a locker at the station and went out to enjoy the lovely sunny morning that was dawning to explore the city which is the biggest and most important town of the south west. There were many well-preserved houses of the renaissance period. An outstanding place of interest was the basilica of St. Sernin, rich in Christian relics. The remains of 128 saints include those of some of the Apostles; the most sacred relic was a thorn from the crown of the Crucifixion. I wandered down a number of tiny back streets with barely enough room to pass, admired the nice old buildings with lovely latticework frontages. Being in bad need of a shower and change of clothes I was pleased when it was time to meet up with the Canal Barge cruise staff and fellow passengers for the week long slow trip among the picturesque countryside.
We all met at the Hotel Concorde, four cruise staff, all English and Walsh, six other passengers, who were Americans, after introductions and explanations of what our itinerary was to be we were taken by bus to our barge home for the next week. Luckily I had a cabin to myself, very tiny but okay, there was a lovely dining room and bar, two viewing decks where you could sit and watch the scenery go passed. We started cruising at 6 pm. travelling through three locks before tying up for the night. I was able to enjoy a well-needed shower and change of clothes before joining the fellow passengers for a welcome drink and our first meal, a lavish spread of tasty meats and salads, along with many cheese and snack food. The table wines were included in the price and we were told that if we managed to drink all on board we would have our fare refunded, (what a challenge)
It was great to enjoy a good sleep in a bed again instead of leaning on the window of a train; I guess trying to drink the barge dry would have helped a little. The barge started up again after a wonderful breakfast of a huge rang of French delights, my fellow passengers, five ladies and one man were from different parts of America, we soon become good friends, here to enjoy this marvellous holiday together. The sun was shining and starting to warm up for the day so we all tried out the sundeck to watch the changing landscape go by and were soon experiencing something unusual, instead of the long drawn out dilemma of going through a series of five locks, the barge took the easy way out, they called it the water spout where two motorized wheels guides take the barge to a drop of forty feet riding as if on the top of a wave, an amazing experience. There are walkways alongside the canal and cycles on board for the energetic; it is easy to keep up as the barge travels very slowly.
Tim, our skipper suggested he take us by (the mini bus that followed the barge) into the small French village of Montech, there was a very old and huge church for the size of the village, I had a chance to explore the cobbled streets, enjoy the unusual styles of red brick houses and old barns where there was rows of corn neatly hanging on rails to dry.
Back on the barge again in time for happy hour, I enjoyed my first beer for three days, not quite up to the standard of the German lagers but still refreshing. Our cook excelled again in producing some wonderful French cuisine; starting with the usual large arrangement of cheeses and crackers, hot meats and vegetables, finishing with a tasting sweet. had another try at drinking the barge dry, I think they gave us too much lovely food to slow down my attempt.
Today is May Day, 1st May, we call it Labour Day, everyone has a holiday including the lock keepers so the barge is tied up, we all opted for a tour to Albi in the mini bus, travelling through some very lush farmlands, orchards and fields with summer crops just about ready for harvest. The first stop was Montauban, a medium sized town standing at the foot of the Bas-Quercy Hills, it is a centre for fruit trade, and during summer free samples are given away to visitors. . The local brick is a delicate pink and many of the old monuments are built with it making them very colourful for photography. Moving on, we passed through Gaillac, there was a fair there so we joined in, lots of local produce, jewellery, ornaments and clothes at great prices. Time for lunch our driver found a lovely spot by a river just outside the town, our cook had come along to set out the huge platters of delicious meats, cheeses and crusty breads. Panic struck the camp, the cook had forgotten the wine, so everything was on hold while the bus made a fast trip to buy some, returning with two bottles each, heh!! This only lunchtime?
Carrying on our tour we were now passing through wine growing areas, then our destination, Albi, a fortified town with a long history, its most famous painter son is Toulouse-Lautrec, the local museum there contains the best selection of his works. The cathedral is a remarkable example of a fortified religious building, a vast edifice of brick.
Our return was by a different route and took in much more wonderful scenery of vineyards, market gardening and orchards. Dinner was another masterpiece, the sweet was an unusual pear pie, or was it the red wine changing the flavour? Our little group finished off the evening with a few rounds of cards, a pleasant way to enjoy each other’s company.
Awoke to the sound of our engine and discovered the barge was already moving, a large section of the canal was to be closed next day so we needed to do a longer journey, the weather is rather cool and overcast but cosy inside watching the scenery, mature trees lined the canal and every now and then there was a colourful display of wild flowers lining the pathway, where many cyclists and joggers passed us by, as I said the barge travelled very slow. We stopped at a small village called Moissac, it had started to rain and the local markets were finished but we were able to explore the beautiful old 12th century church of De L’abbatiale, the inside is painted in different designed tile affects. Back on board the rain was getting heavier so I stayed in the saloon and enjoyed the abundance of vineyards, small villages and quaint little cottages that lined the canal. The barge finally tied up for the night, it was now raining heavily so our group decided on starting “happy hour” a little earlier, our cook obliged with an assortment of snacks to prepare us for a lovely quail meal cooked to perfection with a very tasty gravy, a chocolate mouse for sweets and lots of red wine. With very little exercise I developed some uncomfortable indigestion, I was out of tummy settlers so I spent a disturbing night.
The morning was still overcast so I decided to go into the nearby village and try for a digestive remedy, with many charades of my complaint no shopkeepers seem to understand my problem, they must have thought I was tasking a fit, finally a chemist smiled, hopefully understanding my dilemma and gave me some aniseed liquid, it worked almost immediately, what a relief! Still time to explore the lovely village, I never tire of the quaint cottages and the churches in the town centres. The barge chugged slowly on, though it had stopped raining it was still quite chilly, now we passed through an industrial area which spoilt the usual scenic vista of lush trees and flowers but that soon passed and it was time to tie up for a luncheon stop and a leg stretch. I found a very old villa hidden among the trees, worthy of some photography, then another small village and large church. Travelling on we passed over a large Aqua-duct, (the canal crosses over a river), amazing, who would have thought of doing that? then the slow process of passing through five locks, by this time it was close to happy hour so we tied up for the night., gorging ourselves on another delicious meal, by now I have slowed up on the complimentary wine, don’t think I have a chance to drink the barge dry..
Next morning our faithful little bus that has followed us all the way took us for a another scenic journey through some very picturesque countryside, orchards of peaches, apricots and much more grape vines, a small village dating back to the 12th century and a beautiful stone bridge, then a detour back to the barge for lunch, then back on the bus for a tour of Agen, the centre for exploring the Dordogne and the vineyards of the Bordeaux area. The winding narrow streets have many medieval houses, some combined into a museum. The cathedral is 11th century, quite a plain looking structure, there were some really old houses lining the river, built like a solid wall and jutting out over the water.
This evening is the last one of a wonderful relaxing barge holiday, the staff helped us celebrate and joined us in a wonderful farewell dinner, a huge variety of temptations to choose from, diet starts tomorrow, maybe.
I packed up my luggage, enjoyed a hearty breakfast, then Tim took us all to the railway station in Agen, I decided to join two of the American ladies on a side journey to the walled city of Carcassonne, before catching the train for my return trip to Germany for a cruise of the Rhine River.
Catching the train back to Toulouse we caught the express that passed close to Carcassonne, then a taxi to this fascinating town, serene and ageless, it lies in a vast hollow between the foothills of the Cevennes and Pyrenees, a historical wonder of France, with it’s centre surviving in, or lovingly restored to it’s pristine glory, as created between the 9th and 13th century. The massive walls, forts, keeps and storehouses give a vivid idea of what life was like in the troublesome dark ages. Ann, Betty and I explored the narrow cobbles streets; many quaint old houses have been converted into touristy shops. Soon it was time for me to depart on the next leg of my journey, just time for a farewell drink and I was back on an express train to Narbbone where there was a four hour wait for a connecting train to Basel in Switzerland. I left at the horrible hour of midnight; luckily to fill in the time I had the company of two English folk who were travelling on the same train. There were no spare seats so I had to be content in standing in the passageway, with my head against the window trying to sleep, a crazy idea so I just swallowed my pride and lay down on the floor to rest my legs. Time passes so slowly when you’re not having fun, sometime in the early hours the train stopped and a whole compartment left so I immediately took it over, pulled down the blinds and turned the lights out, stretching out on the seats I soon fell into a deep sleep, awaking with a start to notice daylight had arrived, I turned around and to my amazement there was a very dark skinned fellow with a crop of black curly hair sitting opposite me, I nodded and thought it was no use trying to have a conversation with him, I was also mad at myself for letting my guard down , having my face to the back of the seat, I could have ended up with a knife in my shoulder blades. After a while my fellow passenger said, use me, “do you speak English?” in an accent far more polished than mine. As it turned out my impression of him was soon altered when he told me he worked at his fathers Hotel in Morocco as an interpreter and was on his way to Norway for a skiing holiday. Arriving finally in Geneva after passing some very beautiful scenery of snow covered mountains, lush valleys and tiny villages.
At last my train journey was ended at Basel around 11 am, I felt a little shattered but needed to fill in the day till I can board the Rhine River cruise around 5 pm. After finding out which tram to take to the barge, I put my case in a station locker and ventured out to explore the city. There was a mixture of Swiss, German and French styles of buildings; I could hear a mixture of assorted languages. I managed to fill in the time with enjoying a delicious huge meal; the air was crisp so hot food was what I needed.
Time to join the Rhine Cruise, I booked in and was given my cabin number, I was told I needed to share with three other people. When I saw the size of the cabin I wondered how four people could possibly survive in such cramped space, besides I wasn’t very happy about having to sleep in close quarters with others. There was no sign that anyone else had been in the cabin, I had thoughts that it would be wonderful if no one turned up. After a well needed shower and change of clothes, there was a “welcome on board” by the crew serving some lovely wines and nibbles. I relaxed in the bar with a few great German beers, and then enjoyed a delicious evening meal. Before joining the passengers for entertainment in the main reception I took a look in my cabin to see if anyone had arrived, not a soul, great. maybe they were on board and hadn’t taken their luggage down yet. At this stage I decided to stop thinking about my sleeping conditions or my whole cruise would be ruined. After an enjoyable evening of entertainment I was pleased to retire to my cabin, (only me) I had booked a bus tour for next day. What happens the barge stops and you join the tour which takes you to places further along the river and then you get back on the barge,
After an agreeable breakfast I relaxed and took in all the wonderful scenery as the cruise slowly plied the busy river, passing many other barges, including ones used for carrying all sorts of merchandise, plus lots of small craft. The shores were dotted with lovely little towns, always a church steeple, lots of castles were scattered along the hillsides. It was the Captains Champagne party in the afternoon, Anna Marie, our hostess for the cruise called for all different countries to make themselves known, she gave a greeting to them all in their own language.
We docked at Mannheim, Europe’s second largest river port, I did a walking tour of the city but not a lot of beauty, called into a few quaint pubs and enjoyed the entertainment, I returned to the boat and joined the company of a group of American Tourist Agents, lots of laughs and a few Löwenbraü beers.
Next morning I was up early for exercisers on the top deck with Anna Marie, then while enjoying a hearty breakfast the boat was underway again. I settled for the rear of the boat to enjoy the abundance of castles along the hillsides surrounded with row upon row of grape vines. No sooner had I settled and it was time for lunch, a splendid spread, (wow, where am I putting all this lovely food). Late afternoon we docked at Köln (Cologne). I have already written about this city when I visited it with my friend Harry but now I can give a different account of the nightlife. Our Hostess Anna Marie, chose the American tourist agents, a Swiss chap and me to join her in a pub visit in the older quarters of the city. The entertainment changed from each place, lots of singing, dancing and there seemed to an endless Prost, (cheers) among the patrons. A most enjoyable night out, the beer was good also.
The morning session of fitness had already started when I reached the top deck; maybe I was a little hung over? Another hearty breakfast and it was back to admiring the passing scenery. We seemed to be into more open country now, with a rural flavour, this is my last day on board so I must take in as much of the beauty that surrounds me.
The cruise ended at Njmegan in Holland where I said goodbye to the many friends I made on this wonderful experience, you have a totally different outlook from travelling by bus or train. I caught a bus to the city of Amsterdam where I had started my European holiday with Harry; this took ages, as there was a large marathon in progress. Finally I made my way to the railway station where I caught a train to the Hook of Holland for an overnight ferry passage back to England. It was a smooth crossing, I found a comfy chair in the snooze lounger and surprisingly I managed a few hours sleep.
The Ferry docked at six a.m. I managed to catch a train to London, surprising how different the countryside differed from Europe, noticing fences and animals, road signs in English, plus everyone talking it. . Next was the underground train to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Kerry and Angela’s home. Great to see them again, it seems ages since I had first arrived in England. Kerry and I enjoyed a few nice beers at a local pub, then Angela joined us for a delicious Chinese meal.
Next morning while Kerry and Angela were at work I explored the area of Kilburn where they live, managed to confirm my on going flight to Singapore. and enjoy some good old-fashioned English shopping, checking out many streets of old mansions and terraced houses. I met Kerry after he finished work, he took me to a lovely Irish pub for a farewell drink which I was enjoying until he told me this pub had been blown up two years previous by the I.R.A., now I kept looking over my shoulder.
After collecting my suitcase and said my goodbyes I caught the underground train to stay with my friends, Keith and Juleen, Keith and I had worked together a few years ago and it will be great to catch up with him again.
I am now a confirmed expert at catching trains around London, Keith was at the station to meet me, the first thing to do back at his very nice, near new flat was to sample some huge 2.2 lt cans of beer, not bad, Juleen cooked a lovely roast dinner with all the trimmings, and lots of very nice wine. There were many years of things to talk about, the wine helping to remember some of the past happy times.
Morning in this very quiet urban area was quite a change, so after breakfast they took me for a drive into some lovely English countryside, down tree lined, narrow country lanes, small villages and always a pub or two which needed to be explored, they all seem to have individual charm, most with their own history. A favourite one I chose was beside a canal, the decor was rich and ornate, so was the Turkey pie and salad for lunch.
All too soon it was time to return and collect my luggage and get to the airport for my journey home. More goodbyes, not even a chance for a farewell drink at the airport as the bars there work the same rules as pubs, close at 3 pm and reopen at 5.30 pm. My Air N.Z. flight was to take me to Singapore via short stops at Zurich and Dubai in Arabia. There was a chance to buy duty free goods at Dubai, everything was so cheap, I had doubts if they were genuine, bottles of top grade spirits were as little as $7, gold and precious stones also had low price tags, I bought a lovely multi-coloured rug and a few trinkets.
On arrival at Singapore I managed to catch a bus into the city and soon found my pre-booked hotel, Ming Court, it was very warm after Europe, about 30 degs. C and high humidity. My beautifully decorated huge room at the hotel made up for the nights I tried to sleep standing up in trains. Now, the first thing I needed to do was find a tailor who had been recommended to me, this wasn’t hard to do, and I was soon being measured up for 10 assorted shirts, four pairs of dress trousers and a sports coat. This took a while to organise and it was closing time when all was completed, so the tailor and his nephew invited me to join them for a local meal and drinks in their favourite garden bar. This was a wonderful experience, tables were set out among huge trees, the lighting was mostly coloured lanterns, as I walked in I realised I was the only non Asian there, the conversation stopped and everyone stared at me, my friends soon found a seat for us and ordered drinks, then they explained to the people around us I was their invited guest, suddenly the mood changes and everyone was happy again. The beer arrives in huge bottles, a mere trifle of the normal tourist price. The wonderful meal was a mix of many continental dishes, which I enjoyed immensely. After consuming far too much food and drink my friends took me on a late tourist walk around some of the attraction, like the huge white lions/fish with water gushing from their mouth as a centrepiece of a colourful fountain. The city is so clean, and feels safe as there are many families walking around enjoying the cool of the night. I said goodbye to my new friends and caught a taxi back to my luxury bedroom.
I was woken with my phone ringing, it was Air N.Z, telling me my homeward flight has been confirmed and gave me my seat number, this has never happened to me before, there was a sales pitch though, asking me if I would like them to send a limousine to collect me and take me to a reputable shopping complex recommended by the airline, if only they new I was nearly out of funds, anyway I decided to check it out. There were some very good bargains; I did need a new watch, some toys for the grandkids, plus a beautiful gold dipped Singapore orchid brooch for mother.
President Shears of Singapore died and as a respect to him all shops and transport was closed for the afternoon so people could pay their respects to him at the Istana, (residence), where he was lying in state. There was only one way to get around now and that was my two legs so I walked the full length of Orchard Road and back to the lion memorial again and admired the beautiful gardens. The humidity was very high and exertion doesn’t help but I was keen to see all I could, besides I had worked up a giant thirst and deserved some nice cold bottles of Anchor beer.
After a good nights sleep I was keen to get out for more sight seeing, first though was a stop of at the tailors for a fitting, everything looked great, I will be a very smart gentleman all dressed up in my new clothes. I discovered the older part of the city, a huge contrast to the high-rise buildings of downtown. Also the famous and historical Raffles hotel, originally built in 1887, added to many times and completely renovated on around 1980”s. It was taken over by the Japanese during the occupation in World War 11 and used as a transit camp for prisoners of war. It is a very elegant old lady and is still known for its equally famous drink, “ Singapore Sling”. Still some time left so I made my way to the botanical gardens, a cooling change from the concrete jungle. Covering many acres of beautiful lush gardens in full colour, many huge glasshouses of thousands of Singapore Orchids, there is a definite influence in English style pavilions and kiosk’s. I was delayed for a while by a tropical downpour, it was very heavy and soon flooded everywhere, and just as quickly it turned out sunny again and all the water disappeared .The humidity was even greater so it was back to the hotel for me to enjoy the air conditioning and a cool beer.
After a cool shower I lay on the bed for a rest while outside the sun was shining and it would still be very hot. I awake with a start as the doorbell was ringing, a reminder that I had two hours to vacate my room, What! I looked at my watch and it was 10 am , the sun was still shining, but it was next morning, I had slept about fourteen hours, I was told that was because I spent so much time in the severe heat and humidity. Now I needed to pack my bag and quickly go and collect my made to measure clothes and head for the airport. After all the rushing around I was informed there was a delay with my flight, cancelled till next morning, all the passengers were booked into an hotel at the airport at Air N.Z’s expense, served a lovely meal and had an early morning call to go back to the Airport which was utter chaos, rebooking was a marathon task as thousands of people of all nations clambered to find their queues for respective planes, I was told that was usual in this airport but a new ultra modern airport was nearly finished
So ends another wonderful holiday of about five weeks, experiencing many exciting adventures, broadening my knowledge of many countries, eating all sorts of different foods and admiring some most beautiful scenery and many styles of buildings, plus learning lots of history and customs.
Till my next venture, I have enjoyed re-writing this story from my diary, adding more detail and also reliving the whole vacation once again.
Take care
JIM
