Middle Eastern Meanders!

 Ready again for another adventure! This time with a Middle Eastern flavour!

First stop, a city steeped in spirituality and legend; Jerusalem. Here, we will immerse in a tapestry of diverse culture and religion. We will visit The Wailing wall ,The Temple Mount and the 'way of sorrow' in the 'Old City'. With morning prayers out of the way, we hope to gain a taste of modern day, with a stroll through the neighbourhood.  Check out the 'Hamiffal' and  maybe grab a beer at the Machane Yehuda market. Our tour will take us for a drive out to the cliff -top 'Fortress of Masada' and then down to the shores of the Dead Sea!  What is a visit to the holy land without a search for Baby Jesus?. The plan is to pop into the stable in Bethlehem and catch up. Then on to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. Added extras include the Templar tunnels, Hisham's Palace, Mary's well and the Mount of olives.

                           

Shalom!

We will depart Tel Aviv for the Spanish town of Malaga for a couple of days R & R and then rock on to Gibraltar., where we will catch at plane over to our next Middle Eastern experience.


Salaam Aleikum!
Our Journey begins in Casablanca, where we will soak up the ambience of this famous city for a couple of days before heading to the historical town of Rabat and pay homage at the tomb of Moulay Idriss 1.
Moving forward, we will find ourselves stepping back into the middle ages in Fes, where we will visit craftsmen, markets, tanneries and mosques. Looking forward to watching the sunset over the Medina whilst listening to the 'call to prayer'.
Onto a  more rural setting, we will visit the 'blue city'/ Chefchaouen, which is set in a wide valley between the 2 peaks of the Rif Mountains. Then on to the coastal town of Tangier (gateway to Africa).
What's the Buzz? Marrakesh is a feast for the senses, a hive of activity; Street performers, storytellers, and food vendors loaded with Moroccan delicacies, all converge on the main square. Supposedly, a sight not to be missed!
Up  to the Atlas Mountains, village of Imlil and a trek up to Aroumd to explore the  lifestyle of the traditional villagers. Overnight homestay and a couple more hikes around the local area.
Journey on south toward the Sahara, where we will ride a camel  before camping out under the stars. Travel on to the towns; Taroudannt and Essaouira, before heading back to Marrakesh and the end of the tour.

                 




It is not over until it is over! 10 days in London Town before back to reality!

A pilgrim's life!

Bonjour,

A pilgrim's life is not an easy one! Even before reaching the starting line at Saint Jean Pied de Port, the tests begin.

Unlike Dr Who in his tardis, it has taken us 30 hours to teleport from Cairns to Paris including a pitstop in Hong Kong on the way. Battle fatigue is not an adequate description of how we are feeling at present.

We arrived in Heathrow, London in time for a beautiful sunrise. Feeling sleepy, we anticipated a relaxing couple of hours waiting for our flight to Paris.  The Pilgrim God , however had other ideas. After a trip to the bathroom, Lea realised that she came out without the document wallet containing passports, tickets and money. She retraced her steps within a minute, only to find the wallet gone. 

With sinking hearts, we began to think that maybe our journey would be over before it really began....... Hallelujah, faith restored in mankind. Patron Saint of travellers came good. Documents were handed into security!

After a runway journey longer than the flight, we have arrived in Paris. Only 4 hour transit until we board the train to Bayonne! All going well we should arrive about 11pm making the trip over a grand total of 46 hours!

                 Good morning Heathrow!
       

Lights of London!

Charles De Gaulle Railway!

Grog Blog: Drinking Around the World - Great Britain

The thud of darts striking the board, the screams of 180!, the cacophony of the black being re-spotted and the Craic being shared are elements that make up the Pub Culture of Great Britain.  Immersing oneself in this culture is a must for any traveller and once you get over the notion of your beverage being served at room temperature and that the pork scratching still needs a wax, then its time to buy a round and converse with the locals.

Its important to note that beer culture in Britain is as much about the culture of cask ale and the pub as it is the beer itself, and also the banter and the story telling. For instance, A Scotsman, an Englishman and an Irishman are sitting in a bar in Aberdeen reminiscing about their local. "Back in me pub in Glasgow," brags the Scotsman, "fer every four pints of McEwans I order, they give me one fer free!" "In me pub in London," says the Englishman,"I pay fer two pint's o' Newcastle Brown Ale and they give me a third one free!""That's nuthin'" says the Irishman, "Im my pub back in Dublin, you walk up to the bar, they give the first pint fer free, the second pint fer free, the third pint fer free -- and then they take you upstairs and you have sex for FREE!" "Is that true?" asks the Scotsman. "Has that really happened to you?"  "Well, no," says the Irishman, "but it happens to me sister all the time!   

Some basic Pub etiquette you will get you a long way at the local.  For instance, there is no waiter service so you will need to get active and navigate yourself to the bar.  Have your money ready and visible so that it can grab the  bar staff's attention. If your drinking with a group and the shout of it's your round goes up you are responsible to get the drinks and pay for them.  Don't order a Kilkenny or Guinness last as it requires at least three pours and is time consuming.  If drinking in Scotland, don't ask any of the punters or bar staff what part of England they are from. Don't order a Guinness and a Potato and tell the bar staff that you are having a two course meal and don't pass out in the snow on the way back from the local as hypothermia and frost bite certainly will put a dampener on your travels.

One needs to have an understanding that a man's pint is his kingdom and nothing and we mean nothing will get in the way of finishing that pint.  On our travels we have witnessed this first hand on many an occasion.  At the Ship and Shovel in Vievers St  London we consumed a number of Pints and ate some dodgy pork scratchings. (Yes pig hairs were still attached)  and witnessed a man resembling a walking corpse shit himself at the bar, as a result of what seemed to be a TIA (a minor stroke).  There was no way that a minor stroke was going to get in the way of him finishing that pint. And as the paramedics arrived to attend to him and with beer dribbling down his paralysed face and faecal matter oozing to form a pool near the bar he grabbed his pint, raised it in the air and downed it to the cheers of all the locals.  He was last seen laying on the ambulance stretcher with his pint glass still raised to the heavens.

Enjoy the unique pub culture of Britain, enjoy the company, offer to buy a round for a local, and sit back an join in the Craic but most of all feel like a local for a while rather than a traveller.

Reminiscence! London calling!

Old London Town stands of the banks of the River Thames and has been a major settlement for two millenia. It has an amazing history dating back to Roman times, who named it Londinium. From the Anglo-saxon era to the Viking invasions, to the battle of Hastings and the infamous Tudor period; London certainly is a history buffs paradise.

London today is a leading global city, adding quality arts, entertainment, fashion and tourism to the mix. Here are some useful tips.

1. Purchase an Oyster prepaid travel card  on line before hand. This card works in the same principal as Brisbane's Go card.  Certainly was great to just jump on the tube straight from Heathrow airport to the heart of London.

2. We also purchased a London pass on line before hand. This pass allows you free entry into over 60 top attractions and tours. 1,2,3 or 6 day passes available. A 3 day pass cost us 81 pounds each.Great savings when you consider the average entry fee is 18 pounds for each attraction.

3. Leicester Square "TKTS" theatre ticket booth sells  last minute, theatre show tickets at a discounted price. Just check out the board out front displaying what is shows are for sale. Tickets for that day or next day only. 

4. We stayed in an apartment just around the corner from Trafalagar Square. Very Central, could walk all around London easily and savour life in a big city. It was also lovely to have a bit of space after a couple of weeks of compounds and mountain climbing. We could wash our clothes and cook a simple meal.

5. Our top must dos!

Visit West Minister Abbey.

Climb to the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.

Cruise on the Thames.

See a West End Theatre show.

Spend an afternoon in a local pub.

Guest blogger! Highlights at Highgate!

This month's guest blogger is long time friend from Frankston days! Michelle Long.

Highlights at Highgate!

One of the best things on my London trip was my visit to Highgate Cemetery. I’ve always wanted to go there, and made a concerted effort to get there on my very last day. I had to check out of my hotel and had the whole day to fill in before going to the airport in the evening. Off I set!

The history of this place is quite unusual, but basically, in 1832 a Bill was passed in London allowing the creation of private cemeteries in the greater London area, to alleviate overcrowding in the inner city’s parish cemeteries. In the 10 years following this bill, 7 private cemeteries were created, known as the Magnificent Seven. Highgate was one of these, opening in 1839 with an initial 17 acres (15 acres for Church of England burials, and 2 acres for dissenters!). A further 20 acres was purchased and opened as the East cemetery, 20 years later, with the original (older) part becoming the West cemetery.

The topography/views around Highgate, and the snobbish mentality of wanting to be interred in a place seen as exclusive, meant that wealthy Victorians rushed to be buried here, hence some pretty awesome graves and tombs – the architecture of some of it is amazing, a bit spooky sometimes and completely fascinating. The most spectacular area is the Egyptian Avenue and Circle of Lebanon, built up around a 300 year old Lebanese Cedar tree. Even in decay, this archway/tunnel and circle of massive tombs is so impressive, and must have been unbelievably stunning in its heyday.

There are many famous people buried here, with the most visited grave being that of Karl Marx, in the East cemetery. The guides also tell many quirky stories about people lesser known to us, but who were famous at the time or who just have fascinating backgrounds.

By the 1930s the cemetery was in decline and it was eventually “sold” to the local council for a token amount and taken over by volunteers in 1975. It is heritage listed (grade 1) and a balance is tried to be maintained between upkeep/restoration of the graves (a constant battle – I saw headstones even from within the last 10 years, that were seriously wonky and tilting – the ground is very soft and wet underneath), safety for visitors, respect for the original purpose (and inhabitants!), access for families of those buried, and keeping it’s unique fascination/gothic decay/attraction to tourists.

Something I thought funny, was that in the 1970s when money was really needed, in desperation one section of land in the West was sold off as real estate. Hence over near the dissenters’ section there are a couple of huge, modern, very ugly, houses that literally have their homes on the edge of the cemetery – with big glass windows and balconies hanging over the graves! They really look awful and spoil the look of the edge of the cemetery, but what a great place to live, looking out over all those graves and green ivy every day. Maybe I am a bit strange (well, yes I know I am) but I would love ....

You can still be buried here (although there isn’t much room left – there are 170,000 interments in 53,000 graves), it costs from about £1,000 (ashes in an urn, in a wall, for a 50 year period) to £37,000 (burial in a prime front row spot!). I was really surprised at these prices – I thought it would be a lot more, especially as the cemetery is seriously in need of funds to maintain it. Because it is not a government concern, the cemetery is run by volunteers and the only income is from donations/entry fees/guided tours (currently £4 for East side, or £12 for East side/West tour). The main reason, I was told, for not allowing general access to the West cemetery unaccompanied, is for safety reasons – which I do understand as there is a LOT of subsidence in/around the graves, and it is often wet, slippery and muddy as well. At the same time, it was a bit frustrating not to be able to wander at will and do some serious exploration (get lost in a graveyard, yay!!). The tours (which are limited to 12 people and take an hour) don’t cover everywhere – not enough time – so each guide decides where he/she will go and they mix it up – I need to go back and do another tour to see different graves.

If any of you have read Tracy Chevalier’s Falling Angels novel, it is set in and around Highgate Cemetery, and mentions many of the graves/tombs/features there.

Happy ghost hunting!
Chelle.