HONG KONG - TUESDAY

Having heard from Alan and Angela (our son-in-law's aunt and uncle) late on Monday night that they would meet us for lunch, this became our focus for the day. So we  had a late breakfast and cruised the shops looking for some gift ideas and now with a view to find someone to make a suit for Glenys. We were amazed at how different the local area looks in the morning to the way it appears in the evening when the markets are open till late and the neon signs are blazing.

We were delighted to catch up with Alan, Angela and even more so to discover that their daughter, Anna and grandson Brian (the star page boy at Rachel and David's wedding) were also having yum cha with us. They call lunch "Dim Sum" which is the total package "Yum Cha" is about drinking tea, which by the way, helps the digestion we are told. Either way the meal was delicious and we were very full - "up to pussy's bow".

After lunch we made our way via the tube (MTR) to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) where the public pier is located and of course lots more shops. We left Alan and co. there and enjoyed a harbour cruise on the Aqua Luna which is an old wooden Chinese boat with a modern diesel engine under the deck these days. It was pleasant weather though a little hazy, we suspect this might be the case weatherwise most of the time. It was a good opportunity to take a few harbour photos.

The Aqua Luna on Hong Kong harbour

The rest of the day we spent enjoying the shops and organising for Glenys to be fitted with her new suit.  We returned to the hotel in the early evening and after a refreshing cuppa we made one final assault on the Ladies Market at Mong Kok (nearby). We hardly needed any food but Ray tackled a bag of octopus fried and we both enjoyed an ice-cream before turning in the for the night.

Our last full day in Hong Kong. Tomorrow we pack and head for the airport and home.

HONG KONG - Monday

Sunday went in a blur. We spent most of the day in the air and lost time as we traversed the continent of Asia. We enjoyed our first flight on an A380 from London to Dubai. We arrived in Hong Kong around  10pm and finally checked into the Stanford Hotel just before midnight. We needed a good shower and a long sleep - our wish was granted.

We have had lots of great advice about making the most of the time in Hong Kong - our grateful thanks to all who have contributed ideas.  We had fun on the subway (MTR), the Ferry to Hong Kong Island and the tram to the Peak.  What a great view from the top of Hong Kong island. We had lunch at a Chinese Restaurant looking out across the harbour, through the rain.

We are staying in Mong Kok - not far from the area that daily becomes the "Ladies Market". We ended our day browsing the stalls but encountered a tropical thunderstorm and spent much time dodging the rain and puddles. This storm eventually drove us into a local restaurant for a very nice dinner while the rain eased - only slightly.

There were lots of highlights in the day - the great lunch at the Peak, discovery of Hong Kong Park - a real gem - and meeting the Dean elect on our visit to the Cathedral - to name a few.

When we eventually gave up shopping in the street market - by chance - we discovered we were only minutes away from our hotel and a hot powerful shower .. bliss!

WINDSOR & HEATHROW - Saturday

Steve booked a "Zip'  car from midday - so we had time to do the Friday blog whilst still humming the great songs from "Matilda".

Windsor is not far from Chiswick so we were soon roaming the historical and famous village/city - among the myriad of tourists and looking for an English style pub for a traditional lunch (the quid pro quo - our shout, S & E are paying for the car).

We settled into the "Duchess of Cambridge" pub, very nice too!  We picked a busy scene opposite the castle - lunch took a while.  Our main target for the day was to visit the castle - there's much to see: St George's Chapel, 22 State Rooms, the surrounds and gardens just to mention a few things. We did the Chapel visit and were interested to hear that Evensong was at 5-15pm. We agreed this was do-able, but Steve would have to extend the car time - so easy via his Iphone - what a wiz!

We visited some of the State rooms - a bit rushed and perhaps they are better seen with the use of the audio tour ... next time.

We attended the beautiful regular Saturday Evensong with Choir Chapel Service and our "tech" guides advised us that it was already Sunday in Australia. This was good news given we will be in the air for much of the next 16-18 hours as we head to Hong Kong via Dubai, with a couple of hours in the UAE.

Steve and Eryn dropped us at Heathrow about 7 pm - we were sad to leave them they have been great hosts and we know we will miss them and their lively company - both in coming days and until we catch up with them again.

They are soon to relocate to an apartment closer to central London in the suburb of Hammersmith.

For Ray & Glenys we look forward to seeing Hong Kong for the first time and enjoying the last days of our leave.

LONDON-GREENWICH - Friday September 21

Another day back in London - easy start and more writing and blogging, we hope our readers are enjoying it. (Nearly 2000 page views - somebody is looking!)

We set off for Greenwich - base for Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and The Observatory - with the "mean-time line".  We stood each side of the line and were photographed by some very nice Americans and vice versa (yes we are nice Aussies!).

Half a world apart at Greenwich

The Observatory is a lesson in clocks, time and in the way the British conquered "the longitude puzzle". Well done to the Rev John Flamsteed who spent all his time at the telescope - hardly ever visited his parish in Surrey - oh well, I'm sure they were proud of him (and they could choose their own hymns?)

We had a lovely lunch at "The King's Arms" in the centre of the Village and then visited St Alfege's Church. What a delightful surprise. So much history in that parish: Henry VIII baptised there, many of the great sea-farers worshipped there including Captain Cook. Thomas Tallis was the one time parish organist.

We had a quick visit to the National Maritime Museum - another terrific free British Museum. There was so much to see and we only had a few minutes before they closed at 5pm.

We went back to St Alfege's to sketch for a few minutes and then caught the fast ferry back to the Embankment. We had enjoyed the river ferry so much on the way out that we decided to return the same way.

This must be London:  the return from Greenwich

However, time got away, it started to rain, it was suddenly dark and we were supposed to meet Steve & Eryn at Cambridge Theatre in the West End for pre-show drinks - we had tickets to see Matilda (a second time for S&E).  After a few moments of wondering if we could find each other we eventually made the rendezvous and enjoyed antipasto and wine.

The show was fantastic - based on the Roald Dahl book - it was witty, clever and so entertaining. The kids who perform in it are fantastic and Tim Minchin's musical score is great. We loved it and feel inclined to re-read the book.

Don't miss this show when it comes to Melbourne

The trip home via the tube was quick but we enjoyed the walk through London Theatre district at 10:30pm on Friday night - so vibrant.

Tomorrow we begin our homeward bound journey. But not until late - we plan a trip to Windsor in the afternoon and the kids will drop us at Heathrow on the way back to Chiswick Park. Next blog might be in a few days.

PARIS Musee, Orangerie and the Tuileries - Thursday

Having arranged for a late check out in readiness for our 5:43pm trip back to London on Eurostar, we had virtually another full day in Paris.

We decided to visit Musee Orangerie, at the Tuileries. After some indecision about form of transport - Metro or bus - we opted for the latter. A good decision as above ground you get to see the sights of Paris. What a beautiful, organised and busy city it is.

The exhibition features Monet's momentous paintings "The Nympheos" or Waterlilies and painted on a colossal scale towards the end of his life. These paintings fill two very large oval shaped rooms that are naturally lit. Monet hoped that these works would help the viewer have peace in their life. The lower level of the gallery features an array of works by the top Impressionists of the late 19th Century and early 20th century:  Renoir, Picasso, Mogliano, Deslain, Gaugin and others. We loved this exhibition and we left inspired to paint something ourselves.

The Louvre and the Tuileries:  this must be Paris!

We managed to find a ham roll (jambon baguette) Glen's desire, and chicken for Ray and then sat eating and sketching in a shaded place in the gardens overlooking the Louvre.

Time to do a little city window shopping and then back to Gare du Nord to collect our luggage, immigration and passport check.

We couldn't leave Paris however, without a Nutella Crepe - yum!

We have just two days now in London then homeward bound.

MONT ST MICHEL - Wednesday 19 September

We were picked up outside our Hotel at 6:30am by the "Paris Vision" travel company and taken to the depot on Rue Villiers (St Joan of Arc's statue) to begin our journey to Mont St Michel. The coach was almost full - very comfortable. We had two guides and two drivers - a sign of a full day. The commentary was delightful - our guide spoke English and Italian (on the bus); we later learned he had another 3 languages up his sleeve and the other guide Japanese.

The explanation of the history of Normandy from the 10th Century to World War II took a fair chunk of the time on our journey (repeated in 3 languages). We learned a lot and it was good also to have a French perspective on history, especially the Battle of Hastings.

We caught sight eventually of the Mont some miles away - it is mysterious and amazing. We had to cool our walking shoes as the bus load enjoyed a very pleasant lunch (part of the tour) in a restaurant with a panoramic view of the mountain/island.

Magical Mont Saint Michel

The guide provided us with audio headsets and so proceeded to take us on a wonderful exploration of buildings - predominantly a medieval Benedictine monastery - built to house monks and nuns and a vast array of their activities - chapels, the main church, but also halls, refectory, scriptorium, hospital and guest accommodation, a courtyard with cloister, pulley room for hauling heavy loads up the steep precipice.

Cloister at Mont Saint Michel

Like other incredible monastic sites (Meteora and Montserrat to name a couple) you wonder at the energy and the expertise involved in creating these buildings.

Mont St Michel has no great claims - theologically or spiritually. It does not seem to have given rise to any great church figures - yet it is incredibly appealing. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of tourists on the mount and it's probably like that every day. Naturally, the souvenir and gift shops do a roaring trade as you snake your way back down the hill to catch the shuttle on time. Then begins the long trip back to Paris - we were back at Hotel Maubeuge by 10pm; a quick hot chocolate and off to bed - what a wonderful day!

PARIS - Tuesday 18 September

Leaving London on the 9:17am Eurostar meant we were up and about at Chiswick quite early.

Our early start was rewarded with a large chunk of the day in Paris. Staying near the Gare du Nord and not so far from Montmartre we soon gravitated to the mount famous for Sacre Coeur and many artists.

The Artist in Montmartre

We visited Musee Montmartre and an exhibit that joined more dots, "Chat Noir", the symbol for much of the republican protest that came to a head in the storming of the Bastille. The other dot was attending the performance of Les Miserables at West End last week.

We had lunch and dinner on the mount - spending our time watching artists at work and the crowds going by. We were captivated by an acrobatic street performer who balanced a soccer ball  on his feet and juggled it while performing all sorts of feats high up at the top of a lamp post at the top of the very high stairs on the hill of Sacre Coeur.

We have another early morning start and long journey tomorrow - so we returned to Hotel Maubeuge and try to get some sleep with the background noise of a busy city just outside our window.

Kew Gardens - Monday 17th September

After our brilliant weekend in York we are able to regroup - do some washing, blogging, organising - so a slow start for us, meanwhile Steve & Eryn are off to work bright and early.

We promised to organise the evening meal after our day out. Around midday we were on our way to Kew Gardens - just a few train stops away from Chiswick Park.

Naturally, it is set in a leafy and beautiful neighbourhood - or should that be the other way round?  We spent the day strolling in the gardens, the hothouses, among the tall trees and the expansive meadows. The gardens have a variety of interesting buildings - the Palace, a Japanese Pagoda, Galleries and then there are lakes and fountains and little bridges - the local fauna mingles with the tourists. The pigeons invade all the lunch places of course.  We spent some of the day painting a picture or two and enjoyed the space and fresh air.

By the time we left and organised the short train ride home we were running late for the promised dinner we were to prepare.  Nevertheless, a quick whiz around the local Sainsbury's and we were stocked up with supplies and able to provide a three course meal - with nibbles and drinks as a warm up.

Tomorrow is an early start and we need to get out of the apartment without disturbing the residents - we'll see how that goes!

York Weekend

Replete with a full English breakfast we headed for the old city a short walk away, through the gate of the walled city. We watched a highland band and dancers, strolled through the market, ambled through the Shambles and then made our way to the Jorvik Centre. We had been here with our kids back in 1990 - it has been completely revamped but it still seems to have maintained one of its claims to fame - the experience of the smells of medieval life in York. Its a worthwhile and enjoyable tourist attraction.

What a Shambles!

Finding our way through the ancient streets to the River Ouse we boarded the River Cruise boat an enjoyable and relaxing experience in brilliant warm sunshine. A lot of people seemed to be out and about enjoying the balmy Saturday afternoon in York.

Afternoon tea was taken back on shore at the Ouse Bridge Cafe which included a very strange scone that we shared. Ray captured the view of the Bridge with a quick watercolour. We climbed Clifford's Tower a York landmark with a fabulous view of the city then we made our way back to Saxon House B&B to prepare for dinner.

Steve had done some research and booked a most typical and highly recommended English Pub in the centre of York and we enjoyed a delicious evening meal together discovering white onion and parmesan cheese soup which we all vowed to Google the recipe for on our return.

After dinner, Saturday night

Sunday morning after another big breakfast we made our way across the old city to the Minster for the 10am Eucharist. What a spectacular Cathedral matched by superb music with full choir, organ stops all out and quality liturgy. We joined the congregation for coffee in the Chapter House after the service and here we received news from daughter, Rachel, in Australia that our little dog, Lucy, was ill and had been taken to Lort Smith Animal Hospital and was on oxygen with little prospect of survival. We agreed to have her put out of her misery - RIP Lucy.

We climbed and commenced walking the Old City Walls while the bells of York Minster continued to peal and we thought of them as pealing for our Lucy.

The walk along the walls continued - and a great experience it is. Eventually we arrived at the York Art Gallery where we discovered some fine exhibits and then we gravitated to the Hole in the Wall Pub for the typical Sunday roast with Yorkshire Pudding!

The afternoon brought with it more walking on the walls and a visit to the National Train Museum adjacent to the Railway Station and our point of departure from York back to London.

What a wonderful weekend! Especially in the company of Steve and Eryn.

British Museum & York

We carefully arranged to meet Steve & Eryn at King's Cross Station at 5.30 pm after visiting the British Museum for the day. We left our borrowed suitcase at the Museum Cloakroom and spent the day fascinated by the immense array of items, only scratching the surface. There are many highlights and in the wake of being in Turkey and Greece found we were joining many dots together.

British Museum

 We had lunch at a nearby pub, the Plough, but there was no ploughman's lunch on the menu. Not to worry after an enjoyable meal we discovered a superb private art gallery nearby and spent some pleasant time there. Then it was back to the Museum until it was time to make our way to the Station to meet up with Steve and Eryn in good time for our reservation on the York train.

However Steve immediately noticed that the suitcase we were wheeling was not the one he had loaned us and a quick search inside revealed the horrible truth. The Cloakroom at the Museum had given us the wrong one!  To cut a long story short after a taxi dash and swap we still missed our train to York. Thanks to the kindness of British Rail we did get standing room on a later train. We thought about our comfy empty seats on the earlier train and the British Museum now has received appropriate written feedback!

Most of this tribulation was quickly forgotten when we arrived at our B&B Saxon House in York. We had a pleasant pub meal over the road and prepared for a couple of days exploring this ancient city.

London continued The Parks

Thursday and it was time to soak up the brilliant sunshine and enjoy the parks, Green Park, St James's Park (Why do they spell it like that?) and Hyde Park. On the way we visited Buckingham Palace.

We were among many hundreds of people walking along the banks of the Serpentine and taking in the sights and smells of the flora and fauna. It's great fun just observing people, the bird life, which includes swans, ducks, geese, the squirrels and people with every imaginable breed of dog. We got as far as the Serpentine Bridge, stopped for morning tea and then each of us painted a watercolour of the bridge. Then after more strolling along the Princess Diana Memorial Walk we had lunch at the Lido Restaurant on the banks of the Serpentine at a lovely outdoor table and Ray produced another watercolour painting to capture the moment.

By mid afternoon it was time to head for Chiswick Park visiting Harrods at Knightsbridge on the way but we shopped at Sainsbury's at Chiswick not far from Steve and Eryn's house.  We were under careful instructions from the youngsters about preparation of the evening meal which we diced to perfection and then left it to the cordon bleu chefs to cook up a treat. A relaxing night as we prepare for York this weekend.

Next post hopefully Monday.

London continued - Lord's & the West End - Wednesday 12 September

Steve took the day off work to accompany us to Lord's Cricket Ground. We arrived for the 10am tour. Immediately it became clear that Aussie's were going to feature often in the guide's commentary - and in our tour group clearly Aussie's were dominant including ourselves. Starting with the actual Ashes Urn and the crystal Ashes trophy we were reminded that the Ashes are presently in England's possession.

Ray and Steve at Lord's

We visited the visiting players change rooms and the balcony (Shane Warne once made news from), the long room, bar and committee room. Then via the stands we visited the newer ultra modern architecture of the media  centre. At the end of the Tour Eryn was able to join us for lunch in the Lord's Tavern (as she works in the area).

Also in the area is Abbey Road and the famous pedestrian crossing. Of course we were not the only  tourists there with the same photographic composition in mind. (The traffic on Abbey Road must be driven crazy every day here!).

Back on the ever reliable train system and into Piccadilly. Here we purchased tickets for "Les Miserables" for this evening and "Matilda" for next Friday week. Then strolling the streets of London to Covent Garden Market where we spent time watching street performers, eating icecream and browsing the shops. Wandering on to Trafalgar Square then to Liberty Tudor style shop filled the rest of the afternoon.

The crowd at Covent Garden Market watching a street performer

It was almost showtime when Eryn joined us for the performance of "Les Mis" - no-one was disappointed - the production and music is fabulous and seeing it for a second time only  resulted in loving the musical more than ever - for the story and for the the music.

We happily chattered all the way home around 11pm on an amazingly busy rail network even at that hour of the day.

Ray & Glen in London - Postscript

Steve Smith was booked on the same flight to London and Rebecca and Tig managed to change their booking to also board the same flight. Arrival at Heathrow saw us all go off on our separate ways and as we emerged from baggage and customs a series of text messages ensued between us and our son Steve.  Eventually we reunited at Acton Park Station and traelled on to Chiswick to settle in at Steve and Eryn's apartment and for dinner.

Tuesday 11th September
We jumped on the tube for Westminster. On recommmendation of others we went to visit the War Rooms and Churchill Museum. On entering we were told that the tour was approx. 2 hours and provided with audio equipment, thinking we might not need all that time.  As it turned out we had been there 2.5 hours and had not noticed the time passing.

Not only is this an experience of seeing and being in the centre of the site of operations of Churchill's Government during WW II - set up exactly as it was then with the map rooms, the 1940's technology, and the offices of high ranking officials with a bed in the corner - but also this incorporates the Churchill Museum.  All of this is a relatively new tourist attraction in London and totally absorbing.

When we emerged we had two more visits on the day's agenda still to do. Firstly we visited "Wippells" behind Westminster Abbey to make some enquiries regarding clergy apparel - they are the specialists. Then a couple of quick tube trips and changes we visited Southwark Cathedral. Found here is a monument to William Shakespeare apparently he attended church here).  Of course this turns out to be yet another of England's beautiful Cathedrals with a backdrop of statues behind the high altar and an ambulatory with several chapels behind it. Much to our delight the organist was practising.

More tube trips found us at the BBC Media building for Steve to show us his workplace. Amid rows and rows of staff with Apple Macs are little meeting spaces and meeting rooms dotted around te building - often the meeting room is themed for instance one nears Steve is the "Dr Who Meeting Room' and houses some of the original props (including the blue telephone box) from the TV series.  Returning back to Chiswick for dinner at the local "Swan" pub was a great finish to the day.

The Cruise: Patmos, Santorini & Athens

Having boarded the Louis Olympia (Cruise Ship) at Kusadasi during the morning we gathered in the Can Can Room after settling in to hear a safety talk and long explanation of possible land excursions over the next two days.  Most of us were keen to get into the pool on the top deck and have some lunch before scrubbing up for a Eucharist which was celebrated in "Blake's Bar". It was a short service but an absolute highlight with the Philippino bar steward joining us for communion.

Gathering as a group we boarded the tender boat which took us to the magnificent island of Patmos. The place where St John was exiled for 2 years late in his life and here he wrote the book of Revelation. We were met by Vera a local tour guide who accompanied us first to the cave were John spent most of his time on the island using it as a chapel and dictating the last book of the New Testament to his scribe.
From there a short bus trip winding up the mountain to the Monastery which is still active with about 10 Monks in residence.  The church here is typically arrayed in frescoes and icons, rich in symbolism. Our guide Vera had strong theological opinions about the Greek Orthodox faith, a huge knowledge of the Book of Revelation and she made a lot of sense. Her overarching thesis was that unity in the church should be our great aim. Our two tour priests, Ray and Ron, agreed with both her thesis and her desire for unity as being the basic message of John's writing.

Thira, high up on Santorini

We returned to the cruise ship and prepared for a formal dinner in the Seven Seas Restaurant. As we slept rocking gently on the Aegean Sea the ship made its way to the spectacular island of Santorini.
Steve Smith opted to do the all island tour in the morning, the rest of the group were led by Georgina, a local guide, on a fabulous tour of the historic archeological site of Akratira. The excavation of this site was commenced in 1967 and is thought to have uncovered just 3% of the ancient city. Nevertheless the dig is massive covering probably the size of a football field and all under cover and viewed via elevated boardwalks. The society  that had developed this very impressive city seems to have been destroyed and wiped out with a volcanic eruption 4000 years ago! Like Pompei evidence of what was happening on the day of the eruption is everywhere except there is no sign of human life as yet. The mystery is where did the inhabitants all go.

We said goodbye to Ron and Gay who had arranged to stay on the island for a few more days. The rest of the group made the most of a free afternoon on this sundrenched Greek Island.  Shopping, eating, exploring or returning to the ship (again by tender boat). The main village of Thira is accessed mostly by a very steep cable car or 500+ steps walking or donkey taxi. It was a beautiful day but perhaps they mostly all are on this very special island.

After returning to the ship in our own time we gathered together at Seven Seas Restaurant for "The last Supper" - our final dinner as a group. Tomorrow we will be leaving the ship at a very early hour.

Our five Pharmacists raise their glasses

Arriving at Athens in the early hours all disembarked and we were met by Katerina from Mission Travel Greece. The bus took us to a street where we could stroll some distance alongside the  Acropolis and the Odeon. We had  a little hiccup with four members of the group temporarily being separated within the onslaught of tourist buses emptying and entering the area. However back together we had a sumptuous morning tea in a private rooftop room looking up at the Parthenon and across Athens.

After thank you and farewell speeches and some reflections we strolled through Athen's Flea Market and some small purchases were made before boarding our bus for Athens Airport thus concluding our tour. What a great time we have all had.

Ismir, Ephesus, Kusadasi: Day 12

After a quick sightseeing tour of Ismir and coffee we had a 10am appointment at St Polycarp's Church. St Polycarp was the first Bishop of Smyrna (now Ismir) and our first visit for the day was to the church that honours him in this city of 3.5 million people. Relatively few are Christians today. Polycarp was said to be a convert of St John the Divine - we look forward to reading more about this early saint and martyr on our return down under. The church is elaborate without being too gaudy - with attractive statues, paintings and frescoes. The local Religious Sister was our guide with our tour guide Omer translating.

Then it was on to Ephesus - focus of a great deal of St Paul's life and work. After a quick overview of the crusader fort, the mosque and the temple of Artemis it was a traditional lunch on recliner couches and low tables. A hearty meal and then photos of Omer with his 'harem" before our tour of the ancient site.  This is one of the great archeological sites of the world - so rich in history every corner has one gulping in excitement and wonder.

Omer with his Aussie harem

 
You can't help but marvel at their amazing ingenuity and endurance - rows of ornate columns, marble roads and spectacular buildings. The archaeology continues and new things are happening all the time. The wow factor is around every corner - so many photos.  It has been quite a hot day but this did not stop everyone clambering around the sites to see as much as possible and you could spend days here doing just that.  The air conditioned bus was welcoming when we finished the expedition.

We were pleased to also celebrate with Don and Sally White their 44th Wedding Anniversary today; this was capped off by their being photographed with a young bride (Baha) and groom (Met) who were having their photographs taken at Ephesus.

Don, Met, Baha and Sally:  the happy couples  :)

We met the 3 musketeers (Peter, Hume and Judy) in the Hotel Foyer on our arrival at Kusadasi - there are great stories also from them of their separate few days at Cappadocia.  We said goodbye to Kathlyn who has been with us for a few days and tomorrow Penny White leaves to return to the UK. Finally we said farewell to Omer at our dinner on the pool deck here at the Hotel Onder.

Gay, Penny and Fr Ron at Ephesus

Tomorrow we board the cruise ship at midday but will probably have restricted internet so the next blog may be in a few days' time.

Troy, Pergamum: Day 11

After another unbelievable Kolin Hotel Breakfast we were on our way to the ancient site of Troy by 8.30am.  Yes Troy of Helen fame - not part of our original itinerary - but we  were so close and the suggestion from fellow traveller Paul was acceptable to the whole bus. It was really worthwhile - to understand the scale of the city and of the recent archeological diggings. We learnt that there are nine historical stages (levels being unearthed) of this place and each of them has their own character.

Next visit was to Alexandria Troas. We were led in to the archaeological site by a special guide on a motorbike and discovered a fantastic archaeological site with, much to everyone's joy, archaeologists hard at work! Further along the road here a bush site under some ancient Roman arches was a good place to have a relevant reading from Acts about St Paul's call to Macedonia.

German archaeologists hard at work

We had many kms to cover today and on our way to Pergamum we stopped for a traditional Turkish Pizza for lunch - like yesterday a family run restaurant and they were terrific - so hospitable and delighted to see a bus load of Aussies. We were well fed and cared for.

Ruth, Tig and Paul explore the lower corridor at Pergamum

Pergamum was a massive surprise; we needed every bit of the one and a half hours to explore the main site. In order to reach this required a lift, a cable car and then a mountainous walk. There we found the remains of a hilltop city - complete with temples, theatre, commerce/shops and library (at one time the library was second only to the one in Alexandria as the largest in the world). The photos will hardly do this site justice! Words cannot explain the magnificent height and age of the marble columns of the temple standing tall on the top of the hill which can be seen for many kilomteres away and designed for ancient seafarers to know that the city was there.

Ruined temple at Pergamum

Just down the road the site of the ancient Red Basilica - another massive building and a treasurer.  It was at Pergamum, one of the seven cities that St John the Divine included in his message to the churches in the book of Revelation.

Then it was a matter of pushing on to Ismir - Turkey's second biggest city - only 3.5 million people - most of them seemed to be travelling on the busy roads or crossing them on foot as we arrived - it was busy. Our Hotel is in the middle of the old town. Ismir is also known as Smirna - another of those seven churches. Tomorrow we head for Ephesus and Kusadasi.

ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli (Gelibolu): Day 10

After another massive 5 star breakfast we set off for a day commemorating the Anzac tradition. After a ferry ride from Cannakale to Eceabat we proceeded to a well organised visitors' centre in the heart of the Gallipoli peninsula.

The 3D model made it much easier to understand the position of the Turkish troops and the Allies' strategy and landing. From this we were able to visualise even mor the bloody battles of 1915. During the course of the day we visited many Australian and New Zealand cemeteries.

At Anzac Cove Fr Ron led us in a prayer and then recited the Ode ".....age shall not weary them and the years condemn .." it was moving and especially  so as we stood around the burial site of John Simpson Kirkpatrick (Simpson and his donkey).  We were all given red poppies by Ron to wear or put in a special place.

The group at ANZAC Cove

At Lone Pine Cemetery we stood as a group under the shadow of the solitary pine tree and Gay led a reflection reading of Banjo Paterson's poem "We're all Australians Now" this was a  moving and humbling moment.

It is sad to see all the graves and to think of all those young men both Allies and Turks who perished in the battles that raged for 9 months. But the war was not in vain - Turkey looks back to this as the beginning of their new Republic under the command of the successful General Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. His immortal words reassuring Australian and New Zealand mothers that their sons who died on Turkey's beaches were now Turkey's sons and they were in their care.

Lord Casey who would one day be Governor General of Australia was wounded at Gallipoli and carried to a safe place by a Turkish soldier - this too is depicted in a statue. It makes us all appreciate peace and our form of Government even more.

During the afternoon we were able to explore the trenches both Allied and Turk and to actually walk in them.

We must mention lunch - it was very traditional little family business, rustic wayside stop - we all enjoyed Turkish pancakes and tea - absolutely superb.

Turkish pancakes and tea

Then back to our 5 star plus Hotel Kolin - via the car/bus ferry - a quick swim, relax or shopping, prayers including the singing of the National Anthems of New Zealand and Australia before another great meal.

Tomorrow another day of big miles but Troy ad Pergumum on our way to Ismir. 

Istanbul to Cannakale: Day 9

As an obedient little group we gathered in the foyer of our hotel on time to load our bus  and proceed out of Istanbul approximately six hours driving time to Gallipoli and Cannakale.  The most eventful aspect of the journey is getting out of the tiny streets of Istanbul that are strewn with vehicles and many of them are loading and unloading goods to the shops along the way. It is a bustling crazy busy scene. We keep reminding ourselves that Istanbul is a city of 15 million people and Turkey's population is in excess of 75 million. No wonder we ran into a traffic jam and crowds of people at the various venues yesterday.

We stopped at a couple of roadhouses along the highway which stretches out to the  south-west and down onto the Peninsula that leads to a narrow strip of land and the Dardanelles. Those who are looking for Turkish cuisine along the way were sadly disappointed the food was very similar to your average Shell Roadhouse - well some of our folk thought so anyway.  Most of us found something local and interesting to eat.

We arrived at Gallipoli town (spelt Gelibolu locally) and the caught the car / bus ferry across to Cannakale. We are now therefore in the Asian section of Turkey which occupies 97% of the land mass, sometimes called Asia Minor or little Asia.

Steve relaxing on the ferry to Cannakale

The hotel Kolin is a modern  plush 5 star resort and its grounds stretch out to the sea across from Anzac Cove. We arrived early enough in the afternoon to relax, some to go shopping and others took a dip in one of the hotel's pools and dried off on the sundeck. After worship, which included the singing of the national anthems of Australia and New Zealand and prayers particularly focused  on our defence forces past and present  and the bid for peace in the world, we then made our way through the endless corridors from the foyer and dining rooms to our buffet dinner. The array of food and its presentation was a sight to behold - this hotel is really some place!

Tomorrow we head for Anzac Cove and the Gallipoli landing beaches.

Istanbul: Day 8

After yesterday's walking tour it was good to begin this day with a bus ride to the pier called the Golden Horn and a cruise on the Bosphorus River that lasted about an hour and a half. The sprightly Omer gave a terrific commentary as we made our way north toward the Black Sea pointing out both modern and ancient sites. Among the highlights are the suspension bridge that links the continents of Europe and Asia, the Sultans' Palaces, the ancient fort and a huge number of modern five star hotels.

Sultan's Palace (one of them)

From the cruise we walked a short distance to the spice market on the way visiting a small mosque that is beautifully decorated with tiles depicting flowers in many forms. Being Islamic art this is done using symbols for the flowers. The spice market is a sensorial experience and  especially the smells and the colour.  We were able to enjoy some pomegranite tea and Turkish Delight and other nibbles for free from a friend of our guide. He did some pretty good business from our group after the freebies.

Fr Ron about to sample pomegranate tea at the spice market

Then members of the group went in various directions exploring the spice market and we lunched in an upper level restaurant together.

The afternoon was spent at the Topkapi Palace which has four courtyards and in each courtyard top museum viewing areas, some dedicated to weaponry, jewellery, to religion, politics, the art - portraits of the Sultans etc. It is a vast complex and most of Istanbul's 15 million  population seemed to be there today! By late afternoon we were ready to  see the Grand Bazaar - 8 members of the group wanted to walk from one side to the other and back to the Hotel. The rest remained on the bus to do a shorter trip from the hotel on the other side. Those who remained in the bus encountered their first experience of a Turkish traffic jam.  Nevertheless it was all an interesting experience and gave us much to talk about and reflect upon as we gathered for prayers before dinner.

This was our third evening meal at the President's Hotel and we have been well cared for in beautiful accommodation and good service in this place in the heart of the old city of Istanbul. Tomorrow we pack our cases for our long bus journey to Cannakale.

Istanbul: Day 7

As we gathered in the sixth floor dining area for breakfast pilgrims were wishing the gentlemen "Happy Fathers' Day" to start our Sunday.  The main adventure for the day began with our happy guide, Omer - pronounced Omar - guiding us on foot first to the Hippodrome - the site of ancient sporting events like horse and chariot racing and now a central plaza. It has various monuments including a massive Egyptian obelisk.

We are on our way to visit the Blue Mosque and after queuing for a short time we remove our shoes and enter the brightly lit, red carpeted worship space. Omer has much to tell us about the Moslem faith and the architecture of this renowned sacred building.

A short walk across another plaza is the church of St Sophia sometimes called "Hagia Sophia". Today it is neither used as church or mosque althought it has been both down through history but a museum. Again Omer has much to tell us about its history. It is an impressive building and with a lot more character than the Mosque. Of interest some very old Christian mosaics and frescoes remain here.

Ruth Flett, Jenny & Jim Mitchell in the Hagia Sophia

We had lunch in the centre of the very busy tourist area of Istanbul - some of us enjoying the quiet  shade of a lovely park close by. Then Omer was waving his hat and offering his shrill whistle to get us together and head for the underground cistern. This was a huge surprise to most of us and given the heat of the day it was a welcoming, cool place to explore. This is an ancient underground water storage area that today has a small amount of water in it with lots of carp and gold fish. The original cistern was vast but just one of many under this historic city.

We were able to return to the hotel  and for some of us a swim in the hotel pool  before the Eucharist which was led by Fr Ron. This had a special focus on the ANZACs, those who have made the supreme sacrifice for our freedom.  Ron told a great little modern parable and connected those thoughts with the New Guinea martyrs.   Then it was on to dinner.

Thessalonika to Istanbul: Day 6

View from the Golden Star, Thessalonika

It was great to be able to sleep in and enjoy the Golden Star Hotel in Thessalonika.


Most of us took the opportunity to walk around the little seaside village of Perea, some had a swim in the Aegean Sea or an early lunch. Panos, our driver got us to the airport a short distance away and we thanked him for his care and said goodbye.

Hume, Peter and Judy were destined to be leaving us in Istanbul, so we said a farewell in advance, we will meet up with them again in five days after they tour Cappadocia and the rest of us tour Istanbul and the west coast of Turkey.

The big moment of the day was the reunion of Ron and Gay with their daughter Penny, we had heard speeches all week about how anyone standing in the way at the airport would be bowled over in the the crush. It was a moving moment, floods of tears and that was dad!!!

Hume, Peter and Judy were still with us so we said our goodbyes, again.

We met our local guide, Omer, and our driver Ayhan, the traffic was crazy as we negotiated our way in our Mercedes coach to the Hotel President, just around the corner from the Grand Bazaar.

Before we left the airport, Hume, Peter and Judy met our guide and he called his colleague ... eventually they were on their way to Adana ... we said our goodbyes ... again!!

Our prayer and reflection time was a bit later than normal then we sat down to a set menu, not everyone enjoyed the meal, but, we can't complain about the food, there's been plenty of it and to spare.

It has been a relaxing day and perhaps we will need our strength for our busy program tomorrow.

Philippi, Kavala: Day 5

Heading for Philippi we stopped along the way to view the massive statue of the Lion of Amphipolis. This statue erected in the 1930s, having been rediscovered then, is thought to have been commissioned by Alexander the Great and dates back to the 4th century BC.

We pressed on with a long journey to Kavala, the site of Paul's seabound entry into Macedonia. From here he would make his way inland to the Roman colony of Philippi along the Via Egnatia, which is the Roman road that stretches from Rome for 500 miles eastward. Our bus trip only took a few minutes to reach the archeological site of ancient Philippi. This is a vast area that has among other things a forum, four churches, Bishop's house/palace, shops, houses, library, streets, baths. The mosaics that have been uncovered inside the octagonal church are a highlight.

Also at this archeological site is an ancient theatre seating many thousands of people - now sometimes used for performances. In an adjacent area a group of chaps were setting up for a concert.
It would be a spectacular view no matter how good or bad the concert.

The group relaxing by the site said to be the meeting place of St Paul and Lydia

  After a traditional Greek lunch (yum) we visited the beautiful shady riverside site said to be the place where St Paul met Lydia and her companions. Next to that site there is modern Greek Orthodox Baptistry, possibly the only one in the country. It is beautifully decorated with frescoes and icons. This completed our visit to Philippi and so we made our way back to the Golden Star Hotel for prayers and dinner, including a farewell to our wonderful guide, Voula.

Meteora to Thessalonika: Day 4

The Kalambaka Meteora Hotel is situated just outside the little village and overlooks the amazing rock formations that are Meteora. Many members of the group enjoyed a swim in the hotel pool before prayers on the terrace and then our fantastic multi course extravaganza of a meal.

Great Monastery at Meteora

We woke early keen to see the sun shining on the monoliths on the other side of the valley. We were soon in the bus and on our way back up to the top of the mountains this time to visit the Monastery Valaam perched atop the monolith. This is the second largest of the monasteries and according to our guide the most beautiful. After climbing the 190 steps we were able to enter this mystical world of the Greek Orthodox hermits. This is a working monastery with a church that is almost impossible to describe. It is so beautiful. It was great to see the winching room, to spend time looking at the view, to visit the monastery shop and museum.

The most amazing aspect of the whole place are the frescoes icons artwork in the church, the narthex and nave and around the monastery. These date from  4-500 years ago and still retain great colour and clarity.

Our slow trip down the mountain and once again we observe the other monasteries perched high on their rocks. Meteora is surely one of the great wonders of the world!

We then travelled for a considerable distance to Thessaloniki having lunch in the village of Berea  along the way. Cheese pie was the order of the day, and about all they had left in the shop. This was followed by an apple for everyone having purchased a case. This place is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles another stopover for St Paul in his journeys.

Thessaloniki is Greece's second largest city and is located by the sea. On our arrival we took in a panoramic view of this great city with its ancient walls that pierce through the modern city.  Below us we could see the Church of St Demitrius which was our last visit for the day before the short bus trip to our very smart hotel, Golden Star in the seaside village of Perea. Our hotel is situated right on the beach with deck chairs and real sand, not pebbles. We all hope to use this facility on our day off on Saturday.

View of the beach at Perea

Athens to Meteora: Day 3

The alarm sounded in every room at 6.00am, this didn't please all members of our group! However, there was some pleasure for some to discover that the Vicar woke to the sound of his phone alarm at 2.50am - a set reminder call for Wednesday morning church back at Albert Park.!!!

We boarded the bus loaded with the help of our delightful driver Panos. Voula, our super guide filled in hours of travel with an amazing array of information, commentary and even a the occasional mini sermon.
 

Panos our bus driver

We had a couple of pit stops along the way to the mountains of Meteora and the town of Kalambaka. By mid afternoon we had come close to our destination and so the group agreed to stopover at an Icon making workshop. It was a special privilege to see icons being made in the traditional way and for us to meet the local priest and his wife and team. Many within the group purchased icons to take home as gifts and to remind them of their time in Greece.

Pilgrims at the icon workshop

We ran out of time to get to a monastery so instead Panos took us on a sight seeing tour of the incredible monoliths that house the six monastries of Meteora. This is undoubtedly one of the wonders of the world.

Then we had a quick walk around the town of Kalambaka and then on to our hotel for a quick refreshing swim before prayers and dinner. The meal was fantastic and the day relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Corinth, Athens: Day 2

After a hearty breakfast in our hotel we met Voula our very personable and knowledgeable local guide. Soon we were setting off in our comfortable bus for the Peloppenese and our first stop at the historic Corinth canal. This stretch of man made shipping  canal is not very old and is a marvel of human engineering. It impressed the tour engineer and our consultant on all things engineering, Don White.  The canal is 6 km long, just over 20 metres wide and deep enough for small ships to be towed from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea.

Then on to Corinth and a visit to the Agora, Temple of Apollo, the Roman Odeon and the Bema where St Paul confronted his accusers - those who thought him to be a trouble-maker. Corinth stood at the crossroads of commerce and that combined with the local cult prostitution racket made this city a place of significance and sin. Paul bravely battled on for 18 months in the city and eventually left via the Port Cenchrae for Ephesus where he wrote letters to the Corinthians.

The group by the Corinth Canal

Lunch was taken in a lovely family run taverna, it was relaxed and sumptuous.

Then on we went back to Athens with most of the pilgrims having a snooze in the bus on the way.

Voula then took us on a tour of the city and to the  Acropolis to visit the Parthenon and the  Erectheion. From Mars Hill, also known as the Areopagus the view is fantastic. We could see the distant hills where the marble was mined to build the adjacent mammoth structures. We could see the old town which included the synagogue, the town square and on the other side of the hill the Forum it is incredible.  This part of today involved a fair bit of climbing on slippery marble stairs and everyone managed very well.

Our final segment of the day tour was to look at a bit more of the city including the changing of the guard outside of the old president's palace, now the parliament. This is straight out of the John Cleese  book of silly walks; you have to  see it to believe it.

Back at the hotel we met with Ross and Caryl McCready who had unfortunately missed the first day because their plane in Sydney had been cancelled!  We had prayers, a brief discussion and benefit to complete our first full day.

Athina (Athens): Day 1

After many hours flying our group of 10 arrived at Dubai at 4.00am. We had a five hour wait for our next flight and during that the stopover many of us had showers and a bit of shopping (Rebecca's two favourite "s" words). The group eventually swelled with the arrival of Hume, Peter and Judy who had been in Dubai for two days. They have had a terrific time using the on-off bus and visiting lots of the high points of the city. At the transit lounge we caught up at long last with Don and Sally from Queensland the sisters from outback NSW, Dorothy and Sue. We were expecting to see Ross and Caryl McCready but apparently they had flight connection problems in Sydney, we think they will join us now tomorrow.

Jim flat out thinking in Dubai

Eventually we arrived in Athens almost five hours more travel, Emirates looked after us all well all the way, the food was good and the staff constantly helpful.

Tig and Rebecca flat out enjoying Athens

On arrival at Athens airport we were met by Smora, a lovely Greek lady with a pile of personality. She was very helpful, positive and kind to all.

We have time for a swim and a relax before dinner and then for most of the group it will probably be an early night before we get into the tour proper under the guidance of Voula.