A SPECIAL VISIT

Just before we left England for our trip through France, we had a visit from Sarah who brought her friend Lisbet with her. Lisbet was a lovely Norwegian girl who had become a firm friend of Sarah's, and they both enjoyed creating Cards. One of their big objectives in visiting England (apart from a natural desire to see us) was their enthusiasm for card making and the opportunity to buy lots and lots and lots of materials to help them create all sorts of wonderful cards.

They had a day in London doing just that, and we also made a visit to Peter and Mary at Hartney Wintney. Sarah hadn't seen them since they visited Australia way back, and they were delighted to see her looking so well and happy. We had a super lunch at the Cricketers Arms where there is a super little French restaraunt.

They left from Heathrow to go home, and we drove them there and then came home to finish off ouor preparations for the trip to France. It was just great to see Sarah again and especially to meet Lisbet.

THE LAST FOUR WEEKS PART 3

We read about a famous Roman Aquaduct and Bridge not too far away so decided to drive out there. It was sensational, not only because the structure is simply mind boggling when considering that it was built almost 2000 years ago, but being a public holiday it was being prepared for a Sound and Light event that evening. Hundredds of people had gathered for the evnt, and we would dearly loved to have stayed but were daunted by the thought of driving back into Nimes and finding our way in the dark.

The two guys who ran the Hotel were extremely helpful, and pointed us to a super restaraunt for dinner that night. This was an experience of French cooking. I asked what type of fish was on the menu, and Madam trotted off to the kitchen and reurned with the fish which was almost still swimming! When it arrived she filleted it at the table and enriched it with the beautiful sauce for me.Wow oh Wow.

Next day we were up early and enjoyed a super breakfast and then took off to visit the Roman Amphitheatre. An audio guide was brilliant and went through the history of Gladiators and their exploits. We learnt that they seldom fought to the death, because when one of the two was overpowered, the final decision was made by the all powerful President.If he indicated that the loser should be finished off, then HE had to reimburse the Gladiator's trainer for costs! So most of them were spared. In between Gladiatorial bouts, prisoners of war, malcontents and criminals were led into the arena and wild animals loosed to kill them. Most of the audiences took themselves off during this slaughter and found some sustenance outside.

In the main City square there is a Roman Temple, in remarkable state of preservation, and now used as a Tourist centre with a 3D film depicting the history of Nimes which, again, was most interesting. The last day we were readying for departure when one of the Hotel managers (an Algerian I think) asked had we visited the Fountain Garden and Old Roman Tower. When we told we had not, he downed tools and walked with us to the starting point of the gardens so that we wouldn't miss it. As I said the two of them were extremely hospitable.

And so we drove off to Sigalous skirting Marseille on the way and sticking to the Autoroute despite the tolls. We arrived at Jeanette and Alain's late in the afternoon to be met by a suprised host who had misread the email and was expecting us the next! No sweat though.
We picked Sarah and Baard up from Nice Airport the next day having found the correct terminal and what I reckon was the last available car parking space!!

THE LAST FOUR WEEKS - PART TWO

On the way down to Meze we decided to visit Saint Cirq Lapopie. This Medieval village is perched on a cliff 330 feet above the river and was the main town of one of four viscountcies that made up Quercy. The Lapopie fortress was made up of a number of towers and castles overlooking the village. We stayed in a chateau here and the view from our room was fabulous- see top photo! Breakfast on the courtyard of the Chateau was to die for, and once again Carol's French made her the centre of attention -"An Australian who speaks French??" One night only and then it was off to Meze.

We had decided to visit Meze because Carol had stayed there when she was touring the world back in the 1970's. And we actually saw the flat she rented there (picture top left). It is a delightful little fishing town and we stayed in a great hotel (2 Star) with a corner room and a balcony.Had a great feast of sardines on our first night there with a pichet of wine all of which was very reasonably priced.

We spent a day driving around the large lagoon to Sete a true Mediterranean harbour with canals running through the city.Had a good cheap lunch there beside a canal and goggled at the canal traffic. Lovely old streets in the old town part and interesting wandering through them. We drove back along the coastline - miles and miles of sandy beach with hardly a parking spot to be had. While it was quite warm there was no temptation to strip off and go for a swim!

Back in Meze we bought a bottle of Rose and some cheese and biscuits and sat on our balcony with not a care in the world. Lovely spot.

The next day we drove a few miles alonog the lagoon to another small village, where we foudn the Maritime museum closed for the usual French lunch hour 12 -2.30. So that idea was abandoned and instead we indulged ourselves in a lovely open air restaraunt and gorged ourselves on seafood -plus a bottle of wine of course. Then we walked along the jetty and saw a ferry pull in. We enquired about it's routes and were told that they were picking up a party of school kids to take them out to the oyster beds and tell them about oyster farming. "Can we go along as well?" Oui monsieur, mais certainement"

It was most interesting because the ankle biters were well behaved and had question and answer sessions with the prize of being allowed to steer the ferry. Great fuun and very educational. The oyster tables are enormous and provide a considerable percentage of French oysters. I only eat Sydney rock oysters.

.The last day was spent visiting the Noilly Prat factory. This is the only place where the product is made in the world, and the extensive production has developed into a fully automated plant - so much so that the 100 employees who once worked to produce this unique product are now reduced to just 10 key people. Enjoyed a tasting of the products as part of the guided tour!


En route to Nimes we came across a medieval walled village called Aigues Mortes. This was absolutely stunning. The photo above gives some idea of the extent of the fortification and it was once an access to the Mediterranean and an important port for French defence against invaders. The village is quaint (and thoroughly tourist orientated) But a visit to the Round Tower and the terrific views from the top were well worth while. The name apparently translates as Dead Sea as the Med is no longer within navigable reach after silting up and erosion took place. And so it was on to Nimes.

This we found on Ascension Day - a public holiday. So the traffic was reasonably quiet and, joy of joy,there were nice clear signs for all the various hotels. Again our two star hotel The Kyriad, was excellent. Nimes is famoua for it's Roman history, and has the best preserved amphitheatre in the world.

THE LAST FOUR WEEKS-PART 1

Packed up the flat at Langdon Hills and drove down to Peter's place where we deposited some suitcases that we would not be needing while driving around France. Sold the trusty Vectra for 300 quid and got a taxi to Stanstead for our flight to Tours and the start of three weeks in France. Picked up a neat little Renault from Hertz and found our way to our Chambre D'Hote at Francueil where we were booked for four nigths.Very comfortable and delightful hosts who were delighted that Carol spoke French. This area of France is noted for it's fine Chateaus and we visited several over the next few days.Chenonceau (Above) is delightful and we viewed it from a boat travelling down the river.Cheverny,Blois,Amboise and finally the magnificent and enormous Chambord. The Chateaux are an anachronism from the past - each builder having seemed to be trying to outdo all existing buildings.

So finally, all "Chateauxed Out" - we drove down to the Dordogne where we has booked a cottage for a week at La Cave. En route we called in to see one of Carol's colleagues from Ramsey Jo Langworthy.She and her husband Rob own a beautifully restored cottage in the country near ? and we had an entertaining luncheon there with the two of them. Then it was on to La Cave a total distance of some 13o miles.

The cottage was lovely and contained every creature comfort (except a washing machine).The owner was an English doctor who lived nearby and knew the area intimately. She told us of the amusing visit by a helicopter to a beautiful chateau perched on the surrounding hill. It contained Brad Pitt who apparently thought he would drop in a buy the place!!

The nearest town was Souillac where we were able to get all our shopping needs. Nearby was Rocamadour the famous Abbey built into and on top of a sheer cliff. It is a breathtaking image when you drive around a corner and suddenly get faced with this enormous cliff and the buildings perched into and on it. The views from the top are extensive, but it was terribly crowded which detracted from our enjoyment there.

We also visited the Grottes at La Cave, an underground exploration of stalactites and stalagmites in profusion, and one cave where there was florescence.All very spectacular but poorly guided to the extent that we didn't know where the hell we were going half the time.
Made a trip to Gourdon, driving through some truly lovely country and lunched al fresco at a quite reasonable price. Also visited the Grotto de Cougnant which was a much better organised attraction and included some cave paintings from time immemorial.Fascinating.

The next day we hired a canoe at La Cave and paddled our way down the magnificent Dordogne River some 16 kms to Souillac where the canoe hirers gave us a ride back to LA Cave in a bus. The canoe trip was an absolute buzz. At times the current raced us along and as the river is mostly shallow and beautifully clear, the bottom raced past. At other places we lazily paddled and watched fish swimming along.

Next day Carol had her hair cut in Souillac and was most impressed with the skill of the cutter. It was great. A steam train trip took us along a cliff side with super views over the surrounding valleys and hills and a visit to the market at Souillac capped off a memorable few days.

Next stop was Meze on the Mediterranean

BACK HOME

There has been a lapse in Blogger activity due to (a) laziness and (b) lack of access to the internet during our travels in the last four weeks in Europe. However now that we are home again, the last entry for our wonderful two years will be completed as soon as we have got ourselves organised and are back in our own home and reconnected to the internet.

As I write this, looking out over the Australian landscape from son Ben's house I am surrounded by tissues to control a runny nose. Two years in UK without a single sniffle - three days back and I have a stinking cold. I really don't remember Toowoomba being this cold and miserable. At least there has been a little rain, and the paddocks are green.

Stay tuned.

BRUGES AND BRUSSELLS

No photographs! Why? The battery in the camera had run flat!!

We took the Eurostar from Ashford International which left at 6.58 am. Early start made worse by missing the M20 turnoff the M25 due to heavy truck traffic. Found ourselves 15 miles too far down the M25 and had to turn back and go like blazes once we got back to the M20. Managed the 40 miles in under half an hour thanks to the trusty Vectra racing along at 90 mph.

Arrived at Brussells and found a lack of information available as to how we were to find a train for Brugges - but finally managed and had an enjoyable one hour trip through lovely Belgium countryside.

Of course it was raining so we took a taxi to the Hotel where we were greeted by a most friendly lady and dropped our bags off.Following her directions we were in the Old City Square in no time and enchanted with the beautiful old buildings. Pity about the rain. We had an enjoyable lunch at a restaraunt on the square - Carol had a bowl of mussells you couldn't jump over. Then we wandered down to the tourist information centre through narrow winding streets and di some window shopping en route of course.

Back to the hotel feeling very weary and decided on a bottle of wine and cheese and ham rolls. The hotel gladly provided knives and plates for us. Early to bed.

Much refreshed and after a very nice breakfast we decided on an escorted bike ride through the town and country. We were the only two on the toour so we had the undevided attention of our guide which was super. The riding was quite easy and Len's fears of not being able to go the distance soon evaporated. We rode through the old city, out to the new part, and then onto the lane alongside the Napoleon Canal. We went 5 kms along the canal to the village of Damme, a historic place associated with the early royalty. It was here that Hilda told us about Napoleon's impact on the area. Firstly he had instigated a census requiring everyone to adopt a surname. They had previously only had one name. Some of the eople took this very lightheartedly and so there were several Fukkers/Shitters/Pissers registered!It was Napoleon who set France (and Europe generally) on the practice of driving on the right hand side of the road. This was because he used his left hand to hold a sword and defend himself and that allowed him room to engage his enemies - at least that is what Hilda told us!

Back in Bruggewe had a light lunch and then took a boat ride through the canals which gave a very interesting aspect to the City and its buildings.
We splashed out for a super dinner that night and decided that in the morning we would take the train back into Brussells to spend some time there before taking the Eurostar back to Ashford.

At the Brussells station we parked the luggage in a locker, and took a tram into the City centre.We got off at the Bourse and walked down a couple of streets until we were into the Grand Square which really does take the breath away. It is a large are with the four sides lines with magnificent building, all superbly maintained. Len went into the Brussells Museum while Carol did a walkabout. After a lunch of Kebabs (!) we took a city bus tour which was great value. It lasted for nearly two hours and visited just about every possible site of interest . The EEC presence is enormous.

And so back to Eurostar and Ashford, where we were surprised to find ourselves off the train and innto our car in no time at all and racing off back along the M20. Home by 10.30.

REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST TWO YEARS

It is almost time to go home. Hard to believe that nearly two years has passed, and even harder to recall all of the various places we have visited during that time.France/Austria/Czech Republic/Iceland/Norway/Egypt plus Cornwall/Yorkshire Dales/Isle of Mull/Isle of Wight and dozens of National Trust and English Heritage properties. I am so pleased that I took the time to record a lot of these visits in my Blogsite and it will be nostalgia gone mad when we view them in time to come.

I have caught up with some old friends. Mike Lebrocq in Bournemouth,John Shapiro in Greatham,Dick Lancaster in Dorset,Clive Bowring at Fritham and of course my brother Peter and his wife Mary plus family. We have made a few good friends also, in particular Ruth and Tim at Wansford who we will greatly miss.

The highlights are hard to pick. Dog sledding on a glacier in Iceland is one. Christmas in Norway with Baards parents and family. The week on the River Nile. Mrs Coates cottage in Yorkshire and the Cobblers Cottage in Cornwall. The week on the Isle of Mull and the hand dived scallops is right in there too.

PORT LYMPNE ANIMAL PARK

Something a bit different this weekend. Courtesy of our bonus points from Tesco's we decided to make the trip down to the southern coast of Kent to visit the Animal Park and Gardens, a project that was set up by John Aspinall in 1974 to preserve and develope endangered breeds and species. The Tour de France was due to be visiting the area en route from London to Canterbury and we were a bit uncertain about the likelihood of traffic bans, but as luck would have it (despite reports of some 2 million people viewing the passing cyclists) we were unhampered both going down and returning.

The venue for this Park is simply magnificent. Set in hills above the coastal plain leading to the English Channel, with France almost observable, it was disappointing that there was some haze, as we were told that on a very clear day it was possible to actually see cars being driven along the French coast. But we had a bonus (for me anyway) when there were several fly bys of both a Hurricane and a Spitfire from the nearby Battle of Britain Museum.

We paid extra to go on an African Safari (see vehicle above) and it was well worth while as the terrain is very hilly and walking would have taken all day plus. The commentary in the truck was excellent and we saw many varieties of animals roaming around in the extensive grounds. We walked through the central part of the Park where all sorts of exotic animals are displayed.The highlight was the feeding of the Gorillas. These magnificent creatures emerged from their living quarters and wandered unhindered around the viewing area. There were three of them carrying their tiny babys on their backs which was fascinating.

A great day -and well worth the long drive.

HATFIELD HOUSE

This is probably the last of the great houses that we will visit during this trip.It was courtesy of Tesco loyalty coupons!! It is hard to believe that this massive pile of bricks is actually the home of the current Earl of Salisbury and his missus.
Built towards the end of the 15th century as a splendid palace for the Bishop of Ely, King Henry VIII later retained the property as a home for his two daughters Elizabeth and Mary. Hatfield Palace remained in Royal hands until 1603 when, in an extraordinary property exchange, James I took Robert Cecil's property near Waltham Cross and offered him Hatfield Palace. Not entirely happy with this arrangement, Robert, created first Earl of Salisbury, set about demolishing the old Tudor palace and began building the fine Jacobean mansion house that can be seen today.

Only part of the house is open to the public, but it includes the enormous gallery
on the walls of which are hung inumerable works of art, the value of which is probably astronomical. Another long gallery, the Armoury has agrand display of original suits of armour and it is fascinating to think of men actually allowing themselves to be kitted out with these obviously heavy suits and then trying to fight a battle thus encumbered. At least they would not have been in much danger of being hurt!!

There is a 18th century Dutch pipe organ at the end of this gallery,and while we were there it was being played producing a beautiful sound and so appropriate for the situation.

The gardens are extensive and immaculate, and although we had to dodge rain showers, we wandered around them delighting in the displays of both known and unknown varieties.

The original Tudor Palace, where Elizabeth 1st lived, has been extensively rebuilt, but unfortunately was closed for a private function while we were there. But we did enjoy an excellent lunch in the Coach House restaurant.

BIRMINGHAM

There is a television show here called "The Weakest Link" which is a quiz show where contestants are subjected to cross examination by the compere, a lady called Ann Robinson. She is often quite rude and haughty, and if one of the contestants happens to tell her that they come from Birmingham, she turns away with a moue saying "oh Dear". With that in mind a visit to Brum was full of expectation!! There were two reasons for visiting. Firstly my father was born there in the slum area in 1900. Secondly, while waiting for our flight out of Berlin recently we got chatting to a couple waiting with us, and they came from Birmingham. I mentioned that my Dad had been born there, and they told us that National Trust had preserved and developed a small area of slums known as "Back to Backs". They then invited us to stay with them if we visited.
The drive there took just 2 1/2 hours for the 140 miles thanks to Motorways. After a welcome cup of coffee we went on a guided tour of the "Back to Backs" which was fascinating.The three storied cottages joined together were tiny, and it was incredible to hear that in one of them lived a family of 10 who also took in two lodgers.There was no running water or lighting and the toilet arrangement was a common two holer in the yard.The photo above is of the yard with wash house and toilets. In one of the cotages a tailor had worked until 2001 making suits of such quality that orders came from London for them! He walked out and left everyting as it was,sewing machines,bolts of cloth,patterns etc.

We had parked the car in ChinaTown and found a decent Malaysian restaraunt for lunch after which we walked through the city to Little Venice, so called because it is the centre of the canal system. We took a canal boat ride which was intriguing as it went through the old industrial area. All the factories were served by the canal system, but with the disappearance of manufacturing, most of the old factories are decrepit eyesores.

We found our friends house and were welcomed with the news that they had a pre-arranged evening out, but had brought in food for us to cook. Nick (he is a Barrister ex army officer) aoplogised for their engagement, but we were more than happy to get ourselves a meal and have an early night.

Next morning we were taken for a drive to the Bourneville site, where Cadbury's have their enormous factories. The whole area was developed by Cadburys, the house in which Nick and Anne live being an original "Cadbury House". The sheer size of the factories was mind blowing and with their own sports ground (which would not disgrace a County Cricket ground) the paternalism of the Cadburys was very apparent.

Then we toured the suburbs,saw Egbaston Cricket Ground and finally parked in the City to visit the Town Hall Museum and have lunch in the dining room there. Very interesting. The photo of the statue above was taken in the forecourt of the Town Hall and is known to the locals as "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi"!!

We left Birmingham after lunch and headed home via Warwick Castle which Nick had told us was well worth a visit. More of that later.

HEVER CASTLE

Courtesy of our Tesco Loyalty points we were able to visit Hever Castle in Kent. This is not a National Trust or English Heritage property and the entrance fee was £10 for the house and gardens. Against our normal expectation of weather there were scattered showers, but we managed to mostly avoid these. In the courtyard of the Castle there were Morris Dancers one of whom was dressed as a unicorn and took great delight in nipping people's hats. Photo above is of his loving embrace of yours truly.

The Castle dates back to the 13th century and has a chequered ownership. Most notable is the fact that it was the home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry V111th.Her family, the Bullens, owned the castle for many years and Henry was an occasional visitor. More latterly, it was bought at the beginning of the 20th century by the Astor family who spent a small fortune modernising the Castle and developing the magnificent gardens. While somewhat unprepossessing from the outside the interior is well maintained and contains loads of antiques and memorabillia from the previous owners. A gallery displays models of Henry and his six wives and various notables associated with that era. They are particularly well done and the documentation makes interesting reading.

In the Astor suite, there are lots of family photos,letters and recordings. They were (are) incredibly wealthy and played a full life in English society during the 20th century.

Outside, the gardens can only be described as magnificent. It was Rose week at the Castle and the Rose garden displayed every conceivable variety of rose - a tableau of colour which had to be seen to be believed. Opposite the Rose Garden was the Italian Garden - spectacular avenues lined with statues imported from Italy by the Astors and leading down to a large lake. At the lakeside there was an ornate pavilion which had lately been adopted as an outdoor theatre and is regularly used in productions.

Well worth the £10 in my view.

GAINSBOROUGH AND MELFORD HALL

A lovely Spring morning. Lazy start to the day with brunch at 10am and then decided to visit Sudbury which is about 50 miles away in Suffolk. The usual chauffeuse followed the navigators instructions quite successfully despite finishing up in an industrial estate en route Oops!! Found free parking in Sudbury which is unusual. Called into the Tourist Information Centre and picked up a map of the town. There was a market in the Market Square which added to the beauty of this lovely old town. Found Gainsborough's House and enjoyed a wander through this well maintained 16th building with many of Gainsborough's portraits and landscapes adorning the walls. Gainsborough lived here in the 18th century before moving to Bath and subsequently London. One of the most remarkable paintings was of a boy and girl which had, at some time past, been cut in two so that it was represented by a separate portrait of the girl's face, while most of her lower body was still in the boy's portrait.

Walked through the market place where Carol set a record by not buying anything! Photo above is the Gainsborough statue. Had a very nice Pizza for lunch and walked down to the River Stour past the cricket ground where we watched the match in progress for some time.Ah!the sound of leather on the willow!

Melford Hall was close by and we were amused to find that it is the home of the Hyde Parker family. When I suggested to the guide that as they were Hyde Parkers' maybe they were originally vagrants from Hyde Park, he was not amused! A great naval family, they had a history of Admirals going back many years. The house was built in the 16th Century by William Cordell who was Master of the Rolls (obviously not THE CAR) to Queen Elizabeth 1st, and she was entertained there in 1578. It is not a very impressive building architecturally, but internally it was very welcoming and homely.

It's other claim to fame is the association with Beatrix Potter who was related to the Hyde Parkers and often visited. One room contains many of her sketches and watercolours of the house and estate. Another unusual exhibit was a velum survey map of the Estate commissioned in 1580. A charming garden completed the venue beautifully.

And so home to Langdon Hills and a quiet Sunday and another first. The weather was so nice that Len put on his shorts for the first time in ages - My God - those white legs!!!!

CLIVE AND THE NEW FOREST

The start of the half term holiday involved a visit to my old colleague Clive Bowring who lives in a little village called Fritham in the New Forest. As it was a Bank Holiday and we were warned of heavy traffic on the roads, we decided to leave early. As seems to be the case with English Bank Holidays it rained for the whole weekend!!
The traffic was quite normal and we arrived at Winchester by 9am, and having told Clive to expect us about midday, we decided to spend some time here and have another look at the famous Winchester Cathedral. A bite of breakfast first and then we spent an enjoyable couple of hours touring round this magnificent cathedral. The librarium contains some of the oldest publications in the land -going back to the 12th century and quite fascinating.

We duly arrived at Clive's who welcomed us with a bottle of Moet Chandon. He had invited his friend Dave (he shares the Rigid Inflatable Boat which they had had built)and we were soon off for a drive through the forest.Despite the rain,which fortunately eased off, we ambled through this beautiful forest and ssaw the seasons new batch of New Forest colts.Beautiful long legged creatures. We went to Brockenhurst where I had lived in the early 1930's and the photo above is of the old Police Station where my Dad was the village bobby all those years ago - now a private dwelling. We went on into Lymington and had drinks in a harbourside Pub, then back to Fritham. Clive and Dave cooked Spaghetti Bolognaise which was not my cup of tea, but accompanied by several nice bottles of wine, the evening was a success!

Next morning we decided to take a high speed ferry across to the Isle of Wight from Southampton and wandered around Cowes in the rain. Carol bought herself a Hooded Jacket to fend off the cold and I managed to find a very nice shirt with an IOW Logo. Lunch in a super little pub was very acceptable. Back at Fritham Clive had planned to go out to Lyndhurst for a Chinese meal, but I managed to persuade him that it was too miserable an evening for such a venture and offered to cook tea. Clive had six eggs in his fridge (and little else!) so he phoned his Pub just up the road (he owns it!) and the landlords came around for a drink and brought some ham and tomatoes so that I could make omelettes. A few more wines and a malt for a nightcap and a good nights sleep was inevitable.

We drove home via Hartley Wintney where we had a super lunch with my brother Peter and his wife Mary, and then a quick drive up the Motorway home. A most successful visit despite the weather.

It was great catching up with Clive again, and I have no doubt that he will be visiting Australia once again before too long.

SACHSENHAUSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP

Insider Tours had a special offer available in May which provide an additional tour free when one had been taken. As we had done the Berlin Walk we opted to take the Sachsenhausen tour which was for 6 hours. We went by train to Oranienberg about 35 kms from Berlin. On the way we noticed three Anarchists stride through the train, dressed in a military type fashion of black boots and jackets,with the usual skinhead appearance and each sucking on a bottle of beer. They were on their way to the G8 Summit at Rostock where violent protests subsequently took place. Not nice looking people.

Sachsenhausen was built in the early 1930's as a "model" camp and housed political enemies of the Third Reich together with Jews, Gypies Homosexuals and criminals. It was not initially designed as an extermination camp like Auschwitz,although it did later build and use gas ovens. In 1945 the Russians (who occupied this part of Germany) took over the camp and used it in much the same manner (but without the killings) to imprison dissidents.

As we walked from the station to the camp we were told that in the early days, prisoners were marched ffrom the train to the camp through the township where citizens were encouraged to demonstrate by jeering, spitting and throwing rubbish at the prisoners. Later this was abandoned as giving too much evidence of maltreatment, and the train stopped further away and prisoners marched unseen through woodland.

Most of the original camp has been destroyed (by the Russians) and only recently has there been a move to establish a Memorial to those who suffered terrible privations and torure. A street of quiet suburban looking houses leads to the Camp entrance, and these houses were occupied by the SS guards during the life of the camp. A separate T shaped building was in fact the SS headquarters from where the "Final Solution" (that became the Holocaust) was launched. There was a separate POW Camp attached to the main camp and conditions there were somewhat better.One famous prisoner,Jimmie James,actually managed to escape several times and recently visited the site.

Food was minimal, clothing totally inadequate for the German Winter and hundreds of prisoners died from malnutrition and exhaustion from camp disciplines and work.The site of the original gallows still exists, as does the Z Complex where thousands were killed by shooting in the back of the neck or being gassed in the chambers. There are several mass graves indicated and several pits of human ashes now covered with memorial stones. It is not pleasant to see the remains of Z Station where the executions took place and be shown the step by step progress of prisoners from room to room leading to their eventual killing. In 1941 10,000 Russian Prisoners of War were executed by shooting and buried in a Mass grave.

Two of the remaining prison huts were recently fire bombed by Neo Nazis and the resultant damage has been left unrepaired to demonstrate the ongoing danger of these people. It was interestiing to hear Kenny (our previoous guide) tell of the harassment his tours were subjected to at times and that he had at one time armed himself with a Pepper spray!

No one could claim to have enjoyed this particular tour, it was a very sobering thought that a civilised nation like Germany could be so manipulated by evil men and set out to pursue acts of violence and inhumanity on such a scale.

BERLIN POTSDAM PART 2

Had a great nights sleep, a hearty breakfast and then off to Potsdam which was a 30 minute train ride from Berlin. As usual Carol quickly worked out the transport system and we took a bus to the Sanssouci Palace the Summer house of Frederick the Great. Our audio guide through the obscenely embellished rooms of the palace was very well presented, and outside we admired the vast gardens. A separate building housed a fabulous art collection - a gallery with hundreds of works of art hung cheek by jowl along the walls. In a way I felt that the amassing of so many paintings in such close proximity detracted from the ability to appreciate the collection. A quick snack of Bratwurst chips and a beer, satisfied the inner hunger and we took another bus to Cecilienhof Palace which is the final Hohenzollern Palace built in the style of an English Country House in the early 1900's.

This Palace was the venue for the famous Potsdam Conference which decided on the future division of Germany after WW2 and was attended by Stalin Churchill and Roosevelt, later replaced by Clement Atlee and Truman. The top right pictures show the Palace and the conference room where meetings took place.I nearly got caught taking the conference room picture as photos were not allowed and I had forgotten that the flash was on!!!

A very friendly bus driver then took us into the old town of Potsdam where we had a lovely stein of beer and Carol had her beer and raspberry (Heirbeir I think it was called!).Then a tram ride down to the Station and back to Berlin. Had an excellent meal in a restaurant near our hotel and were a bit put oout when the waiter brought the bill and made the point that it did not include a service charge or tip!! Carol was most unimpressed and we left the exact money on the table and walked out!!

BERLIN AND POTSDAM

This was one hell of a four day visit and we were pooped little travellers by the time we got home. There were two aspects of Berlin that we tasted - the historical architecture and the Third Reich. I was surprised by two things. Firstly - the significant rebuilding which had taken place after the massive damage caused by both the Allied bombing raids and the Russian battle for Berlin. Secondly - the impact of the Hitler years and the subsequent Russian impact with the East/West divide.

Our friends Tim and Ruth had given us some valuable pointers for the visit, and our Welcome Card which they recommended was a real bonus. We validated our three day passes on the train from Schonefeld airport into the city and managed to get off at the nearest station to our Hotel, although we had to walk some 800 metres along the Kurfurstendam. Although we were early arrivals we were able to get to our room and sit down to work out a plan of attack.After a nice meal of Sushi we trundled off into the City proper and identified the starting point for the Walking Tours, and then took a Tourist bus trip around the major tourist attractions. Then we went hunting for an electric jug as the one we had taken with us for our morning cuppas had unfortunately sprung a hole after contact in the suitcase with our bottle opener!!We visited the most enormous store on the KuDam and after traipsing through a maze of departments eventually found our quarry and thought thankfully of the early morning reviver. On the wander around the area we also managed to book seats for a concert by the Berlin Palace Orchestra at the Charlottenburg Palace Orangery for the following night.

Next day we took ourselves along to the meeting place for the Insiders Tours where we booked the 4 hour Famous Walk. Our guide was a Scotsman,Kenny, who was absolutley tremendous. His knowledge of Berlin (and history) was comprehensive and his ability to communicate that knowledge quite amazing. We walked through the old East Berlin and visited the Island of Museums, Check Point Charlie, the Book Burning site, the Reichstag,Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial,Hitler's bunker,the remains of the Berlin Wall and Gestapo Headquarters. All the time we were given a detailed history of each area. At the end of the tour, Kenny asked if we would like to hear about the events leading up to the demolition of the Berlin Wall. Needless to say we all thought that would be great and listened enthralled as he told us of the East German confusion at a Press Conference which led to a young German hearing on the radio that East Germans were to be allowed into West Germany jumping up onto the wall. When people realised that he had not been shot at (which would have been the normal reaction) they soon started to rejoice at their new found freedom and hacked into the wall!!

As we were close to the Reichstag, we walked back there and queued for best part of an hour to go into the building and up into the cupola which sits atop the building.
It was well worth the wait as the view from the top level was dramatic and the beer we had in the restaurant a real reviver!!

An early dinner at a superb Thai restaurant and then off to our concert. Of course we got off the bus about four stops too early and eventually had to grab a cab to get to the Orangery in time for the start of what was a most enjoyable feast of Handel/Bach/Corelli and Mozart. Even managed to get the right bus back to the Hotel.

CLIVE AND THE NEW FOREST

The start of half term combined with a Bank Holiday was marred by ghastly weather. Cold and raining. We had arranged to go down to the New Forest and stay with Clive Bowring for a couple of nights, and with dire warnings about the likelihood of millions of cars on the roads, we left early for the drive down to Fritham. And of course, the traffic was quite ordinary!! So we reached Winchester by 9 am and decided to have some breakfast and then have a look at the famous Cathedral. Very impressive of course and highlighted with a viewing of the Winchester Bible, a 15th century document. In addition there were other early tomes dating back to the 13th century - quite remarkable.

On down to Clives where we were met with a bottle of Moet pink champers! Clive's friend Dave arrive and we went off for a drive through the New Forest which was alive with sightseers, and dozens of the New Forest Ponies -lots of them with newborn foals. Visited Brockenhurst where I had lived in the 1930's. The photo above is of the house that we lived in.It is now a private residence but when we were there it was the Police Station with Dad as the local bobby.Brought back a lot of memories. Drove on to Lymington and walked down to the Quay and had a drink in the quayside pub. Then back to Fritham and Spaghetti Bolognese with copious quantities of wine before retiring to bed!

It was still raining on Sunday, but notwithstanding the dreadful weather we all decided to take the high speed ferry across to Cowes on the Isle Wight. Found a great little clothing shop where Carol bought a "hoodie" as she was feeling the cold. Then into a magnificent old pub for a delicious meal and a dram or two. Back to Clives and a quiet late afternoon - I watched the BMW Masters Golf while Clive had a nap,Carol read, and Dave departed for his place. We had planned to go out to Lyndhurst for a Chinese dinner, but I suggested to Clive that the weather was too awful,and we scratched around his batchelor kitchen and managed to cook up some delightful omelettes.

We left about 10am on Monday and drove along to Peter and Mary's place where we had arranged to have lunch with them. So another Pub - this time with a French restaraunt,a delightful meal and then home to Langdon Hills. Despite the weather we had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and now look forward to flying over to Berlin for three nights.

SHAPPERS AND LE BROCQ

We had a big programme this weekend starting off with a trip to Bulls Brook where our old friends John and Brenda Shapiro were celebrating John's 75th birthday.The function had been organised by his children and it was brilliant. The garden setting was perfect and the weather quite kind. As one would expect with Shappers there was plenty of liquid refreshment, and we met some interesting people who were friends. It was quite amazing that so many of the pepople we talked to had either been to, or had some connection with, Australia - so conversation was easy.

Lunch from the BBQ was delicious and while we sat and ate under the tent shelter, a magician entertained each table with some amazing wizardry. At one stage he showed that he had one coin in one fist and three in the other - then invited two of the guests to firmly grip his wrists - and then bingo -opened his fists and showed all four coins in one of them! And at the same time he managed to undo and remove John's wristwatch without him knowing!! Clever stuff.We reluctantly left about 4 pm to drive on down to Bournemouth where we had arranged to meet up with one of my old schoolmates Michael LeBrocq.We found our hotel without any trouble.Although there have been many changes since I lived there 55 years ago, I still knew my way around. As we did not feel particularly like any more food we went for a walk along the cliff top and through the Winter Gardens into the City centre.
On the way we stopped to buy a book from a fellow who was sitting on the footpath beside a bicycle festooned with the names of countries of the world. He was a German who had spent his life cycling around the world and had clocked up 40,000 kms in doing so! He had gone through 15 passports, taken 80,000 photos and rebuilt his treadly many times.
Sunday morning Mike and his wife Merle picked us up at the hotel and drove us over to Sandbanks where he is a member of the Royal Motor Yacht Club. He actually supervises the boatyard in a voluntary capacity spending each morning of the week there. I had not had contact with him since leaving England in 1952 and was surprised to learn that he had become the Chief Engineer of the local paper "The Echo" where he had worked for 50 years. Mike had left school early at the suggestion of the school who felt his performance less than desirable!! But he had always been a bit of a DIY handyman, and it was that skill that he developed and as a totally self taught engineer suceeded. At his home he has a railway line through the garden on which he runs a steam engine and a diesel engine which he built completely from scratch. It is those talents which makes him invaluable to the Yacht Club. His wife Merle plays tennis several times a week and last year reached the finals of the mixed doubles in the English Veterans championship!! A great couple.

We had a lovely lunch in the club and caught up with past names of friends and associates which was pure nostalgia but wonderful. Then we walked around the golden streets of Sandbanks which has some of the most expensive land in the world. Houses are bought for millions of pounds and
pulled down so that a modern structure can take there place - money money money.

And then it was time drive the 150 miles home -motor way all the way and we did the trip in 2 and 1/2 hours.