holidays

Cambridge and College life

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Leaving the island was difficult. It’s so beautiful and we had such a ‘jolly time’ as the Famous Five would say!

Cambridge and the punts beckoned, so after lunch at the pub we packed up and headed off.

Arriving in the afternoon around 4 it was still very warm, so after checking into our accommodation – Newnham College –  we headed off.

Accomodation in Cambridge is quite expensive and we had a car to park so this College, just over the river from the town, was perfect.

Steve did some study here a while ago and remembered the layout. So we started walking and opted to jump on a punt for a close-up view of the Colleges that line the river.

They are beautiful. Our guide and pole master, Charity, was very good at storytelling and brought alive some of the history behind the establishment of these famous Colleges.

Kings College, Trinity and St Johns are big, imposing and rivals!

We glided along – sometimes ducking the poles of the punters who thought they could ‘do it themselves’ and obviously couldn’t!

After river excitement it was beer and Pimms time. Very traditional to have a Pimms before, after or during punting.

Dinner in a pub on the river then a walk back to our College. It would be great to be a student here for awhile.

The next morning we bought tickets to view the Kings College Chapel – a must. It’s huge. Hardly a Chapel and has an interesting history to go with it.

Read about it here.

http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/kings-college-chapel

From here we went up the Wren Library in Trinity College. It’s a must for Library lovers. It opened in 1695 and is still a working library.

https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/library/wren-library/

They have a wonderful collection including a hand written copy of Winnie the Pooh! But no photos allowed.

I loved the little brass motifs all along the footpaths.

Then it was off to the countryside to visit the Henry Moore Sculpture Garden.

I’ll have to blog about that separately. It’s that wonderful.

Camping on an island in the River Thames!

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We’ve met some wonderful people on our swim trek holidays and Bill has become a firm friend.

He visited us in Caloundra after Christmas last year and now we have visited him at his summer get away.

He’s very fortunate to have the lease on a camp site on an island in the River Thames at Shiplake – not far from Henley.

We arrived in a little laneway with a ridiculously cute name and were met by Bill.

He led the way and we walked over the bridge to the island carrying a small bag for our overnight stay.

We passed the lock keeper’s cottage

And walked past the other 13 tents to the second last one.

It’s really quite civilised! A little more glamping than camping. There are beds and rugs on the floor, even a little kitchen. Just no bathroom. There is a toilet block nearby.

We settled in and had a swim before lunch. The river is cold and beautiful.

I didn’t actually swim! I watched and took photos. It was a little too cold for me after the warm Turkish waters.

After lunch we …

We set off in the row boat. I got to steer the rudder and Bill and Steve rowed. It was so lovely gliding down the river.

Quite an adventure!

We stopped for an afternoon G & T at the Bull a charming pub at Sonning not far from the river bank. We had to go through the church yard to get there.

Then it was back into the boat for an adventure. We went via The Patrick – an overgrown small river. I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie.

It was great fun. Bill sure knows how to entertain us!

Dinner, cooked by Bill was a bbq. Perfect sitting on the deck beside the river.

Sleeping in the comfortable bed was delicious. The noise of water splashing over the weir lulled us into a long peaceful sleep. It was cool but so cosy under the covers.

The next morning was overcast but that didn’t stop the boys from swimming – though even Steve said it was cold. Brrr.

Breakfast followed by a swing or perhaps table tennis. Or even some gardening!

Then it was back in the row boat heading up the river to another pub. This time for lunch. But not before we went under a low bridge or two! And past some very posh houses.

After lunch we meandered back to the island and reluctantly packed up.

We headed for Cambridge. Arriving at around 4 it was warm and the river looked inviting so we went punting. Such fun.

The Colleges along the River are magnificent.

We were entertained by those who thought they could punt on their own. Some were dangerously close to falling in. Others hitting people in other punts with their pole or simply not going anywhere!

We enjoyed a Pimms at the riverside pub as we watching the punting. Some good some not.

Tomorrow a bit more exploring – hopefully a visit the Wren Library.

Come along with me!

Sunday in London

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We finally had a sleep in! We’ve been so busy – up and swimming and running around.

Today we had a slower start. We heard the Church bells from St Mary Abbots, a very old church at the back of our place. They got us going. We wanted to investigate.

Coffee at the same cafe as yesterday. When you find a good place I think you should stay with it. This place is great.

Then a wander down the street to look at the Church. We went in and chatted to a lady there about the history of the place. Steve’s sister nursed at the nearby hospital of the same name when she lived in London in the 70’s. It’s gone now – turned into luxury apartments!

Our good friend from our first swim trek, Chris invited us to lunch today. It’s nearby in Kensington. We really looked forward to going there and meeting his French wife, Cecile. She doesn’t do the swim treks, so hadn’t come to the various swims since we met Chris back in 2013.

We bought some gorgeous flowers and headed to their house. It’s a lovely 4 level house with a garden and sun terrace. Very special in this part of London. I didn’t like to whip out my camera so have very few photos.

The sun was out so we sat on the terrace and their daughter Susan was home from Paris where she works for a fashion company. She’s very sweet.

Then their eldest son Tim arrived. He’s been living in NY but is transferring back to London with his Australian girlfriend.

They are a lovely family. Cecile was a teacher Librarian like me! But works now as a careers advisor at the French Lycee.

Later in the day Steve went to the Science Museum and I went walking and window shopping in the area. It’s so nice around this part of London.

The blue spot is where we are staying. Quite close to Kensington Palace.

Later in the evening we walked to The Ivy Kensington Brasserie just down the street. We just had one simple course – but it was very nice. I had a fish curry and Steve had Shepherds Pie. Both little serves and quite delicious.

Now we are packing to leave this little Airbnb. Tomorrow we head towards Henley. Our friend Bill – yet another friend from our Galapagos swim trek – has a ‘camping’ spot on an island in the Thames! Yes. We are camping tomorrow night so that will be a change of pace. And the temperature is dropping.

Apparently we’ll be swimming in the Thames, perhaps a little rowing and hopefully a Gin & Tonic!

London

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Arriving back in London was a change of pace.

Our Air BnB in Kensington is centrally located and great. It’s small but has everything.

Landing at 8.30pm it was late – so straight to bed.

The morning was clear and fine and I explored out the back of our apartment.

It backs onto a garden which is private and quiet. Really lovely.

We got ready and headed off to Covent Garden and Somerset House to explore it before lunch at Spring.

Covent Garden was alive with buskers – very good performers including an Australian opera singer. There’s so much life to the place. It’s infectious.

Then a tour of Somerset House built into 1547.

https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/plan-your-visit

In the new wing of Somerset House is Spring. It’s a restaurant owned by Skye Gyngell, an Australian.

http://springrestaurant.co.uk/about/skye-gyngell/

It’s elegant, pretty, delicious. I’d heard about from Gourmet magazine and a friend, Shelley who visited it earlier this year.

She was right. The sommelier, Monique from Cape Town, was welcoming and friendly and looked absolutely gorgeous in her ‘uniform ‘ as did the young waiter.

Everyone admired her ‘uniform’ and she demonstrated how it tied up!

If they looked so good, with attention to detail , then the food would be great.

We had the set menu at 27 pounds. It was delicious. I had a salad then octopus (yes can’t get away from it), Steve roasted beetroot with tomatoes and onglet (hanger steak) with beans. So pretty, so delicious. But light!

Passing by the restaurant we saw the latest demonstration about Brexit. They are heartily sick of it here. Boris is standing arrogantly against opposition and I think not worrying what the demonstrators are saying. They blocked the bridge near Somerset House causing disruption to Saturday traffic.

So we escaped the blocked traffic and caught the tube to the V&A where we were meeting Bill, our Galapagos swim trek friend.

The V&A is wonderful. Another tribute to Albert, husband of Queen Victoria.

We saw the exhibition on baths (pools) or Lidos in Great Britain.

Then an eye opening exhibition on Food.

We really need to wake up and get moving with sustainable food practices. It’s a wonder we could eat after we saw the way some food is produced – en masse. We should all be growing our own and never waste anything.

With that in mind we went to Royal Albert Hall, another magnificent building used for big concerts notably the BBC Proms – one we were attending tonight.

https://www.royalalberthall.com

We had a pre-concert dinner at Elgar one of the lovely restaurants.

Then into our box for the Henry Wood tribute concert. Henry Wood a former great conductor, musician and composer. He died in 1944 after a long career. He started the Promenade Concerts in 1895 now called the Proms. What a legacy.

The concert was wonderful. A real mix of music types but all told his story.

The Royal Albert Hall is a great place to visit if you come to London.

Hellespont: Race day arrives

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Steve left at 5.30 for a light breakfast before heading to the wharf for the 6.30 boat across to the start line – 800 staters for the race!.

I stayed and packed and made my way to the finish line. It was quite the scene.

Many Turkish families gathered to cheer on their sons and daughters.

It was hard to see the swimmers arriving. Some were being swept by the current past the finish line – adding a difficult swim back to finish.

I was hoping Steve wasn’t amongst those unfortunate swimmers.

I saw Vanessa. She was beaming. She’s had a great swim and came in under one hour. A really great time.

I couldn’t see Steve and started to worry. Not another swim like Hong Kong!

Finally Hussein, our local Swim Trek guide, came and found me. ‘Steve arrived about 10 mins ago. He came in around 1hr 5″. Then George arrived around 1hr 15. All three had great swims and were jubilant.

They all wore their Hellespont finishers medal with pride.

After photos and watching the last swimmers arrive (or not! – as some were pulled out) we had a beer before racing back to the hotel to change for our flight back to London. When booking we made a mistake with dates and booked a day early.

Steve was lucky he got to do the swim!

We had time to watch the award ceremony – we were hopeful Vanessa would get a medal.

The young Turks won the first 3 major places, and then they did the age groups starting with the eldest – for a change – and unbelievably “Stefan Maitland” was called out as the bronze medal winner for his age group. Third. Wow. We all cheered and Steve was a bit knocked out!

Then Vanessa won Gold in her age group!

What a day.

With Simon Murie, owner of Swim Trek and “foreigners” organiser for Hellespont.

From there to the airport for our flight to London. Talk about a busy day.

Looking forward to a change of pace and weather. It was very hot in Turkey but London will be cooler.

Bozcaada : an island to visit

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A friend suggested a visit to Bozcaada – an island about 2 hrs from Canakkale.

As we had arrived in Canakkale a day earlier than we were meant to, so decided to go.

We caught the ferry down. We were told it took 1hr but it took 2hr. Mind you, it was pleasant sitting on the deck looking at the Gallipoli side of Turkey slip by.

We arrived into a blue harbour dominated by a castle with a small beach area in front with lots of umbrellas and sun lounges.

Making our way away from the harbour we found some local markets. I love markets in foreign countries. There are so many similarities but differences as well. Especially the cost! The tomatoes were about $1 a kilo. They looked magnificent.

The local crafts were beachy and not all mass produced and there was a very good book barn with its own cat sleeping amongst the books.

Coffee was under shady trees at the markets alongside lots of locals playing a version of Mahjong. We made our way up the leafy laneway and found some great restaurants, coffee shops, little boutiques and Greek style housing.

It was getting hot so we hailed a taksi and went to Asyama Bay. It’s water was aquamarine and soft sand was covered in little rattan umbrellas that swayed and bobbed in the breeze.

Renting an umbrella and two deck chairs for the day was 35TL – about $A8. There was also an excellent set up to have a shower and little cabins to change clothes.

Swimming in relays so one of us could mind our bags, worked up an appetite so we chose one of the restaurants along the narrow road above the beach.

I had stuffed zucchini flowers and a green salad and Steve enjoyed kofta.

Back to the beach for more swimming and snoozing before heading back to the town for the ferry. There was just enough time for an ice cream. And to see another bride!

We got the free ferry across to the mainland – 1/2 hr. Then a small local bus back to Canakkale. It was quite long about 1.5hr but interesting as the locals hopped on and off with their shopping and we meandered through villages.

If going to Bozcaada perhaps go down on the ferry at 9am and back on the free ferry and bus. Unless they put on a fast ferry!

Our new swim trek friends Vanessa and George are at the same hotel. They’re swimming Hellespont as well. In fact Vanessa won her age group a few years ago.

We had some great Turkish food and then a beer on the roof top of our hotel looking out across the water they’ll be swimming across in two days time.

Ephesus: a look back into the past.

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We slept well but the call to prayer at 5am and the local roosters crowing made it an early start.

Breakfast of ripe tomatoes, an egg and delicious fruits in the lovely garden was a good start to our day. It’s such a healthy breakfast.

We got a ‘taksi’ to the top gate and started our tour. We decided we wanted to move at our own pace and had an audio guide – which is always a good way to go.

Amazing view of the ancient city

There were a few tour groups there but not enough to bother us. It got very hot as we moved around so we hovered like cows under any available tree as we listened to history being brought alive.

What a story is Ephesus. It’s truly amazing to see. The Temple in Agrigento Sicily was great, as are the Roman forum, the Parthenon, Pompeii – but this is altogether amazing. A walled city being rediscovered. The way people lived was described and you could see evidence of the houses, the spa, the latrines, shops, library, amphitheatre, workshops. Everything.

This was one of the most important cities of the ancient world. It was on the Silk Road which made trade so important. It was ruled by Roman, Greek, Byzantine and taken by the Arabs who destroyed it.

We walked for around 2 hours and exited along the promenade of trees to the car park.

Back to Selcuk and the bus station to plan our trip to Canakkale tomorrow when sadly Betty leaves us. It’s been wonderful having her along on this swim trek adventure but she’s heading home to LA.

We returned to yesterday’s restaurant for lunch as it was so good.

Then the Ephesus museum gave respite against the middle of the day heat. It’s a wonderfully curated museum with many examples of the items people of Ephesus used in everyday life – pottery bowls, utensils, weapons, coins along with statues and busts of famous people.

The carpet men of Selçuk.

Walking back to our hotel we passed a carpet Emporium. It looked good and quiet so we went in and met a very nice man who explained the techniques of weaving – .they are keeping these traditional ways of weaving alive as they are a centre for weaving workshops. It was so interesting.

We got talking about styles – Kilams, wool on wool, wool and cotton, silk.

I started thinking about our house and where I could put a Turkish rug. We have one already but to buy a beautiful one here and get the story would be special.

Betty has a kilam hanging on her wall at home. She’d bought it for $US259. She had a photo of it and the master historian was able to explain the meaning behind the symbols.

We ending up loving a hall runner. It has stripes, running water and tree houses – which really appealed as Steve is about to build one for Oliver! It also has tied off fringing which indicates it’s a dowry rug.

So we bought it – to be shipped home. Hopefully it arrives. But I did feel confident. The men were not at all pushy. – not like when we’d been in Istanbul! We accepted their hospitality and had drink with them.

We had another BBQ in the garden at Paradise. Such a great day, our last with my wing woman Betty.

From Kas to Ephesus

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Our last breakfast was more a series of goodbye hugs than food. Hard to grasp that it’s all over!

Those not leaving early went for a last swim and arrived back for final goodbyes.

The staff at the Hotel Linda were great. It’s a good place to stay with a group like ours though there’s no shortage of hotels in Kas.

I left a note and small gift for our friend Yves who arrives at the end of the week. We met him through swim trek a few years ago and have stayed friends every since. He took us to Vanuatu last year (check back here for posts on that trip.)

Into the van with Steve and Betty for our 5hr trip to Selcuk – our base for visiting the world heritage site of Ephesus. I’ve wanted to visit here for ages so this is our chance. A change of tempo! No swimming just walking in the heat no doubt.

Our driver Ali from Wilsue travel had some French and enough English to make communication good. We were going to get the bus but decided as we were 3 we would cut some time and get a car transfer.

We made one stop for coffee and made it to Selcuk by 1.30.

The scenery along the way was great and it was interesting to see the huge areas devoted to growing produce. Large covered areas growing all sorts of veg and fruit.

We did a detour winding up the road just before entering Selcuk . We wanted to visit Holy Mary’s house now a Chapel. History tells us that Jesus had asked his St John to take care of his mother and when he moved to Ephesus she came with him.

We arrived at the top and and walked the path to the Chapel. It’s touristy but really very simple. We took the holy waters, saw the wall of prayer intentions and wondered if history was correct. Several Popes have visited the area which seems to give it authenticity.

Our small hotel – the Ephesus Paradise – came highly recommended by Booking.com

It was perfect. Lovely old style house. Big rooms, aircon! , nice manager and a lovely garden to have a drink and the house BBQ dinner in the evening.

Also close to the things we would visit.

We headed out for lunch – we’re getting used to delicious Turkish mezze plates and salads and the Efes beer is easy to drink on a hot day.

Discovering Selcuk was easy. We found our way to St Johns Bascillica – set in a walled area overlooking the town toward Ephesus. It’s being reconstructed stone by stone – it would have been one of the biggest churches in the world.

We climbed further up the hill to the fort. It is also being restored and the walk up and back was a little rough walking over slippery marble. The views were magnificent and the breeze cut the high temperatures.

Outside the gates we met (yet again) a man selling ‘ancient coins’. He identified us as Australians and sent up the cry “Aussie Aussie Aussie” – they truly love Australians here.

We headed down hill towards the mosque and were rewarded with a photographer capturing a bride and groom on the entrance steps. She looked beautiful. And so composed in the heat.

Entering the mosque not only did we have to cover our head but cover our body in a a long and very hot robe.

We were given some free information on discovering Islam and Steve struck up a conversation with a lovely young man – a former Turkish AirForce helicopter search and rescue team member.

By now it was nearly 6 so made our way back to the Paradise Hotel, a cool shower and enjoyed a drink in the garden. We met fellow guests from Holland. The tall man sported a freshly broken leg! He had slipped on the steps at the St Johns Bascillica. I thought they looked dangerous!

He’d had to visit the small local hospital. Luckily it was a clean break and he didn’t need surgery- well not yet. He had a cast and was waiting on his insurance company to get home home. End of holiday.

Tomorrow at Ephesus we shall be extra careful!

Day 5. Last day in Turkish Paradise

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The heat was fierce as we walked to the boat on our last morning. We were a little later than usual and we felt it.

Ten minutes on the boat and we were ready to jump in.

We swam a short distance and came to a cave opening. Eoin went in with the torch. Five at a time we followed. It was dark, eerie somewhat scary. But looking back out the water was blue.

The water colours here are amazing aqua, turquoise, cerulean, aquamarine, azure. When they invented paint charts they got the blue colours from the waters here.

We swam along as a group and found a tunnel. Diver Diana was the only one to swim down and through. She has the scratches to prove it.

Nearly 3 km later we swam into a gorgeous blue bay and boarded the boat for our usual tea ceremony.

Waiting for lunch gives a chance to relax and chat but some, notably B1 & B2, got back in the water for more swimming. A few butterfly strokes, a bit of backstroke a dive or two. Boundless energy.

Once again a delicious lunch. And then siesta time. After lunch activities include Noirin giving Eoin some Pilates instruction. Some muscle work. It was interesting to watch that’s for sure. Eoin is a Brad Pitt type ( in his younger days) and was putting on quite a show. Sweetie Helen, fish spotter Ali and I watched. Mmmm

The energetic took to diving – off the top of the boat, the walkway, the front of the boats. Screams of laughter and encouragement led to a competition and videoing session. All was good until ‘they broke the boat’.

The ropes holding the walkway with the shower pulled away. Mustafa, Zeynap and Effie came running and the show was over. No more silly antics!

The last swim on a trek is always rather special. We cruised along. Everyone was very pleased they had made it to the end.

The traditional swim trek awards were made. Each swimmer gets a tailor made comment on something noticed about them during the week. I got the ‘Blogtastic’ award, Steve the Jolly Swagman, Betty the American Nightingale, B1 the Clown Prince, B2 the arrow ( swims so straight!) Noirin Drama, Rachel the most improved , Pam the Mother, And so it went. Lots of laughs. Steve spoke for everyone to thank the boat crew, Mustafa, Zeynap and Effie. He did it in Turkish!

And we all sang Happy Birthday to Zeynap.

It was bittersweet saying goodbye after a week of fun swimming and making new friends.

We did the ‘fit the smallest person into a bathing cap trick!’ Poor Betty was lifted into a water filled cap. Then it broke!

The last afternoon saw us having a cocktail, visiting room 211 for a G & T and finally heading to Pebble Beach for dinner.

With our singing nightingale Betty.

Sunset at Pebble Beach Steve, George and Vanessa

What a way to finish! Magical.

Special thanks to our wonderful guides Eoin and John. They made a team from 16 swimmers from different places with different abilities.

And to our fellow swimmers – thank you.

Day 4: Swimming Greece to Turkey

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Around day 4 we all start to get a little tired ! Lots of swimming, sun, dinners out, talking , walking, not to mention the odd Gin & Tonic. It all adds up.

In fact, instead of Swim Trek, Ali and Helen call it Gin Trek! Love it.

Sensibly, Swim Trek have built in a rest half day. Knock us out with a big swim in the morning, great lunch, then an afternoon off.

Perfect.

Our goal today was to swim from Greece to Turkey. See the map above.

Looking out from Kas, in the distance you can see an island. It’s actually a Greek island and we are going to swim from it towards Kas. Two crossings from island to island then along the coast to a lighthouse.

We set off at 8.30 and the conditions were perfect. Calm waters. Barely any chop. We motored across from Greece.

Pink group first, then the mighty orange group followed by the yellows ( the fast swimmers!) The idea is we all catch each other and finish together.

Off we went. We touched the rocks of Greece and set off. It was perfect.

The swim went according to plan and we all more or less finished together. What an exhilarating feeling.

But not everyone rested!

Free diver Diana gave B1 a lesson on how to free dive. She’s amazing in diving deep. Pam lost her googles overboard and Diana was the only one able to go deep enough to rescue them.

Today we had not only a beautiful lunch but a beer ! No swimming this afternoon.

Eoin produced a brochure for a spa not far from the hotel. Who was going to have a Hamam? A Turkish spa treatment! Yes said 9 women.

Something to look forward to.

After arriving back at the Marina, Betty and I walked to the Friday markets. Good idea, until we got a little lost and walked further than we should in the searing heat. Finally we found it and were impressed by the variety of beautiful coloured fruits and vegetables.

I bought a Turkish towel and some Turkish delight and we made our way back to the hotel to prepare for our 3pm spa Hamam.

Four of us left together Sth African Pam, US Betty, Irish Noirin and myself. The others were coming later.

The spa was in a modern building near the marina. We were greeted and shown to the change room and then into the sauna wrapped in striped Turkish towels. Ten minutes was more than enough for me.

Next was the wash room. Two marble slabs awaited Pam and I. Onto the slab in the buff and the exfoliating began. She had on what looked like a pair of Brillo gloves. It was harsh! Then came the cream wash and lots of buckets of water. Next was the bubble treatment.

Not us! Photos from the brochure.

A large bag was filled with water and then swung around and emptied onto you until you were covered with bubbles. The massage continued until ……… I felt her grab my ankles and pull. Wow. I was as slippery as an eel and flew along the marble slab. I thought I’d end up on the floor. Then she pushed and back I flew the other way. This happened three times. I screamed I’m not sure why! But it was fun! And scary.

Next step was being helped up and sat next to the fountain and having containers of water sloshed over my head.

Next Pam & I were shuffled out under a bucket of icy water which was tipped all over us. Brrrr.

Recovery time on a lounge wrapped in a towel was a treat from the trauma.

Next up a great massage and face mask. Much more restful though she found my poor aching swimming muscles.

What an experience. When in Turkey try a Hamam. You will be refreshed and entertained all at once.

An hour of recovery time at the hotel before regrouping and heading off to a beach bar for dinner.

Last swim day tomorrow