We sailed from Southampton the day after we’d arrived with a fresh group of students. This voyage was to Vigo, again, and later Cadiz, where according to Sir Francis Drake he ‘Singed the King’s Beard’ . Sir Francis Drake Singed a King’s Beard in 1587. Drake’s original map, the pink arrow shows how he approached Cadiz harbour. Spain […]
Once the decision had been made to join the Majestic Princess in Rome, and to sail back to Singapore, the next thought was how to get to Rome and home from Singapore. I checked various airlines that we have used in the past, and considered the cost via each one, but as one gets older one […]
A ninety-minute drive south of Kuala Lumpur international airport is Melaka (Malacca). We first visited Melaka for a day trip from Kuala Lumpur – it was a long day, but we liked the look of the place and a few years later, we returned and stayed in a small Chinese hotel. Along the Melaka River […]
A radio message arrived to inform us that we were to call at Trincomalee to pick up mail and to investigate the situation before leaving the area for Fremantle in Western Australia. This suited us all of us on board because picking up mail was one of the most important events for anyone at sea […]
Our driver arrived five minute early, I do love efficiency, and at 3.00 am we had the fastest drive ever to the airport, which was just over twenty minutes instead of the normal 45 minutes. Check-in went smoothly and our bags checked through to Rome. We were given vouchers for a hotel near Dubai airport, Le […]
Karanja, launched 1930, 9891 gt. She was no longer a liner that operated between Bombay and East Africa and down to Durban, she had been converted to a troop ship HMS Karanja LSI (L) and now she was off to war. The WS 17 convoy formed off the island of Oversay, which is off the west coast […]
A radio message arrived to inform us that we were to call at Trincomalee to pick up mail and to investigate the situation before leaving the area for Fremantle in Western Australia. This suited us all of us on board because picking up mail was one of the most important events for anyone at sea […]
During our holiday in Chiang Mai in Thailand we decided to have a ride on an elephant – to be honest the tour that we paid for was a for water rafting, which included a ride on an elephant. Having ridden on an elephant at Chester zoo, when I was a child, I expected something […]
Around the corner from our accommodation was an old railway station called Sulphide Street Station. It is no longer in use, but is now the location of a small railway museum. Silver City Comet is now part of the museum. The above is the left side of the explanation of the train at the museum. Pictures of […]
The flag of Tonga. The red cross of the flag indicates Christianity, approximately 97 % of Tongans are Christian, the white is for purity and the red field is in memory of Christ’s blood shed at His crucifixion. The Kingdom of Tonga consists of 176 islands and the largest is Tongatapu and the capital Nuk’alofa […]
Cook Is. sunset Cook Island flag with the union flag which denotes the historical link with the UK, and the fifteen stars represent each of the islands that make up the Cook Islands. The map will give you an idea of the location of the Cook Island – they are three and a half flying […]
A few days away from Sydney in an effort keep warm – Perth is the transit stop to Broome, which is a two hour flight north of Perth. I can’t blame Perth for its coolness of weather nor could I complain about our hotel – Novotel. Using Accor points we secured a large corner room […]
After visiting Silverton we decided to visit Pro Hart’s gallery in Broken Hill. I am not a particularly enthusiastic art viewer – I know that it has been said before, ‘I know what I like’, but I don’t always understand what I am viewing. The gallery is well laid out over three levels. Many of […]
Manchester Ship Canal in the early 1900’s. Over the years Manchester had a number airports, the first being built near the Manchester Ship Canal, and it was called Trafford Park Aerodrome. It opened in 1911 and closed in 1918. This was followed by Alexandra Park Aerodrome, which can be seen below. Manchester’s second airport 1918 […]
