Travel

Ukraine Adventure in 1968

My Travel Journal Continued: “From Paris to Russia and Back”

I visit the Ukraine in 1968

Saturday 24th August, 1968 (Day 55 of our journey)

I awoke feeling sick on our 5th day in Russia. So Liz drove us into the Intourist Centre where we asked for a guide, who was sent for immediately. Kiev was a very beautiful city with wide streets, huge buildings, many shops and more western-looking than Odessa. Our chubby, round-faced guide, who said he was not Ukrainian but of Tartar origin, attempted to amuse us with an American-style accent. He was an extremely good guide, and told us many interesting facts about each monument. As if in passing, he also announced the news that Russian troops were currently occupying Czechoslovakia, and said it was to stop Czechoslovakia from moving towards capitalism. We saw the statue of St Vladimir the Grand Duke, who brought Christianity to Kiev: it overlooked the River Dnieper and showed a fine view of the city.

August 28, 2016 0 comment

Travel Writing

Delphi and its Sacred Ways

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece gave such a lot to the world, including architecture, philosophy and theatre. I thought about this when I visited Greece with two friends in the late sixties. Stories of Delphi and the oracle had enthralled me when I was studying at Teachers College a few years previous to this.

The Sacred Way

Armidale Teachers’ College

Miss Margaret Mackie, my Philosophy teacher at Armidale Teachers’ College in 1961-62, regaled us with stories of the Delphic Oracle, and of Plato and Socrates; we studied parts of The Republic by Plato in detail, including The Allegory of the Cave, and I came to idealise these great thinkers of ancient times. A few years later, I revelled in the chance to visit these magical places that my teacher had opened up for me. This was in 1968, when I travelled from France to Greece with two girlfriends from Melbourne, whom I had met while working at the Australian Embassy in Paris.

Mount Parnassus

These Four Photos

I know that you can find more perfect photographs than these scenes of Delphi, taken with my camera in 1968. But these slides, with their scratches, are precious mementoes for me. I took these photos while clambering around on the mountainous Greek terrain in the summer of 1968. I was soundly punished by the gods, perhaps by the guardian of the sanctuary, Apollo, with a bad case of sun-stroke for my ecstasy. Or was it by the jealous goddess Athena? A small price to pay for such an experience that I have carried with me through the years. These photos were reproduced from slides that I had stored away for thirty-nine years.

The Theatre with the Temple to Apollo in the background

The Theatre

A Modern Greek Playwright

While in the Pelopennese in the sixties, I saw a play in the famous open-air theatre at Epidaurus.

More recently I saw a play, “The Pride”, which was a comment on society’s changing attitudes to our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities. The playwright, Alexi Kaye Campbell, was born in Athens to a Greek father and an English mother.

Campbell calls on the beauty and mystery of Mount Parnassus to portray one of the main character’s epiphany, prophesying a better future for LGBT people. I must add, too, that my cousin’s daughter, Geraldine Hakewill, played the only female role alongside the two male actors. To add further to the synchronicity, at least for me, I watched the play at the Eternity Playhouse, a modern theatre in a restored heritage listed 129 year-old building in Sydney.

Around the same time, I saw an episode of the British television documentary Great Continental Railway Journeys, presented by Michael Portillo, who visits Delphi, and reveals some of the theories to do with the identity of the oracle.

We learnt that the name “Pythia” is derived from Pytho, the original mythical name of Delphi. Pythia was also the House of Snakes. The modern theory is that the Pythia (oracle) spoke gibberish while in a frenzied state induced by vapours rising from a chasm in the rocks at the site. Priests interpreted the woman’s ravings as the enigmatic prophecies preserved in Greek literature.

The Temple to Athena

Delphi 1968

Was it my imagination playing tricks on me, or was there indeed a breathtaking godliness about this place? The mountains towering about like guardians of a sacred place—orange, pink and stony, powerful and gleaming in the sun. The walks up to each of the ancient monuments inspiring sacred awe: starting below with the Gymnasium, The Marmaria Temple to Athena, protectress of the Apollo Temple further up, the one lovely in its rosy granite lightness, the other perfect in its simple lines. We searched for a site marking the oracle, a shrine or stone or something, but, despite its physical absence, you could believe that you heard its voice, saw its slippery serpent-like tail gleaming among the rocks and ferns and springs. The theatre steps spanned mightily around, and on high, the stadium!

That evening, suntanned, spirit-fresh and tired, we drove to the camp below and drank cognac, and talked of ancient gods, of beauty, and of life.

August 28, 2016 0 comment

Travel Writing

Things To Do in Sydney

While Sydney is known for its spectacular beaches and warm weather, there are still plenty of places to visit and things to experience in The Harbour City during winters. What makes winter the perfect season to explore the beauty of the city is the lack of summer crowds that can make exploring Sydney a bit messy during the hotter months of the year.

So, whether you’re a local or a tourist ready to take advantage of your vacations and explore Sydney in winter, here are our top recommendations. Give them a try and make your experience of vacationing in Sydney worthwhile.

opera-vivid-lights

1. Enjoy Lights, Music, and Drinks at Vivid Lights

Vivid Lights is the largest winter festival in the entire Southern Hemisphere that’s known for its dazzling kaleidoscopic light projections, live music performances, and exhibitions. This year, the festival is five days longer which means that tourists will be able to enjoy 23 days of illuminated winter nights in Sydney. To take excitement and fun to the next level, the festival also includes an exhibition and several live music performances from renowned artists and pre- and post-show drinks at Deep Purple Pool. And you may take a cruise on the Harbour to benefit from the light displays: See the link:

The Princess Cruises

2. Take a Scenic Walk

While Sydney may not welcome you with warm waters in winter, it still offers you an opportunity to enjoy a long winter walk and soak up the scenic beauty of the shore. The city has many great walking tracks, such as Bondi to Coogee Walk: See the excellent youtube video (above) by Paul Atroshenko. Stretching over several kilometres, these treks offer you spectacular coastal views and an opportunity to have quality time with your partner. Also see Paul’s video of the Taronga Zoo to Middle Head Walk (below).

3. Visit the Royal National Park

The second oldest national park of the world is in the Sutherland Shire. It offers you a lot more than just the scenic views of its glorious cliffs and secluded beaches. From whale watching to bushwalking and barbecues, there are a plenty of options available at the Royal National Park. So, plan a trip to this amazing location this winter, indulge in a fun-filled activity and beat the winter blues.

4. Go Whale Watching

Ask anyone for the best things to do in Sydney in winter and whale watching is sure to top their list. The Harbour City offers you the rare opportunity get up close with the magnificent marine creatures . Select the best whale watching spot in Sydney and spend a day watching whales breeching and blowing as they migrate to the north to breed.

5. Ice Skating at Bondi Beach

6. Plan a Day Trip to the Blue Mountains

If you’re the adventurous soul who’s ready to breathe in and enjoy the fresh, air and wind, you should plan a visit to the Blue Mountains. Visit the 340 million years old Jenolan Caves to experience the cool underground temperatures or climb up the Kanangra Wall to keep yourself warm and comforted in the cold weather.

7. Centennial Park

And in my nook of the woods, the Eastern Suburbs, this huge park close to the city centre is a must. Paul Atroshenko has placed a video on YouTube showcasing these amazing parklands.

8. The Sydney Bridge Climb

And of course, don’t forget the Sydney Bridge Climb, during the warmer summer months.

bridge-climb-sydney

August 4, 2016 2 comments

Travel Writing

Some special things about Nouméa

Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia (la Nouvelle Calédonie) is situated at the southern-most tip of the main island, directly east of Australia. It has a similar history to Sydney, as It was set up as a penal colony for (French) prisoners. The indigenous inhabitants are Melanesian.

June 28, 2015 2 comments

Travel Writing

Oxford Revisited 2014

Same reason for being in Oxford—the Oxford Dysfluency Conference that my partner helped organise—same train trip from London; same College for accommodation. But this trip, instead of visiting university landmarks and museums, I spent the time with a niece and her boyfriend punting on the Isis River, which is the Thames in Oxford. Other activities included eating and drinking in taverns, and browsing in bookshops, of which there are many excellent ones in Oxford. I returned to the Turf Tavern several times for lunch.

Because we hadn’t practised this activity before, Indiya, my niece, and I had to rely on Kyle to observe others doing it and to just give it a go. Being young, he caught on quite quickly and was able to pull the pole out of the mud without losing it or falling in. There is a skill engaged in steering the punt using the pole, too. Indiya tried but gave up after a little while; I didn’t attempt it, and just sat back matriarch style and enjoyed the ride. The weather was great, sunny and not too hot. We picked wild plums and cherries from overhanging trees along the river bank, and fed some of them to the ducks, including two little ducklings with their mother. A gaggle of geese, decked out in bright plumage, met our gaze as we turned a corner, and white swans sailed royally along beside us.

It was the day that the plane was shot down in Ukraine, such a tragic event hard to take in as we sailed along the river, back and forth for two hours. Indiya suggested that World War III might be on the horizon. Such irony: It was a day for us to remember.

July 28, 2014 5 comments