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Saturday, August 27, 2022

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Keeping this up to date,  I am currently doing the final edits on my new novel DRAGONS IN THE SKY
a first-person narrative in the voice of a young Cymru girl (Welsh Kelt) set in the 3rd C. BC with ties to the youthful Alexander the Great.  I'll be posting more about this novel as I prepare it for publication.  It's been another long haul -- first got the idea iin 1979 after my first visit to Stonehenge, Old Sarum and eventually Greece.  Wrote the first part during the 1980s when I lived in Greece. Then set it aside to write SHADOW OF THE LION (which took me almost 15 yrs to research, write and publish!)  I resumed writing DRAGONS in 2014 and just recently completed it.  I may self publish it rather than wait 3 or 4 y ears to find a publisher. And when I do, I'll post more on t his site about it. 

Monday, July 15, 2019

ADVENTURES IN LONDON

Add to Technorati FavoritesUsually I like to spend two or three days in London. I love going on the London Walks which are so interesting. I've been on quite a few as well as exploring many parts of London.  But this year I will only have one day there and by the time my flight comes in from Athens it will be too late to join a London Walk. So, I have decided to explore another place that sounds very intriguing to me and probably worth a good travel story.


CROSSBONES GRAVEYARD located a short walk from Shakespeare's Globe is the site of an old burial ground with an extraordinary history. For centuries it was the burial place of outcasts, sex workers and paupers.  The idea of a "prostitute's graveyard" intrigued me. I wonder if some of Jack the Ripper's victims could be buried there?  (I've previously made the Jack the Ripper Walk in London and it was one of the most memorable walks.)

According to local lore, Crossbones was once the final resting place for Winchester Geese, medieval sex workers licensed by the Bishop of Winchester to work in the brothels of The Liberty of the Clink, which lay outside the law of the City of London. By the time it was closed in 1853 Crossbones held the mortal remains of an estimated 15,000 paupers.


Part of it was dug up in the 1990's during work on the tube extension line. In 1996 the writer John Constable had a vision which revealed the secret history of Crossbones, the inspiration for The Southwark Mysteries  a collection of poems, plays and esoteric lore performed in The Globe and the Cathedral. A shrine was created at the red iron gates in Redcross Way dedicated to 'the outcast deat'. It is now a garden of remembrance.

Saturday, July 13, 2019

VISITING OLD FRIENDS AND NEW PLACES

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One thing I like to do whenever I go to Europe is to stop in Germany to visit my friend Patrick.  He lives in the lovely city of Mainz and it's always a pleasant stop-over in my travels.




Patrick and me


Mainz Street

Visiting a castle near Mainz



There's always a lot of adventures waiting and Patrick likes showing me around the city as well as other places nearby. Sometimes we travel by train to see the sights.
Train passing archaeological site (probably Roman)
  
This trip we'll take the train to the little village of Zetting, just across the border in France.  It was once part of Germany.  There is an 1000 yr old Romanesque Church there that Patrick wants to show me. (Patrick is a talented organist and plays the pipe organ in various churches in and around Mainz).
ZETTING

Old Romanesque Church


We're going to visit his mother, Hanna (Anna) who lives there.  I have met her before and she even came to Canada to visit when Patrick lived here. So it's going to be a very nice reunion.  Patrick says we are invited to go with Hanna and her husband to sample a delicious French meal! 
Hanna and me
Hanna and Patrick
I'll only be in Germany a few days, but as always it will be a great adventure and lots of fun seeing my friends again!












Tuesday, July 09, 2019

PLANNING NEW ADVENTURES


Every time I go to Greece I try to visit some sites that I have never been to before.  There are so  many choices, so many islands, archaeological sites, interesting towns and beautiful beaches!  The choices are so many it makes it tricky trying to make plans that will not be complicated and too expensive -- and also fit in with the length of time I'll be in the country.

This year I have made a 'tentative' plan -- one that should work fine, making sure ferry and bus connections are suitable. 

NAXOS             
From NAXOS island I plan to take the ferry to HERAKLION, CRETE.  I visited there last trip and spent several days sight-seeing and exploring the archaeological site of Minoan KNOSSOS.

HERAKLION  


This time, I'll stay a day or two in Heraklion  and visit the Minoan site of KNOSSOS again and then take the bus to ELOUNDA.

KNOSSOS


ELOUDIA

From Eloudi I can get a boat for a day trip to the former leper's island, SPINALONGA. This was once a Venetian stronghold during the Turkish invasion and eventually became a leper colony, occupied until 1957.

SPINALONGA
From Elounda  I also want to visit another Minoan site at GOURNIA. It's one of the most completely preserved Minoan towns,  perhaps not quite as impressive as the palace site of KNOSSOS, but still an important archaeological site showing the lives of ordinary people  3500 years ago.

GOURNIA
Hopefully there will be a bus from Elounda but if not I can get there from Agios Nikolaos which isn't too far away. I've always been fascinated by the MINOANS and my friend and mentor, Dr Jack Dempsey, (from US but now living near Heraklion) will hopefully give me some good info and tips about this site.

After this little jaunt I'll go back to Heraklion and from there get the ferry over to the island of MILOS.
this is a fascinating little volcanic island with chalk-white rock formations, hot springs and good beaches.  I'm hoping to spend a few days there exploring before heading back to Athens.

MILOS    

VOLCANIC CLIFFS OF MILOS,

Monday, July 08, 2019

RETURNING TO FAMILIAR PLACES

There are several places that I will make a return visit to this year on my visit to GREECE.

One if my favorite island, NAXOS, where I love to go every year to stay at Maragas Beach in the bed tents.  The people there know me as I go so often, and always make me feel so 'at home'.  


MARAGAS CAMPING
Besides the bed tents there is tenting, RV spaces and also cabins to rent.

There's a coffee shop, taverna and mini market. The beach there is fabulous.  And there is a convenient bus service into town.



NAXOS 

Another place I will be sure to return to again this year is DELPHI.   It's been a couple of years since I made a pilgrimage there.   Delphi is one of the most sacred places in Greece,  you feel the spirit of the gods there among those ancient temples.



DELPHI



A third place I will return to is to visit the site of CHAIRONEIA, where a famous battle was fought between King Philip II of Macedon and the Athenians. in 338 BC.  I've been writing about this battle in my current novel DRAGONS IN THE SKY.  It is where the 18 yr old Alexander, in charge of the Macedonian cavalry, led them against the fabled Theban Sacred Band and totally annihilated them.  (The Sacred Band fought in pairs and each man stood by his partner until they both went down),.  

I've also been writing about DELPHI in my novel and that is why I want to return to both of these important places to get a fresh perspective.


CHAIRONEIA

This is the famous battle field of Chaironeia.  There is a stone lion by the roadside commemorating the battle. It stands by the roadside near a burial mound for the Thebans.  I visited this site some years ago and want to refresh my memory on the layout of the vast valley.

In addition, I am hoping to return to CRETE again this year to visit a few new, inspiring Minoan and other sites. 












Sunday, July 07, 2019

2019 TRAVEL PLANS: GERMANY, GREECE, ENGLAND/WALES

I'm starting to make my travel plans for my trip to Europe, leaving here August 27.  
My first stop will be Frankfurt and Mainz where I will visit my friend Patrick. Later we will cross over into France to visit his mom. 



After visiting Germany for a few days, I'll fly to Athens and spend some time with friends before heading up north to Thessaloniki for a short visit.

While there I always enjoy the walk along the sea front to the statue of Alexander the Great where I must pay homage.
\
I am planning a trip to Pella for the day for research purposes.  Pella was once the Royal City of Macedonia in the time of Philip II and Alexander.  I have used it in a setting for my current work-in-progress and would like to do some fact-checking for accurate setting details.


I haven't quite decided whether to go to Halikidiki and instead I might go on an all-day boat trip that takes you around Mount Athos, the holy peninsula where no women are allowed to set food. At least Id get to see it from the boat and it should be a lovely day trip to make.



I'll add more of my travel plans as I get them made.  One place I'd really like to visit on a day trip is the site of the famous \Battle of Chaeronea, where Alexander, age 18 on his first major battle campaign, leading the cavalry, defeated the Theban Sacred Band.  I've been there before some years ago and would like to see it again for the sake of research for my novel.



Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Travel writing thru the Centuries


TRAVEL WRITING THRU THE CENTURIES
Adventures in Egypt and Morocco from the 1600’s to the turn of the 20th century



Two years ago I was offered a series of books published by the American University in Cairo Press.  The first set of books included poetry and diary excerpts from travelers in Egypt from the 1700’s to the 19th century.  

WOMEN TRAVELERS ON THE NILE (edited by Deborah Manley) is an anthology of journal excerpts and stories written by women who were brave enough to venture into a world that until then had mainly been explored by men.  Some of them accompanied their husbands., others bravely ventured out alone, in the company of Egyptian guides. Many of them ended up living in Egypt and contributed more insights into Egyptian life, especially from a woman’s perspective.  They learned Arabic and met both the poorer women and the richest.  Some of these women were invited to join groups or to accompany their husbands. Some wrote books about their travels, others made notes in journals. 




I was privileged in 2014 to be invited on a small travel journalist’s tour of Egypt offered by the Egyptian Tourism in Ottawa, Canada.  This was a dream come true for me.  Not only had I been fascinated with Egypt and Egyptian history for years, but I had recently completed on novel about Alexander the Great (SHADOW OF THE LION) which is partly set in Egypt at the time the city of Alexandria was being built by Ptolemy 1st according to Alexander’s wishes.
Because of my own unforgettable adventures on that 10-day trip, I was fascinated to read the stories of these women who had journeyed, often alone, into the desert by camel and lived in these ancient communities. Seeing Egypt through their eyes was a real pleasure.

The women travelers included Emily Anne Beaufort (1826-1887) daughter of the creator of the Beaufort Wind Scale; Sarah Belzoni (1785-1970) wife of a famous Egyptian explorer; Isabella Bird (1831-1904) one of the greatest Victorian era travel writers; M.L.M. Carey (1860-?) a writer an artist; Eliza Fay (1756-1816) an adventurous woman who also accompanied her husband to India in 1799, Marianne North (1830 -90) one of the most intrepid of the Victorian lady travelers. Mary Whatley (1824-89() who set up schools for poor Egyptian girls, as well as many others. 


ANCIENT EGYPT IN POETRY, is an anthology of Nineteenth Century Verse. (edited by Donald P. Ryan) Intrigued by the history and ancient ruins of Egypt, many writers over the years have visited Egypt, attracted by the adventure and ancient intrigue found in the remarkable archaeological sites and the fascinating desert landscapes. During the nineteenth century Egypt was in particular a popular destination for poets, writers and artists. 
Some of the poets who traveled there whose work is included in the book are Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907), an American poet, newspaper and magazine editor and Civil War correspondent wo visited Egypt in 1905; Charles Dent Bell (1818-98) an Irish vicar who was inspired by nature; Robert Browning (1812-89) one of the greatest literary figures in English language, Lord Byron (1788-1824) one of the greatest Romantic Era poets; Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861-1907) noted for her compassion toward the poor and uneducated; John Keats (1795-1821) one of the great Romantic Era poets of England; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1897-82)one of Americas greatest poets; Herman Melville (1819-91) author of Moby Dick and Typee; Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) noted English poet and Alfred Tennyson  (1809-92) poet laureate of the United Kingdom. 
These two books are pocket-sized, quick-reads, making them handy to take along in your purse or back-pack. 


ARISTOCRATS AND ARCHAEOLOGIST:  An Edwardian Journey on the Nile  (edited by Toby Wilkinson and Julian Platt) is a fascinating journal recording an Edwardian doctor’s journey on the Nile in the winter of 1907 – 1908, complied of a series of letters that give a first-hand account of the three-month trip, sites visited, passengers on board and people encountered along the journey as well encounters with cultural and class differences. The collection of letters was written by “Ferdy”, the great uncle of Julian Platt. During the early 1900’s people often escaped the cold dank winters of England and the many illnesses that often-ravaged Europe and spent the winter months in warmer climes. “Ferdy” (Ferdinand) A.F.R. Platt was a physician who accompanied the wealthy Duke of Devonshire on a journey to Egypt. It’s a delightful read and includes maps and itinerary notes and photographs of all Platt’s adventures as they cruised the Nile.




The most recent book I received from Cairo Press is another tiny gem, A MOROCCO ANTHOLOGY (edited by Martin Rose).  I found this book just as intriguing as the Egyptian books as I have also traveled to Morocco several years ago. It’s a book I’d like to have read before I made that trekking journey into the foothills of the High Atlas from Marrakech.  
Morocco has four ‘imperial cities’ where the sultan’s court settled in past times. This book includes visits to the various cities by adventurers, travel writers and others to these fabled cities. Morocco had a French and Spanish colonial period that lasted 44 years.  Writer Edith Wharton wrote “a country so deeply conditioned by its miles and miles of uncitied wilderness that until one has know the wilderness one cannot understand the cities”.  This little book takes you on a journey to each of these cities and explores the point of view of these travelers from long ago. 



 Some of these contributors include Ali Bey Al-Abbassi (1767-1818) a Spaniard from Barcelona, who visited Morocco between 1803-1805; Ellis Ashmea-Bartlett (1888-1931) a war correspondent who worked for Reuters.;  Paul Bowles (1910-0=99 an American novelist, composer, musician, poet and translator; Walter Harris (1866-1933) a Times  correspondent who traveled in disguise to meet sultans and rebels; Emily Keen, Shareefa of Ouazzane (1850-1941) an English governess who married the Grand Sheikh of Ouazzane’; Pierre Loti (1850-1923) a French navel officer and novelist; Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) a diarist; Edith Wharton (1862-1937) American writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Innocence.  
This books takes you on an exotic journey to all of the imperial cities of Morocco and gives some insight into what life was like back in the past from the journals of these interesting writers.

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