The Northern Safari May-June-July 2010

The Northern Safari, 2010

It all began when Lyn said she would like to be in London for Sherryn’s 40^th. But shortly after that Kerry won a ballot to go to Turkey with the NZL delegation to celebrate the 95^th Anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. Lyn had already spent several weeks planning and arranging so the final arrangements were made while Kerry was away.  Sherryn’s help in booking European airline flights and rental cars was a great help and her local knowledge saved many dollars. After a book full of emails to everyone concerned, the final itinerary covered all of our desires and we set out to visit family and friends in the northern hemisphere.

The Start. 7 May  NZ 8332 PMR – AKL and 08 May  MH 130 AKL - KUL

The first part was to drive from Waikanae to Palmerston North and stay with friends overnight in order to catch an early flight to Auckland on 8 May. It was a good idea as we had a long day. Palmerston North to Auckland [1 hour] Auckland to Kuala Lumpur [10 hrs] plus waiting times in airports and a train trip to the city meant that we were rather late to bed in Kuala Lumpur, even with the four hour time saving. 8 to 11 May was a rest stop but still we managed to do some shopping. A half day city tour took in the Selangor Pewter workshop, a bird park, a butterfly park and several handcraft sites. The Orang Asli Museum of indigenous tribes was especially good. The heat [28C] and humidity [it rained hard every afternoon] kept us close to the air-conditioned shopping centres and our hotel. Most notable change since our last visit is the extensive overhead electric rail network.

The longest of our long haul days, 11 / 12 May.  MH 004 AKL - KUL

After breakfast we took a taxi to the airport [same price as two train fares, and no baggage handling] and checked in. The flight left at 1015 Malay local time and landed 13 hours later at 1615 GMT on the same day. Add to that the seasonal daylight hours [to bed at 21.30 hrs] and at last light we were still talking at the end of a 26 hour day. The daylight period from 0300 to 2200 was quite usual for all of May and June in UK and Scandinavia.

England 13 May to 21 May.  Visit Sherryn and the South of England

Using a rental car from Lewisham we drove into our old haunts in West Sussex. The weather was balmy and calm, spring almost over and everything in colour. On the way south we stopped in East Grinstead and copped a parking ticket on the pay and display in the vicinity of our 2002 address. A couple of days with RSA friends Brian, Karin and Andrew Mills, then with cousins Colin and Sue Darnell gave us restful wanders in Sheffield Park Gardens and Nymans Garden respectively.

       

With the Darnells at Nymans Garden and the Hove landmark, the Hangleton Mill

Lots of talking and walking of dog in the park helped us to drop back into the old area. Next stop was Brighton and a visit to Paul, Ann and Emma Braysher with walks in the Lanes and along the waterfront. An added pleasure was meeting Phil Redman at Paul’s as we 3 had shot at Lewes Smallbore Rifle Club in 2000/02. Nostalgia and reminiscences flowed over dinner. We also drove around the coast and visited Alfriston, Hove, Devil’s Dyke [on the South Downs] and Lingfield. At Felcourt we had lunch with one of Lyn’s pharmacy staff, Demelza Curtis before returning to Brockley for Sherryn’s 40^th birthday dinner. It was this dinner that had set the timing of our holiday.

On 20 May we used bus and train to call at the archives of the National Maritime Museum in search of a relative’s merchant marine record. Unfortunately the archive is in relocation mode and we were unsuccessful. Still, we managed a very nice but expensive lunch.

21 May.  Flight from London Heathrow [LHR] to Helsinki [HEL] BA 794

This day was at the beginning of another round of staff strikes by British Airways crew but we flew on a code share with EuroAtlantic so we were not disrupted. The cheap and very basic flight left at midday, took two hours, mostly over the sea, and was completed by a short comfortable bus ride into central Helsinki.

Finland, 21 to 28 May.

Our first impression of Helsinki is of a quaint, grid patterned, old brick and cobble town, bustling with activity. We later learned that we arrived on the day when university students were given the results of the past year’s work so there was more action than usual. Bars and cafes were humming! The city shops and malls are disguised among or beneath the old buildings and there are lots of accommodation hotels and eating places. We could not get into the Sokkos Vaakuna by the railway station so we walked a couple of blocks to the historic Sokkos Hotel Torni which provides excellent service in a very early 20^th century setting.

 

Down town Helsinki [Simonkatu to rail station]               our train to Joensuu

Next day we trained up to Joensuu en route to Lieksa to stay with friends from UNMOGIP days [in 1970-71]. The train was very comfortable, with an excellent dining car. The double deck carriages ensure no one is crowded and we all had good views. Esko met us and drove to his summer house at Lieksa where Anja had prepared the first of the many delicious meals we had in Karelia and Lappland.  The initial images of trees, smiles, lakes and flat or rolling land became the outstanding memories of travel in Finland. Many people speak English [and several other languages] so shopping and travelling were no problem.

Esko took us to the local Border Forces Museum and the Finish Border Forces base before they escorted us to the Russian border at Irini. We walked over some of the battle sites of the 1939 Winter War where the Russians got such a hiding. In the process Esko arranged for a reporter at the Lieksa Lehti [the local weekly newspaper] to interview us and an item [with photo] was printed that week. It seems very few Kiwis go there although some Lieksa locals came to Kawerau in the early days of NZ timber pulp industry.

With the exception of the day we went to the Arctic Circle [it drizzled part of the day] we had fine weather and 20 plus degrees all the time we were in Scandinavia. Lots of flowers and fresh growth in the forest made everything exciting to see.

We ate lots of reindeer steak [lovely lean meat] and savoury meat balls in restaurant meals. The Restaurant Lasipalatsi in Helsinki is as good as any we found in Europe. Menus are varied and food is cooked very much as we do it so we put on weight in Scandinavia.

On all the main roads there are signs Beware of the Reindeer [and miles of deer fence in the forest areas to prevent accidents] but we did not see a live reindeer in the wild.

 

From Lieksa, Esko drove us to Vuolevi’s at Simoniemi on the West coast, another leisurely tourist day with stops along the way for shopping, meals, coffee and just looking. I had not seen Matti and Pipsa since Srinagar days in UNMOGIP and it was magical catching up after so long. On the second day we were briefly visited by Essa Humina who had been on my team at Kuneitra in Syria in 1975.

Matti drove us up to the Arctic Circle and although the town of Rovaniemi is very commercialised we were there in the shoulder season so there were few tourists. We did see a number of campingcars from southern Europe and the parking areas show that this is a popular destination. It is also close to Sweden. After meeting Santa Claus we had lunch and bought a soft toy for 3 year old grandson Alex Arthur and some Christmas decorations for home and for our neighbour.

The vicinity of Simo is coastal, rustic and adorable. After a couple of days we had become very relaxed and it was a wrench to set out for Helsinki. This train was an overnight express. We were comfortable and slept well, arriving in Helsinki ready for a day in holiday mode. Having left our bags in the station lockers we strolled around the market, shops and cafes all day. Everywhere we went we found that people speak good English and are very friendly, helpful and interested in New Zealand.

All too soon it was time to join the Silja Line overnight ferry to Stockholm. By kiwi standards this is more a cruise liner than a ferry. Cabins are comfortable, dining is regimented and varied but the shopping [all duty free] is focused on booze and fags.

Sweden, 28 May to 03 June.

The morning arrival was early enough for us to catch the bus from the ferry to central railway station near Galma Stan and make arrangements to get to Skovde.

There are plenty of trains and lots to do while we waited. The first impression of Sweden is “Finland without forest”.

There are large areas of plantation forest in southern Sweden but there is so much more cultivated arable farmland that the forest pales in comparison. Housing structures and rural population patterns are very similar in both countries.

                          with Chrystel and Lennart

Lennart and Chrystel made us as welcome as they had on our previous visit in 2001 and we were soon being chauffeured around the countryside in fine style. A revisit to Forsvik, the oldest lock on the Göta Canal  proved to be even more interesting as there is a restoration project involving an early steam driven paddlewheeler called the Eric Nordeval 2. Having spent several decades on the bottom of a lake the vessel’s recovery and restoration is a fascinating story. Karlsborg Fort and canal harbour, eating in country restaurants, shopping for Swedish glass at Glasriket and Kosta Boda filled the warm spring days. On the second morning we were driven up to the chapel on the hill above Skovde where both the architecture and the view are staggering.

View of Scovde from the Chapel       


                      

31 May. Today we took the two hour trip by X2000 train back to Stockholm where we were met by Sherryn and Ann who came from London to Sweden to see us. They had been there for a couple of days and arranged accommodation in a converted steamer on Riddarfjiarden opposite the majesty of the City Hall. We had all of the facilities of a good hotel and in a very central location.
There is a selection of photos for this part of the trip on  Kerry's facebook album

While in Stockholm we strolled around the old town of Gamla Stan and the northern streets of Sodermalm. Sightseeing by boat, visit to the Photografia display and dining in cafes are the highlights. Having read the three books of “Girl with the Dragon Tatoo”series, it was great to wander the streets detailed therein.

Scovde town centre

France, 03 to 08 June KL1108 ARN –AMS – AF5365 AMS - NTE

The most memorable item of the flight from Stockholm to Nantes [via Shifol Airport, Amsterdam] was the very friendly Chilean taxi driver who took us to the airport through the morning rush traffic. He was patient and skilful and still made good time. The flight was a code share which paused in Amsterdam on the way.

But Nantes was an abrupt reality check. The French are so bloody predictable. “No Mr, no rental cars available until tonight.” But for a fee we can get one now.  And when we pointed out that the petrol cap cover was missing [on a 3 month old car] the response was “oh yes, we forgot that”. But otherwise all was well in Le Pays de la Loire. After driving all of the ring road we set off for Bressuire via Cholet along the N249. South through the village of Chapelle-St-Laurent on the old roman road [now the D748] and then following the old pilgrimage crosses to des Grande Mottes brought us to the summer home of Lyn’s cousin Simon Grinder and his wife Helen.  

  

Relaxing at Des Grandes Mottes                                    St James Gate in Parthenay

Sherryn joined us here too so the Grinder clan was 3 plus 2 spouses for a couple of days.

The next week ranged from domestic duties to tourism and included picking buckets of cherries, sampling the neighbour’s own brewed pastiche and drinking lots of local wine.

This area resisted the revolutionary predation of the late 18^th century and has an interesting mix of well used and long ruined buildings as a result. Bressuire, Pite and Partenay are well worth a visit at slow pace.

Return to the United Kingdom. 08 June AF 5208 NTE - LCY

The drive to Nantes and car return were uneventful and the flight to London City was another unmemorable flight. But the next rental car had a 1940’s type push button start and Kerry could not see the switch behind the steering wheel. Once that was sorted we dropped Sherryn at home and were off to the North of England.

 That night we detoured to Tardebigge to see Kerry’s family roots. We stayed that night in the Foxlidiate Hotel as our ancestors may have done before they left the district in the 1860s.

This is very close to our canal boat holiday from Alvechurch in 2000 so we took a photo of a lock just for old times. This boat is from the company  we hired our boat. 

Next day saw us in Leeds to visit Lyn’s cousin Derek. His son Simon had flown back from Nantes and the extended Grinder clan all had dinner together. We stopped with another cousin, Simon’s sister Vanessa, that night and carried on across the Yorkshire Dales to Scotland the next day.

                   

 We arrived at the Cross Keys Hotel in Canonbie in time for dinner on 11 June and made this quaint old pub our base for the two days we spent in Ewes Valley searching graveyards for Johnstone ancestors.  And there are lots of them

 

                                      Churchyards at Ewes 




and at Canonbie
 

The 56 photos of gravestones will take ages to sift through as all of them record more than one person. We also visited Locherbie, Langholm and the villages along the Esk River valley. We had been through here in March 2002 without realising the significance of Canonbie in Lyn’s family.

On Saturday night we watched some World Cup Soccer at the pub. England was playing but none of the locals [Scots] came to watch. Those who had come in for dinner went home early!

 Ireland 13 June.

Up at 0700, breakfast and a pleasant drive across the south of Scotland via Dumfries and Newton Stewart to Stranraer where we caught the mid-day ferry for Belfast, Ireland.

From the ferry we drove west to Lough Neagh through Craigavon, Portadown,  Armah and back to Craigavon. The animosity towards UK numberplates is still scary even years after the troubles are supposed to have ended so we spent that night in the very good Seagoe Hotel at Craigavon and then drove south to McKevitt’s at Carlingford in the morning. Kerry and Brian had been in Palestine with UNTSO in 1975 and we had visited them in 2001 while we were on the GOE [2000 to 2002]. Again a relaxing and enjoyable couple of days, meeting the boys and their families while marvelling at the development in the area since our last visit.

           

The village is little changed, with very good cafes and restaurants in and around the square and very welcoming pubs. Brian and Denise are still in their delightful house. There is a big housing development near the bay and several new build developments nearby.

       

The Square from Oystercatcher Cafe corner in Carlingford. 

During the foot-and-mouth scare in 2001, that farmer in the rural view put cut outs of sheep in his fields.

The old town has a Tudor castle ruin and was the site of an English tax office at that time. One of the churches has been converted into the local information office and muzeum and has plenty of material to fascinate a New Zealand tourist. But that also applies to much of Ireland.

       

The old lanes and the Tax office in Carlingford

On 16 June we drove from Carlingford along the country roads via Carrickmacross, Kels and Navan to Athboy for another visit. Lyn’s volunteer technician from East Timor, Caira Ferguson, lives in the country near there. She and Barry now have two daughters, and live in a delightfully remodelled cottage.

                         

Next day we toured Tara and Trim with them and shopped in Athboy, where Kerry bought a Meath County Gaelic Football shirt. Having been to Kells last time we were here, we have now visited the three hills of Kells,Tara and Trim.

 





Macguires tourist trap at Tara provides good meals and lots of memorabilia.

 
The 18^th was a leisurely drive south and east to Rosslare in Wexford.  On the way we had lunch at the Forge Restaurant, near Ballon in Co Carlow and that night we stayed in the Harbour View Hotel in preparation for an early sailing the next day. Run by Thais, it was very comfortable and the food was excellent.

United Kingdom again.

We sailed to Fishguard in Wales on 19 June and spent the day cruising along the A40 through places we had stopped at in 2000, Carmarthon, LLandovery, Brecon and Abergovenny. Late in the afternoon we reached John and Chris Steele’s hideaway at Blakeney, on the English end of the Forest of Dean. Next day we drove through the Forest of Dean and over to Tintern on the Wye River.

Tintern Abbey Ruins Brockwier

Lunch was at one of the cafes in Brockweir, an outstandingly memorable spot on the Wye.

            

We continued to explore the forest, Wye and Severne area until we reached the Red Hart Inn at Awre, where Chris works part time.

On return to New Zealand we discovered that Lyn’s parents had visited that pub in 1966. On this occasion we watched the telly as New Zealand played one of their World Cup soccer games. Just across the River Severn is the Slimbridge Youth Hostel where we had started our fifty pounds a day tour of Wales in 2000.

 

On 21 June we drove around Gloucester and Cheltenham to Oxford on the A40 and by back roads to Bourne End on the River Thames to visit Emma and Graeme.

         

We had a very enjoyable evening with them and Kerry had a look at the rowing training water while helping Emma to walk their dogs and while we dined at the OTT Restaurant nearby.

Our last day of driving was a real wake-up call. Having decided to go anticlockwise on the M25 [clockwise was shorter but we were there on 8 June] we ignored a traffic accident warning and spent two hours stuck between off ramps. Eventually we reached exited at the A22 and drove on A25 via Oxted to Westerham for a late lunch stop at the Grasshopper Inn. Continuing along the A21 to Brockley, Kerry dropped Lyn at Malpas Road and then returned the car to London City Airport.  A classic lesson in why London is a prick of a place to drive.

The next couple of days were based at Sherryn’s. 25 June was spent with relations Ann and Richard Woods at Purley. Colin and Sue Darnell also joined the party so it was a very happy evening.

 

On 26 June we took a train ride to the City to meet Jules Dunn [from Australia and ex-Timor] for lunch and a ride on the London Eye in beautifully clear weather.  Later that day we indulged in supper with some more of Lyn’s relations on the Embankment.

28/29 June. Across London by car and Fly to Langkawi 

MH 001 LHR to KLU and MH 1456 KUL – LGK

Sherryn drove us to the airport to set off for home. At Heathrow we found our aircraft was delayed and we spent five hours in the lounge watching an engine being serviced on the apron below us. And it turned out to be our B747-400.

Eventual departure was just after midnight and we reached Kuala Lumpur 12 hours later, just after our local flight was due to leave for Langkawi. But it too was held up, [no explanation] and took off just after the last passengers were cleared from our international flight. We had added to the stress by getting separated but all ended well and we reached the Meritus Pelagi Beach Resort at 2100 local time. Another long day and this time it was dark when we arrived so we went straight to bed. The night’s rest was so good that we almost slept through breakfast which is from 0730 until 1000.

 

              From our balcony.                                                     Reception area and bar

29 June to 3 July Langkawi Island, Malaysia

Langkawi Meritus Beach Resort is just that. It is very comfortable colonial style living at one of the island beaches. Ten minutes from the airport, half an hour away from the main shopping area [by taxi] there is good food, service and a very relaxing pace. We saw a five foot monitor fall into the pond and swim across to the far side one morning and there were regular monsoon rains each afternoon. Beach walks and one foray into the shopping district let us wind down slowly.

 our chalet was at the righthand end of the dark lake in centre of this picture of MBR

Final Leg: Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur, Auckland, Palmerston North and Waikanae.

03 – 04 July MH 1455, MH 131, NZ5075

 By the time we left to fly home on 03 July we were absolutely rested and ready to go. Again our plan was good. The mid afternoon flight out of Langkawi on a B737-200 meant no early rushing and we left KUL on time at 21.50. The overnight flight landed in Auckland at 10.45 [time slip of +4 hours] so our longest wait was there until the ATR72 left at 15.40. The hour flight to Palmerston North was uneventful.

We were met at Palmerston North by Peter and Margaret Kersall and collected Jili2 from their place for a leisurely drive home. That is so much easier than flying into Wellington for a mad dash across the city and an hour mixed with the commuters leaving the city.