Journey 17

I’m just going to write about the time we visited the Orkneys. On the north coast of Scotland, we were able to get a large P & O ferry from Scrabster. We left our hire car at the harbour with our suitcases in the boot and hoped they would be okay. We took enough for three days. It took two hours on the ferry, and we passed the Old Man of Hoy, a tall pillar in the ocean used by serious climbers. The port we arrived at was called Stromness, and we were able to get a B & B just nearby. The owner of the house had such a lovely accent, not the normal Scottish one and was quite difficult to understand. In the 9^th century, the Vikings invaded Orkney, which became a colony of Norway until 1472, when Scotland claimed it. Because of this, there are many Norwegian traditions and ceremonies to this day.

Out landlady arranged for us to be picked up early next morning for a day tour of the island. Well, what a day! Our guide took us to see Skara Brae – a Neolithic village 5 000 years old that was only revealed in 1850 when a severe storm hit Orkney and blew sand dunes away. We were able to see the ash from a central fireplace, shelves and cupboards and tunnels connecting different areas.

Another Neolithic site on Orkney is called Maeshowe and is a burial mound. It would appear that when the Vikings invaded, they opened up the mound and wrote in runes on the walls. The graffiti of the time. We were told it read ‘Brunhilda I love you with your golden hair!’ So, nothing’s new. 

There were 30 skulls inside the mound, and the local farmer told us that scientists came regularly from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to do investigations. There was the Ring of Brodgar – standing stones, rather like Stonehenge but not so big. The farmer’s wife gave us poached eggs on toast for tea with a cup of cocoa – delicious. Travelling around the island, I noticed they grew lots of potatoes right to the edge of the cliffs. Because the Gulf Stream goes around part of the island, it doesn’t get as you might think. 

Our ‘Round-the-world-ticket’ lasted for five months, and that day on Orkney was the highlight for me.

Travelling around the UK, we visited every cathedral we could, although it wasn’t always easy to park near one! The smallest cathedral was St. David’s in Pembrokeshire, Wales. We stayed at the local Youth Hostel, which we shared with a German choir who were to sing at the cathedral, and we were lucky enough to hear them.  

On our last day in England, we went to Windsor. Such a lovely historic town full of antique shops. We walked around to look at the school – Eton and saw the very aristocratic-looking boys in their bow-ties, and of course, the hats called boaters. Before going into Windsor Chapel, we bumped into some people we knew from Kalamunda. They had a round-the-world ticket but were going the opposite way. St George’s Chapel is beautiful and has many military flags hanging down, some of them very tatty. There has been a castle there since 900, but when Willian the Conqueror arrived, he pulled down the medieval part and rebuilt the castle you see today.

Journey 18

The train left Athens in the early morning and climbed up through the surrounding hills on its way North.  It was autumn, and the trees in the countryside were changing their colours from greens to yellows, browns and reds.  The train then started to cross the great Plain of Thessaly and, when we reached the city of Larisa in the midlands of Greece, the tracks turned towards the West, taking us to Kalabaka.

We alighted from the train at Kalabaka and looked to find a taxi.  A taxi driver introduced himself as Nico and offered to drive us to our hotel and then take us on our excursions to the monasteries of Meteora for the next two days.  His English, though not very good, was much better than our Greek and, as his price was reasonable, we agreed, and he took us to our hotel in the nearby village of Kastraki.  After booking into the hotel at the foot of one of the massive columns of rock that are found in the region, Nicoh suggested which monasteries we should visit that afternoon as he knew which ones were open each day.  

The monasteries had been built on top of large columns of rock starting in the fourteenth century as a means of protection against attack following the invasion of Greece by Muslim Turks.  Only six monasteries remain today of the twenty-six that had been built.  Entry to the monasteries is now gained via small bridges and stairways carved into the rock but were originally made by rope ladders and hand-operated hoists.  Nico told us that one of the monasteries was for “women’s only”.  It took us a little while to understand that he meant that it was a convent and that we were all welcome to visit.   At the other monastery, the two ladies who were both wearing trousers were given long skirts to wear because of the traditional customs of the monks.  

At the end of our visit to the second monastery, Nicoh returned us to the hotel, where we asked the owner where we could find a good restaurant in Kastraki for us to have dinner.  As we were walking down through the streets of the little village, we thought that our first day in Meteora had been a very interesting and satisfying one.

Journey 19

It was a lovely day for the start of a caravan holiday. We had left Germany early and were transiting through France and Switzerland to get to a campsite in Italy, which meant it was getting dark by the time we crossed the Italian border. Looking back, it was clear that at that stage, we were lost and the region, being mountainous, meant that driving in the dark had become seriously hazardous as we wound our way along narrow roads with cliffs rising on one side and sheer drops on the other. To say we had become worried would be an understatement, and we could only hope that the road we were going down would eventually level off as it reached the foothills at the base of the mountains, which thankfully it did.  

We now found ourselves on a flat road with unfamiliar road signs that wended its way into a tunnel in a rocky outcrop, hopefully with civilization at the end of it, but it wasn’t to be. A fair way into the tunnel we came across a rockfall that completely blocked the road, so now we were really worried. Our only option then being to turn around, which in the confines of the tunnel meant uncoupling the caravan and turning it to recouple it facing in the opposite direction. Fortunately, there was no traffic at that time of night, so we drove back the way we had come, back out into a starlit sky. At this stage, we were all very tired, and our two children were thankfully asleep and oblivious to the drama as it had unfolded. 

The problem then was to find some where to spend the night, and as we drove, we noticed a sign that said ‘Hotel’ pointing to a narrow side road, which we took immediately without hesitation until we realized it then turned to the right through an arch under the road. The question then, was would the caravan go through the arch of the bridge, which thankfully it did with a couple of inches to spare. Having got through the archway, we then found ourselves in what looked like an orchard but no sign of a hotel. So, by now, having had enough excitement for one day, we decided to go to bed and look for the hotel in the morning. When we awoke the next day, we thought we had gone to heaven because, unknowingly, we had parked in an olive grove on the banks of Lake Garda with the snowcapped mountains rising majestically on the other side of the lake. In an instant, the nightmare of the previous night turned into pure joy as we surveyed nature’s wonderous display!

.

Journey 20

Al-Maghtas

Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan"

Figure 1: St. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox Church (Jordan River).[1]  At the entrance, the Dove: Signifying the Spirit of God which descended and alighted on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17 (NIV).

After completing our tour of the Pyramids, museums, and the many temples along the Nile from Alexandria to Aswan, we flew from Cairo to Amman to fulfil Petra's wish of exploring her namesake historical site of Petra in Jordan. 

Figure 2: Arrived at Queen Alia International Airport Jordan 02 June 2007.

Our tour guide suggested that since we had a few hours to spare before checking in at the hotel in central Amman, we should visit the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ. We had no idea that there was a historical site of the Baptism of Christ that has been identified with some degree of certainty. We took his offer and paid the extra charges.  

Figure 3: Garmin GPS Waypoints along the route from Queen Alia International Airport to Baptism Site: St. George's Madaba and Mount Nebo. 

Along the way, we stopped at the Greek Orthodox church of St. George to survey the Madaba Map [Figure 4] and (short) climb Mt. Nebo.

Figure 4: This 19th-century Greek Orthodox church of St. George (insert left, and the interior in the top left) houses a treasure of early Christianity. The Madaba Map (insert right) depicts part of the Middle East and contains the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. Crafted in AD 560, the map has 157 captions (in Greek) depicting all the major biblical sites of the Middle East, from Egypt to Palestine.[2] Unfortunately, the map was not that accurate in pinpointing the exact location of the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ. 

Figure 5: The Moses Memorial on Mount Nebo [left insert]. The Memorial was closed in 2006 for renovation [3] and reopened on 15th October 2019. The site is under the custodianship of the Franciscan Order. [4] On the right is the Serpentine Cross Sculpture, the Brazen Serpent Monument. It was here that Moses stood on the windswept summit of Mount Nebo and viewed (top insert: over there) the Promised Land of Canaan — after having been told by God "you shall not cross over there".[5]

Figure 6: Here it is, the (official) Baptism Site of Jesus Christ. [1]

Jordan fully reopened al-Maghtas (Arabic: المغطس, meaning "baptism" or "immersion") officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" in 2002.[6] Pope Paul visited this site in 2000.[7] In 2010, Rev. The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, laid the cornerstone of an Anglican church on the eastern bank of the Jordan river.[8]

When we were there in 2007, the site was still an archaeological excavation site (Figure 7). 

Figure 7: In the foreground, the Baptism Site as it was in June 2007. In the background, undercover, is the excavation site of three 5th/6th Century Byzantian churches (right inserts and in order: 1st,2nd, and 3rd), built one on top of each other. A segment of the floor of the second church 2, uncovered at the site, is of Italian marble. The square structure in 3 is the remains of an altar. Mosaic (left insert) shows the course of the Jordan river during the time of the Byzantine.

Over the centuries, the Jordan River has changed its course. Today, the Jordan River runs behind the undercover site in the background. The Baptism Site itself was dry (in 2007).

The baptism of Jesus is important not only because it teaches us that we, too, must each be baptized, but also because it is one place in the scriptures in which all three members of the Godhead are present at the same time: Jesus Christ was baptized; God the Father spoke; and the Holy Ghost, a spirit in the form of a person, descended like a dove upon Christ.[9]

We were not aware of the Al-Maghtas and many other sites of religious significance. The written words pop out of the Bible, and we were fortunate to be able to walk in the same space of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ himself. 

We were blessed to have taken the offer of our tour guide (owner-operated outfit). We became good friends, and they showed us more places than what we had booked for. Before we left Jordan for Ephesus, Turkey, the boss and our main guide treated us to a sumptuous farewell dinner at an upmarket authentic Jordanian food restaurant. 

.

Journey 21

The next day we started the last part of our journey and flew to Zimbabwe. We wanted to go to Johannesburg, but there were sanctions against South Africa at the time, so we went to Harare first. It was warm and humid, but all the jacarandas and flame trees were flowering, and it just smelled of Africa. 

The next day we flew to Hwange National Park, well-known for its wildlife. It’s near the border with Botswana and Zambia and about 100kms from Victoria Falls. We were taken on morning and evening game spotting tours and were not disappointed. We saw giraffe, warthog, gnu, impala, rhino, zebra, kudu – the most majestic of all the antelopes and many others, including a nightjar sitting in the dust mesmerised by the light. I kept seeing little creatures with a long tail, which reminded me of little wallabies; found out they were spring hares. For dinner that night, we were offered roast impala, roast eland or roast warthog, which is just like pork.

In the morning, breakfast was outside by the waterhole. Impala was not far away, and a beautiful sable antelope walked regally past on the other side of the waterhole. But you had to be careful when walking back to the table with your breakfast. From high above might come a kite who would swoop down and only take from your plate what he fancied. Maybe a piece of cheese or sausage! 

The next evening, we went out in the landrover after dark with a very young ranger only armed with a light. Suddenly he stopped and switched off the engine and lights. Three elephants walked past us so close I could have touched them – wow! When we got back to the Lodge, we saw lots of large, white, spider-like creatures on the step. The Ranger called them Kalahari Ferrari!

Eventually, we had to fly down to Durban, South Africa, where we had lived for six years. This was 1989, and apartheid was still there. We stood in a line, black and white, waiting for our papers to be checked. There was a change in the cheerful atmosphere. Little did we know there would be big changes in five years' time when Nelson Mandela would become South Africa's first black president. We were able to visit friends and family and see more of that beautiful country and its people.

We had to return to Harare to fly home as sanctions were still in place. Boarding the Qantas plane was a wonderful feeling – next stop Perth after five months ad 19 flights!

Journey 22

REFLECTIONS ON AN ODYSSEY IN TIME and SPACE  

 (12th July 2007 in Kookynie, almost ghost town of old mining centre in Eastern Goldfields )

As dawn breaks I quietly survey the harsh world of space above and to the sides; 

But to those who came over a hundred years ago the focus is the little space below,-

Searching for the mother-lode.  Gold.

For me time to stop,

Change focus,

Enjoy the huge country, 

Spread my arms and embrace horizons far,

Look up to the encompassing dome of endless sky.

All is Still – I can draw breath.

I can take stock without thinking, planning and worrying.

Coming home to the spirit of me  and God the Creator.

The travel is the focus,

Small short sparks of interaction,-- inspire respect and reverence.

Beyond civilisation the women cling on.

Life is precious yet fleeting when surrounded by the ancient land.

Land cares, 

Red soft dirt accepts the lives of those who pass into it.

 At rest in peace in the land and God’s love.

In the day endless blue sky and sun blaze down on everything. 

Eagles soar majestically,

Slow above the dead kangaroos.

Now a blanket of dark, thickly clouded sky cools the land.

Dawn brings gradual light of new hope

.