Author: billrider2013

Eden to Marlo

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I left Eden and rode the short distance to Boyd Town that is opposite Twofold Bay.

Boyd Town

The history of this place is quite interesting. Follow the links with the Wikipedia Article

Genoa

After a brief stop in Boyd Town I continued onto Genoa. The riding was quiet tough with narrow verges and some steep hills.

Genoa is a dying town. The Princesses Highway by passes it and so do most people.
There is a pub and ‘free camping’ which is somewhat popular with ‘grey nomads’ in campervans. I pitched my tent and headed into ‘town’ for some food.

I had a very ordinary meal in the pub. That was all that was on offer.

The only other customers in the pub were a couple on motorbike. She was Finnish and she was riding a Harley Davidson. He was an Aussie on a Moto Guzzi. They were interesting to talk to. He had riding in many parts of the world – India, Nepal, Argentina and Africa as well as the USA and the UK and Europe. I was impressed that she was ride such a bit bike.

Cann River

In the morning, I headed off with no breakfast.
It was a tough ride to Cann River over quite a steep hill. It was hot.

When I arrived in Cann River I decide that was enough for the day and checked into a motel. The pub does offer accommodation anymore. I had a meal in the pub. I was only marginal more palatable than the Genoa meal.

‘Old Coast’ Rd

In the morning I decided to take the ‘Old Coast’ Rd to Bemm River.

This turned out to interesting but tough. It is a unsealed road that appears to been recently graded. The problem was that there were large section of sand. This would be ok in a 4WD, but was not good on a heavily laden bicycle. I fell off three time as bike slide from under me. I also had to push the bike for large sections.

Snakes

I saw four snakes on this road. I didn’t stop to take any photos as they may have been Tiger snakes. They will come after people.

Bemm River

I had never heard of Bemm before. It turned out to be a really nice place. The town is on the lake between that river and the sea. Apparently, it is great for fishing, but is still a ‘well kept’ secret.

I stayed in the camping ground and had a great meal at the pub.
One of the topics of conversation among the customers and staff in the pub was the number of snakes they had been seeing. The locals put it down to “the lack of recent bushfires and good rains”.

Options for Getting to Marlo

There seemed to a number of options to get to Marlo, which was my next objective. These included: the coastal track that, as its name suggests runs along the coast, the ‘Old Coast Rd, which is a bit inland, and going back to the Princess Highway on a seal road and then another sealed road to Marlo.

I ruled out the first option on the basis of advice from the bloke who looking after the camping ground. He told me that there was “too much sand for you”. He also said that “there was a shit load of sand on the next part of the ‘Old Coast’ Rd.

Bellbird

In the end, I decided to take the long way to Marlo via Bellbird where I stayed the night. Bellbird has a pub and nothing else. The pub is for sale. Soon I think there will be nothing in Bellbird.

Marlo

In the morning, I headed off down the Princess Highway before turning east towards the coast and onto Marlo.

It was raining heavily when I arrived in the town and decided to take a cabin in the camping ground. This turned out to be a good idea and the rain intensified through the afternoon and into the night.

Snowy River

Marlo is where the Snowy River meets the ocean. There has been a lot of dispute about the amount of water the is directly down the river from the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

There seemed to be a reason flow at the moment.
In the morning I went for a walk along the Snowy River Estuary. It is worth doing if you are in the area.
Flickr Link
https://flic.kr/s/aHskwN52Th

Garmin Links
Eden
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2513819361
Genoa
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2513819434
Cann River
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2519788171
Bemm River
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2519788233
Bellbird
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2519788299

About Twofold Bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twofold_Bay

 

Candelo, Merimbula and Eden

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I left Nimmitabel after short stop at the café for a coffee and lots of ‘pre-loading’ of water. It was going to be another hot day.

Down the Brown Mountain

It was a relatively short ride to the top of the Brown Mountain. This was followed by a short sharp descent down to Bemboca where I had lunch

Candelo

I decided to skip going to Bega and Tathra and head off the Monaro Highway to the small village of Candelo. The only accommodation available in Candelo was camping in the local park.

There were some other people in this ‘free camp’. There were a young couple from Malta who were travelling around Australia in a campervan and an older couple who were travelling a very large ‘campervan’ which was a converted bus. The bloke in the bus told that he and his wife had been “on the road for 7 years and couldn’t living any other way”.

I ended up having a meal in the Candello Bowling Club after deciding that the pub had a ‘touch of the Faulty Towers’. Neither the pub or the bowling club had EFPOS it was all ‘CASH ONLY’. I think these places need an ATO audit.

Onto the Coast and Merimbula

Leaving Candelo, I headed towards the coast. A short ride brought me onto the Princess Highway which is the main highway running along the coast into Victoria and through to Melbourne.

I had booked into a place that had been the Merimbula YHA. The woman running the place told me that “owners were trying to sell the place didn’t want to keep paying the YHA fees”.

When I was planning the trip I had hoped to catch up will an old Department Foreign Affairs colleague and his wife. They are both retired and have a house in Merimbula. Unfortunately for family reasons that were not in town.

I had two full days in Merimbula. It is a great spot with an excellent beach.

Nano Brewery

It was drizzling when I left Merimbula and headed south. I stopped briefly in the Longstocking ‘Nano’ Brewery just south of Pambula. As the owner explained, his “brewery is smaller than a micro-brewery”.

Big Ship in Eden

As I rode on to Eden, I was passed by a surprising number of buses heading both North and South.

When I got into Eden I headed to the Great Southern Hotel. The main street was a ‘hive of activity’. It turned out that there was a big cruise ship in town and the buses were transporting the passengers to the local sites including Merimbula.

Non-Pedestrian Crossing

I spent a full day in Eden. It has an impressive harbour which was once the site of a major whaling industry.

A feature of the town is the most bizarre traffic ‘control’ system that you will ever see. They are four ‘non-pedestrian crossing’. These are painted blue and give the appearance of being standard pedestrian crossings. However, closer inspection reveals signs telling the pedestrians to “give way to vehicle”. Several locals told me that “they have been the cause of many near misses”. I plan to bring is issue up with the local council and the Roads and Traffic Authority.

Flickr Links
Candelo
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmemNsTC

Merimbula

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmexLoyd

Eden
https://flic.kr/s/aHskww6YPy

Garmin Links
Nimitabel
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2501388657
Candelo
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2501388696
Merimbula
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2509201675

Nimmitabel

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After some days in Cooma, it was time to head to the coast.

My first stop was to be the very small own of Nimmitabel.

Strong Winds

I headed off along the Monaro Highway. It was good to be back in the saddle after of few months off the bike.

As I rode along the wind, which was already vert strong, got even stronger. This wasn’t a problem when it was directly behind me as it simply pushed be along. However, the road changed direction and this meant that wind was hit me side on. This made riding particularly difficult. It was even more of a problem when I was passed by big trucks. They caused a mini ‘wind shadow that sucked me towards them, irrespective as to whether they were coming towards me or from behind. I soon learned that it was between to stop when they were passing.

Check out the video of the winds blowing through some poplar trees.

The Federal Hotel

I had made a reservation at the Federal Hotel ‘on-line’. When I arrived at the hotel, I thought I had made a mistake as it was closed and looked derelict. As I was about to call the number of the hotel, the door opened, and bloke appeared. He said, “I assume that you are one I my quests for the evening”. He was the publican.

The publican helped me get my bike into the hotel and showed me to my room. The inside of the hotel was I lot different to the exterior. It obviously been recently refurbished. More on that later.

The publican told that he could offer a very limited range of food, so “you might want to try the café or the bakery”. I took his advice. As it turned out, the café was closed, and the bakery was about to close. I managed to get a pie at the bakery.

The Big Elephant

A feature of the bakery was a large elephant. Check out the photo. This was not something that you would expect in small village on the Monaro. I was told that elephant, who is known as George, was brought to Nimmitabel from Bali by the former owner of the bakery.

Later in the trip, I was told by a bloke in Eden who frequently travels on the Monaro Highway that before George, there was statue of a naked woman at the bakery. Apparently, this statue upset the locals and was taken down.

I like elephants, but is I also like naked women. It is a pity both statues could not be on show.

Old Blokes on Old Bikes

When I returned to the pub, the other guests started to arrive. They were also on bikes, but of the motorised kind.

They were a group of middle aged blokes from the mid north coast of NSW on a tour.
They were riding an assortment of old bikes including a JAP, an Indian, an AJS, a Harley Davidson and some older Japanese bikes. They were characters to say the least. There was some disharmony within the group, particularly when came to splitting the food and drink bill and the end of the night.

It was interesting to chat to some of them about bikes and travel.

The Pub is doing Well

I also had a chat to the publican. He told me that he was from Canberra and took over the pub three years ago. Prior to that, it had been closed for over ten years. He said that he refurnished the bar first, and then a few of the rooms. Over time he has done more work on the place. His busiest time in the in the ski season. Accommodation in the resorts is tight and the demand for accommodation is high in Berridale and Cooma. This a has now spread to Nimmitabel. He offers rooms, some with bunk beds, for only $60 per night. As a result, the place nearly always full booked in the ski season.

Proposed Rail Trail

I noticed a number ‘cut out of bicycles’ in on the building in Nimmitabele. These are part of a campaign for the development of a Rail Trail on the disused rail that runs from Queanbeyan through Cooma, Nimmitabel and on to Bombala.

I am a huge fan of Rail Trails. In fact, this trip will include the Grippsland Rail Trail from Bairnsdale to Orbost. However, it has to be said that the Monaro fairly remote from major population centres. It is likely that funding for the Rail Trail will be difficult to get.

Off to Brown Mountain

After a night in Nimmitabel the next leg of the trip was down the Brown Mountain to Candello.
Flickr Link
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmaT7UUE
Garmin Link
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2498586715

 

Cooma Again

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I took a bus from Canberra to Cooma. This would seem to be a rather old thing to do, given I have my bike with me. The simple fact is that this part of the Monaro Highway is very boring and I have travelled on it lots of times. Last year I rode along it on my way over the Snowy Mountains and down the Murray River (refer to post below).

Old Cooma Boy Remembers Girl with Unusual Name

On the bus, I got into conversation with a fellow passenger. He turned out to be a former Cooma ‘local’ who was making a flying visit to the town from Sydney. I told him a about my association with the town through working with the Australian National Audit Office (ANOA) and having the Snowy Mountains as a client. I told him that I got to know a girl with an unusual name when I was working in Cooma. I mention be in a previous post in 2013 (refer below).

It turned out that bloke been to school with the said girl. We chatted about her quite a bit. It is not just her name that is memorable.

The Royal Pub

I had booked into the Royal Pub which is in the ‘old’ part of Cooma. Over the time that I worked in Cooma, I must have stayed in nearly all of the motels and hotels in the own. However, I never stayed in the Royal Hotel. It is a classic country pub.

Craft Brewery Moves into Town
On my ride through Cooma last year, I stopped off at Brewery and Gin Distillery, that had opened up at Four Mile, which is as the name suggests, is 6 kilomtres out of the town on the way to Jindabyne.

I was intrigued as to whether the place was still going, as it didn’t seem to be an ideal location and the owners had told that they were not getting any support from the pubs in the town. I did a search on the internet and found that brewery was now located in the main street of the town. It turned out that the address of the Brewery was the Australian Hotel. I went there hoping to get a good craft beer.

As it happens, the Brewery is in the process of moving into the pub and at the time of my visit, the move was yet to be completed. However, it is good to see that business is still going and I wish them well.

Heading to the Coast

I was good to spent time in Cooma again. The next stage of my trip was towards the coast.

Flickr Link
https://flic.kr/s/aHsksYMz5e

Post in 2017

Mountains and the Murray Part One

Post in 2013

Heading Into the Mountains. Some Memories of the Past

Days in Canberra

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I took the train from Sydney to Canberra.

I spent much of the journey sitting next to a bloke who was very interested in trams and trains. He told me that he was a retired lawyer and one of his retirement jobs was being a member of the board of the Sydney Tram Museum. I have visited the museum. It is worth a visit.

I thought that I had been on a few trains in my time. This bloke and his wife have only a few major train trips, e.g. the Blue Train in South Africa, to complete before they have done all the ‘great train journeys’ in the world.

It was good to see that the train to Canberra was full.

Prime Minister’s XI

One of the reasons I was heading to Canberra at this time was so I could attend the Prime Minister’s XI Cricket Match. These matches are played between and invitational XI select by, or on behalf of, the Prime Minister and the oversea side who are touring the country at the time. This year the match was against England who had been soundly beaten in the ‘Ashes’ Test series.

The PM’s Matches were started by Bob Menzies who was a huge cricket fan. After his retirement the matches were replaced by contests between local ACT and Southern Districts rep sides and the touring teams. Bob Hawke resurrected the PM’s XI Matches when he became Prime Minister in 1983.

An old friend and fellow Highlander’s CC team mate had organised tickets for me and his family to attend the match.

Prior to going to Canberra, I spoke to another former Highlander’s CC team mate about the match. He said he wasn’t going because “it was a T20 game and it was at night”. He then went on to recall the match between the PM’s IX and the West Indies in 1984. He recalled the details of that match in ‘unnatural’ detail. I was at that match with him, but to not have such vivid recollections of it.

My mate pointed out that Bob Hawke personally picked his team. It included that then Australian captain, Greg Chappell and a young David Boon who was then starting his first-class career. The team also included two great Australian fast bowlers, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. This was to be the last time that they bowled together.

The West Indies fielded close to a full strength team. Checkout the link below. That was a serious good team.
The PM’s IX Matches are a great event. One that most notable matches was in 1963. This match featured Don Bradman. I was taken to the match by my parents. Unfortunately, I have a very vague recollection of the match.

The ground where that matches of played is Manuka Oval. It is a great cricket ground. As my mate’s brother noted, it has that same surface area as the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
As it turned out, the Englishmen flogged the PM’s team. Nathan Lyon, the captain of the PM’s team was once a groundsman at Manuka. His ‘local’ knowledge was no use as he was hit for 5 sixes and a 4 in one over.

Lunch other Meals

The next day I had lunch with some ex Highlands, their wives and other friends.
On other days I also caught up with other old friends including fellow ex Canberra High students.

Rally Against the Adani Mine

On Monday, I attended a demonstration at Parliament House against that Adani Mine with an old mate and his wife. This a questionable project in Queensland. It is difficult to see the rationale for the project on any measure. I suspect that the mine will not go ahead because it is simply a dud ‘business proposition. The banks will not support it.

Old Parliament House

After the demonstration, we walked down the hill to the ‘Old Parliament House’. It is interesting to walk around the building, including the House of Representatives chamber and the Prime Minister’s Office.

I had a picture taken on the steps leading into King’s Hall. This is where Gough Whitlam made his famous “My God Save the Queen” speech on the 11th of November 1975.

Garema Place

One last comment: The buildings in Garema Place need to be demolished and whole area needs to turned into a European style ‘city square’.

Flickr Link
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmcMvCMH

Sydney Tram Museum

Sunday 25th February 2024 – Sydney Vintage Tramway Festival

PM’s IX Match 1984
http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1983-84/OTHERS+ICC/WI_IN_AUS/WI_PM-XI_24JAN1984.html

PM’s IX Matches including Bradman in 1963
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister%27s_XI

 

Swimming with Turtles in Bryon Bay

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I took the train from Sydney to Casino. This is actually a great rail journey. It is slow, but the old XPT is very comfortable and it travels through some great countryside.

From Casino you take a connecting bus to Byron Bay.

I really like Byron Bay and of, have a few rituals. These include a meal a Fish Mongers and a beers at the Beach Hotel. The meal was up to its usual standard which is excellent.

BIB has Definitely left the Beach

The Beach Hotel has been famous of the years for the quality of its bar staff. The place has recently changed hands. Clearly the policy with respect to the recruitment of bar staff has undergone a change. This is a pity albeit it probably more ‘PC’.

Some Healthy Activity

I decided to do ‘swimming with the turtles’. There are a number of companies that offer trips out to Julian Rock to see the turtles. I pick one, Wild Byron. They operate out of Brunswick Heads which is about 20 kilometres north of Byron Bay. This involved being picked up in Byron Bay by 4WD and battling the traffic out of the town.

I was one of only four on the trip. The others were two French girls on holiday in Australia and Scottish lass who was working in Byron.

If only I could speak French

When we arrived in Brunswick Heads, we were met by the Skipper of the boat that would take us out to Julian Rock and our guide, Laura who was also French. As it turned out all the French girls were from Montpellier. There was a lot of excited conversation in French.

The Skipper of the boat explained that Julian Rock was part of the Cape Bay Marine Park. It is also the point where the currents from southern NSW and north from Queensland meet. These two factors make it a great place for marine life. This include dolphins, sharks and, of course, the turtles.

It is also a great place to see whales and manta rays in the winter months.

Getting to the Rock is half the Fun

After the brief introduction and the donning of our wetsuits, we boarded the boat and headed along the river and out to sea. Once we out of the small harbour, we certain picked up speed. It was a very fast boat. The views across to Byron Bay and the hinterland were spectacular. The boat ride is an experience.

When we arrived at the Rock, The Skipper explained that Laura would guide us to the best laces to see the wildlife. This involved swimming to a gap in the rock and slowly drifting along the side of the rock which faced Byron Bay.

Lots of Turtles and friendly Sharks

We all jumped into the water and headed to the rock. It wasn’t long before I saw my first turtle. Check out the video.

There was a bit of wait before I saw a shark. It took it to be a Leopard Shark. I have since been told by an old school mate, who knows a great deal more about sharks than me, that it was actually a Wobbegong Shark. In case you are worried about these sharks, you can be rest assured that they a both harmless.

Apart from the Turtles and the Sharks there are also other fish, but not in the number that you would see on a coral refer such as the Great Barrier Reef or Ningaloo in Western Australia.
Albeit, I was wearing a wetsuit, I started to feel the cold and decided to get out. It must be an aging thing. The others stayed in the water longer.

As I waited for the others to finish, I chatted with the Skipper and his offsider. They told me a bit about their business and the competition. One competitor is allowed to pick up customers on the beach at Byron Bay. This is a bit an advantage, I guess, but the trip from Brunswick Heads was interesting and being so fast, it was a bit of a thrill.

Seeing Whales could be even be Better

They also talked about the whale watching tour they run in Winter. They showed me a video of two whales on either side of the boat. The whales “were very curious and hung around the boat for ages”. Even though they “could have sunk the boat with one flick of their tail, there was no danger”.

I must to a whale watching trip someday.

After the others finished their dive, we headed back to Brunswick Heads at full speed.

It was a great trip that I can highly recommend.

Link to Wild Byron

Home

Flickr Link
Swimming with the Turtles

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8iBmgW

Garmin Link
(Fast Boat)
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2392280528

Wobbegong Sharks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wobbegong

 

 

A Day trip out of Amman

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For my first full day in Jordon, I decided to take a day trip suggested by the Manager of the hotel.

This involved using a driver that they recommended. As it turned out, another guest in the hotel would be joining and would share the cost. The other guest was a Filipino bloke who is working in Saudi Arabia for a British insurance company.

Jerash

Our driver arrived at that appointed time and we headed off out of the city. Our first stop was Jerash. This was a surprise to me. It is one the largest Roman towns outside of Italy. It is huge and remarkably well preserved. Check out the Flickr line and the Wikipedia link below.

Learning a bit about the Driver

As we headed to our next stop, our driver told us a bit about himself. He told us the he was Palestinian, and his family was from Nazareth. He was only a baby when his family were forcibly evicted from their house and land in 1948 and the formation of the modern state of Israel. This history was to provide an excellent background some of his comments on what we were to see later in the day.

Ajlun Castle

Our next stop was Ajlun Castle. This was built by the Muslims high on hill with extraordinary hills. It is the classic impregnable fortress. Again, check out the links below.

Heading back to the Jordon

The next part of the trip took us west towards the border with Israel. I had crossed that border on the previous day by bus. The terrain is very hilly and not something that I expected. Our driver told us that this part of the country is covered in snow for much of the winter, again something that I didn’t expect.

Lunch Close to the Border

We passed the turned off to the ‘Sheikh Hussein’ border crossing and continued heading north. We stopped in a small village for lunch. Our driver told us about this part of the country. It is a very interesting place. Doubtless everyone knows that the borders in this part of the world are ‘contested’ to say the least, and have been for years. It was ironic that we were in this area 100 years since the Balfour Declaration. Read about it below.

In short, that was when the British allowed the Zionists to occupy land in Palestine and what is now Jordan. It is the basis of much of the current dispute over the border between Israel and Jordon. Add in the ‘six day’ war in 1967, the Oslo Agreement and so and you understand why it is so complicated.

Anyway, what makes this part of the border between Jordon and Israel very interesting is that, part of it is on a road that runs north on the Jordanian side of the River Jordan. The driver pointed out looking west from the place we were eating, we could see farms and beyond them, we could see the River Jordan. The farms are ‘owned’ and operated by Israelis, albeit given they are east of the river, they are technically in Jordan. The driver told us that most of the workers on the farms live in the town we were in and other small settlements along the road. The people are Jordanian or Palestinian. They walk across the road each day to work of the Israeli ‘owned’ farms.

Travelling along the Really Interesting Border

After lunch, we headed north along the road, which soon became the ‘border’ between Jordon on the right, and Israel on the left. We passed through several checkpoints where there were Israeli soldiers on their side of the road, and Jordanian soldiers on the other side.

I took some videos.

I was sitting in the back of the car. The driver told me to lie down of the seat a couple of times. I have no idea why. He didn’t ask that Filipino bloke who sitting in the front seat to get down.

Looking into Syria and Much More

At one point, the driver stopped. We got out of the car and he pointed out the remains of damaged bridge in the valley below. He told us that the bridge was “blown-up” by some ISIS raiders that had crossed the border from Syria”. Apparently, they killed some US soldiers on the same raid before they, themselves were killed.

We drove a little further and stopped again.

At this point, we were high on hill over looking the border with Syria to the north and, the border with Israeli to the west. This is where the borders with the three countries meet. Check out the Flickr photos and videos. You can see the fence that runs along the borders between Jordan as Israel and Syria, and Jordan and Syria. Ahead to east in Jordon, you can see what looks like a village high on hill. It is a US military base.

Further in the distance, it is possible to see land which is part of southern Lebanon.
As we looked at the view, we could hear some muffled explosions. Our driver told us that that was “the Americans shelling ISIS”.
The road them took us further up the hill. From there we had a great view back from where we had come, and across into Israel as far as the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias.

Refugees

It was time to start heading back Amman. Our driver told us that he would show us something that would “upset [him], but would be of interest”. This turned out to be an ‘informal’ refugee camp housing Syrians who had crossed the border into Jordan. For whatever reason, these poor souls aren’t allowed to go to the ‘formal’ camps which are the east of Amman. They are basically just living on the side of the road. Their ‘shelter’, such that it is, consists of pieces of plastic and wood that they have obviously managed to scavenge. The driver said that “the local Jordanians and Palestinians, albeit they are poor, provide some assistance to these people. The government and the International community does nothing for them’.

The driver was visibly upset by what we saw.

Some Insights on Saudi Arabia

As we drove back to Amman we chatted a lot. It was very interest to listen to the Filipino bloke and the driver talk about Saudi Arabia and its people.

A couple of things:

Young Saudis, both men and women, cross into Jordan “for a good time”. When they are in Jordan they “drink and do stuff that is not permitted in their own country”. The Saudi men typically get “paid female companions, Jordanian and visiting Europeans and Asians, while in Amman”. The young Saudi women, “let their ‘hair down’ so to speak”.

Both the driver and the Filipino think that sooner the Saudi oil runs out the better. “They will return to type – pity the donkeys”.

Flickr Links
Jerash
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8xBLey
Ajlun Castle
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5EMM2f
Israel, Jordon and Syria Border
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8fHd5U
About Jerash
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash
About Ajlun Castle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajloun_Castle
Balfour Declaration 1917
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration

 

Berlin Again

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I spent a couple of days in Cologne before heading to Berlin.

Train from Cologne

The train to Berlin was an ICE train. It was very comfortable and fast.
Staying in the East

I had booked into a hostel that is in the East. This part of the city has slow become gentrified in the period since ‘The Wall’ cam down in 1989. Initially it was very popular with students and bohemian types because the cost of housing was cheap. These people are slowly being forced out of the area as the price of flat rents rise.

However, it is still a good palace to be with lots of different bars, restaurants cafes. Of course I was about to find a pub selling craft beer.

Remembering 2012

I visited Berlin briefly in 2012. I also visited the city in 1978. This was followed by another visit in 1984 when I was working for the Department of Foreign Affairs. I have already posted about that visit. Refer to the link below.

I was interested to see the changes that have occurred since my 2012 visited. A lot had obviously changed between 1989 well The Wall came down and when I visited in 2012.

The area around the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag was where most of the work had been done to ‘unify’ the two halves of the city. The Wall ran in front of the Gate and the area on the Eastern side was ‘scare’ about 400 metres wide. By 2012 this had been repaired with a lot of work including pathway across to the new Train Station.

Since 2012 it appears that attention is now being given to area East of the Gate around Alexanderplatz. This area still has the ‘severe soviet style’ building from the communist era, however they rea slowly

Hop on Hop Off Bus

I decided to take one of the ‘Hop on Hop’ Buses that operate in Berlin. These are often a good way to get a quick feel for a city.

The hop off places included, the Olympic Stadium, the main shopping street Kurfürstendamm and Checkpoint Charlie, an area where there is over a kilometre of The Wall. One the circuits of the bus route took in a few of the suburbs in the East. The contrast with the suburbs in the West is still obvious.

Walking from Checkpoint Charlie Down Friedrichstraße

In the afternoon on my last day in Berlin, I went to Checkpoint Charlie and retracted that walk down Friedrichstraße that I wrote aboot in my post on the 1984 visit.
The contrast could not be more stark. In 1984, there was no one walling on the street apart from me. The Buildings were drab and hardly seemed to be occupied. Today Friedrichstraße is lined with upmarket shops and restaurants and cafes.

Off to Warsaw

Next day I made my way to the train station where I caught the train to Warsaw.

Visit to Berlin in 1984

East Berlin 1984

Flickr Link 2017

https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/pU1253

 

 

London to Cologne

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After returning to London having completed the ride up the East coast of England, I packed up my bike and camping gear put it on a ship to Australia.

It was time to start heading home.

Train to Cologne

I had booked my train trip to Berlin a couple of months in advance. The first leg was that Eurostar to Brussels. This was the first time that I had been on this train. It is really good.

I got to St Pancreas in plenty of time to go through that security checks. These are done far quicker than is the case when flying.

Before long, I was flying across that Kent countryside towards that English Channel. The ride under the channel is quick an experience. Check out the video.

Once in France the train really picks up speed.

Soon I was in Brussels where I changed to a Thales Train that took me to Cologne.

Cologne

I had a coupe of days in Cologne. It is famous for its Cathedral and its location of the Rhine. It also has a lot of ancient Roman history.

Berlin
My next stop was to be Berlin.

Flickr Link
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm55jD47

 

 

Alnwick to Newcastle

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I left Whitby by train to Durham with a very brief stop in Doncaster where I visited the Rail Museum. There is one of Stephenson’s first locomotives at that museum.

Time in Durham

I spent a few days in Durham staying at St Chads which is one of the colleges in the University. I have stayed there before. My parents also stayed at this college. It is a great place to stay. The students rooms are small, but very comfortable.

I like Durham. It has good pubs and an excellent little micro-brewery. The restaurants are also good.

One day I travelled into Sunderland. The contrast between Durham and Sunderland is stark. Sunderland is still very much ‘down at heel’. The city voted over 60% for Brexit.

Silly Buggers.

Train to Alnwick

I took the train from Durham to Alnwick. The last time I was in Alnwick was in 2013, when I did the Land’s End to John O’Groats ride. At the end of that ride I rode from Edinburgh through the border country and down the East Coast towards Newcastle. I stayed in Bamburgh.

When I left Bamburgh it started to rain. By the time I got to Alnwick, it was pouring down that it didn’t look as though it would stop.

I gave up and took the train to Newcastle.

This time I was determined to complete the ride to Newcastle, albeit I had a few things to do in Alnwick and the surrounds before heading south.

Trip out to Lindisfarne

One of these was a trip out to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. This is an interesting place.

The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The causeway is covered in water when the tide is in. It is a frequent event for cars to be swept away by the incoming tide. This is notwithstanding numerous signs warning of the danger.

Check out the video with a chat with driver of the bus that took me across to island.

There is plenty to see on the island. There are the ruins of the Abbey, the castle and a small museum. The scenery is spectacular.

There are also a couple of good pubs for a beer and a meal.

David Gilmore Film

Another thing I did while I was in Alnwick was to attended a showing of a film on David Gilmore’s concert at Pompeii. The concert was performed 45 years after the famous Pink Floyd concert at the site.

The film was shown at cinema all around the UK on the 13th of September. I bought a ticket to see it at the Alnwick Playhouse, which is used both as a cinema and a playhouse for live theatre.

The place was packed for the screening. One notable feature of the audience was its demographic. I was one of the youngest there. There was a lot of grey hair or no hair.

There were also several Zimmer frames.

Anyway, it was a great experience. The concert was great, and film captures the sight and sound of the event perfectly.

Riding to Newcastle

I finally left Alnwick and headed to Newcastle. This involved heading east to the coast and picking up Sustrans Route 1 which follows the coast.

The route is a mixture of cycle paths, and back roads that are typically right on the coast. I stopped at café for lunch that was full of cyclists. I am still not sure where they had come from or were going to as I didn’t come across many cyclists actually riding on the cycle route.

Older Couple

However, as I approached Blyth I did come across a couple of cyclists. It was good that I did as this part of the route was very difficult to follow.

The couple, a bloke and his wife, showed me the way into town.

As we approached the centre of Byth, the heavens opened and we stopped in a shelter in a park. As we waited or the rain to ease we chatted. It turned out that the couple were both in their seventies. They were keen cyclists and had been for years. They told me that they were about to head to Spain for a couple of months where they be doing “lots of riding’.

I was very impressed. They were very fit.

Byth is where many the platforms for the North Sea oil industry were built. The technology is now being used to construct off shore wind farms.

Tynemouth to Newcastle

After leaving Blyth, I continued on to Tynemouth, which as its name suggests, is at the mouth of the Tyne.

I then had about 20 klms further to go up the river into Newcastle.

On this leg I came across two groups of cyclists who were completing the Route 7 Coast to Coast ride from Whitehaven on the west coast to South Shields.

It was late when I finally arrived in Newcastle.

Flickr Links
Durham
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8ohC7e

Sunderland

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4gDorA

Lindisfarne

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm7U5JoW

Alnwick to Newcastle

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5o1cH8

Garmin Link
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1984790355

About Lindisfarne
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisfarne

David Gilmore Concert Screening 13th September
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-gilmour-plots-live-at-pompeii-film-one-night-only-screening-w485010