FROM CITY TO COUNTRY UK STYLE

Well, here I am, ready to take to the skies again after a month in the UK and Turkey. Two very different places ....  

Turkey, with its archaeological sites and ruins, steeped in over 2000 years of history, weather warm enough to wear summer clothes and sunscreen, eggplant dishes galore, olives, figs, pomegranates, baklava, kebabs and apple tea.

Kusadasi with friends Jacqui and Michelle

Olive trees

temple remains

library at Ephesus

plenty of rocks and slabs to lean against!

Blue Mosque ceiling detail, Istanbul

Istanbul

Spice market

detail in St Chora ceiling ornates

sunset by Pamukkale

 calcium terraces at Hieropolis

amphitheatre at Ephesus

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

England, with green rolling hills, fences of dry rock walls, manors and estates, lakes and woodlands, trails for hikers stretching for miles, but also with cities retaining centuries old buildings and city walls, villages with stone houses and thatched or shingle roofs and cobbled streets.  You can almost hear the sound of stagecoaches and horses! But out with the winter clothes, hats, gloves, scarves and jackets included! Cream teas (scones and clotted cream), roast with yorkshire pudding, fish & chips & mushy peas, bakewell pudding, cornish pasties, sausage and mash, the list goes on ...

streets of Canterbury

Blickling Estate, Norwick

Bowness, Lake district

canal at Chester

farmland around Lake Windermere, Lake District

Bath Spa

Canterbury Cathedral

Peak District

Old City Gates into York

streets of Chester

York city walls

Historic building, Canterbury

Bath river

Wray Castle, Lake Distrct

York Pub

Wales, with its farmland fenced with hedges and filled with sheep (just like home!), tussock grass highlands and beautiful waterfalls.

cottage at St Fagans, Welsh Life Museum

Caerphilly Castle

Keep at Cardiff Castle

Cheryl and I in Brecon Beacons National park

behind one of the waterfalls at Ystradfellte Falls

Rhossili Beach, on the Gower

sun setting over  farmland and Wormshead Peninsula, Rhossili

Wormshead Causeway, on the Gower Peninsula

Waterfall at Ystradfellte Falls

Yet in all, while retaining the history of the past, the modern era has emerged, and the two work together to form what will be their tomorrow.   (hmmm, that sounds deep...)

It’s been a great month with great friendships made and great places visited. 

Farewell Europe, hello America!  .....

On the ground seeing the local Uganda from the inside out

Uganda, a land of “poverty” but also a land full of potential.    There are lots of organisations endeavouring to help the many children who are either abandoned or orphaned, in the way of children and babies homes, and I have had the chance to visit several of these, from a rural village home for orphans, to a home and school for HIV+ children that would not otherwise be cared for. I have seen throughout the developing countries I have visited, a great need for people to be empowered to change the world they live in.  And Uganda is no exception with an unemployment rate of over 80%.  Rather than just giving money,  putting jobs, training, skills, education and opportunities in the hands of people would go a long way to helping this nation to help themselves.   Talking with my friends here on the ground in Uganda, and seeing their heart to find strategies to do this is so inspiring.  Change is not something that happens overnight, especially with a problem so complex as this, and I commend them for their long term commitment to the community they are working with.

I also had the opportunity to join a small but dedicated group of people who go into the Burns Unit at the local city hospital, giving out food and bandages that family members would otherwise have to provide and pay for.  We were able to pray and encourage these folk, and sing songs to both lift their spirits and connect them to a God who loves them, and let them know that they are not forgotten.  There was no nurse or medical staff on duty and the wards were full with the overflow out the door on mats in the corridor.  I couldn’t get over the large number of children that were there with large degree burns due to falling into fire or pulling hot water or food over themselves, and to see women severely disfigured with loss of sight due to acid been thrown in their faces and over their bodies was shocking.  The smell of this place, and plight of these patients touched my heart, especially when one woman in particular, an acid attack victim, got off her bed and shuffled across the room so she could be by us and take part in praise and worship.  What a humbling and moving experience, and what a wonderful act of compassion this team of people are showing to choose to love and care for those others turn away from.

These experiences are etched into my mind, and have given me the chance to see Uganda from the inside out.  A month has raced by, and it is time for me to once again board a plane to travel to my next destination .......

at the well pumping water

playing duck, duck, chicken ... and I'm it

lunchtime .... rice and beans

Charlotte on a trip to the Reptile Park

Part of the garden dug ready for seed planting

watering the new garden ..... or am I watering myself!!!

Local housing

Typical Ugandan road

Back street shop

Entebbe housing

rural scenes

me and the Caldwells

Touchdown Uganda, the Pearl of Africa

Here I am, hanging out with the amazing Gordon family, at their new home in Entebbe.   My time has been spent mixing home school teaching with interior wall painting, digging gardens, sightseeing at the zoo and botanical gardens and surrounding area, a visit to the local market, and a couple of trips to visit projects in the area.  It hasn’t been as hot here as I thought it would be, so is a welcome change from the heat of Europe and South East Asia.  A good 4 hours of rain made the flower garden preparation for the girls so much easier to dig, with the soil here red clay- hard and dusty when dry, heavy and sticky when wet.  Still wet was the better option, I could put the pick away!

camel riding at the zoo

The Gordon family

Uganda's national bird, the grey crowned crane

Helping Lily with her schoolwork

walking through the park ... and this is a really good road by Ugandan standards!!!

Termite hill

Zebras at the zoo

mum and her baby at the botanical gardens

And onto another continent ......... Farewell Europe, hello Africa

There was a notable difference as the bus went from the roads of Romania to the roads of Hungary, smooth and without potholes, and then journeyed through into the early hours of the morning to Austria, where Vienna was my next stop.  The city is beautiful, friendly and a place where I felt, as a solo female traveller, safe.   A short train ride into Germany took me into Munich, where I ventured out to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle and the Dachau Concentration Camp. as well as the centre city sights via a walking tour.  Definately a way to find out some interesting details and local insight into what the city is all about.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

Biking out for a swim in the alpine lake, Neuschwanstein, Germany

Monument at Dachau Concentration Memorial, to remember, honour and to learn from.

St Stephens Cathedral, Vienna

Garden area at Schoenbrunn Palace, Vienna

Vienna Riding School future stars

Schoenbrunn Palace Gardens, Vienna

Back to Austria to the small alpine village of Schlitters, where I joined up with an Oakhall Christian Tour Group, and explored the mountain areas, the Zillertal valley and city of Salzburg, famous for the making of "The Sound of Music" movie.   Was great to share the experience and hike the trails with other people, and spend time making new friends.  An 18 hour bus trip which included travelling through the Euro tunnel by  train (double decker bus and all!) brought me into the U.K. where I stayed at Oakhall Manor in the Kent district.  This was my first taste of Britain, and I enjoyed visiting the city of Canterbury and looking over the many hillside and forest trails in the surrounding area.

Then onto Heathrow Airport, back on a plane, and off to Uganda for a month.  The adventure continues .......

Edelutte, Mayrhofen

Lake Achensee

alps above Fuggen, Zillertal valley, Tirol, Austria

Lake and Mountain views, Zillertal Valley

Lake Achensee

Bottom of Krimml Waterfall

Schlitters neighbourhood

mountain hike, Mayrhofen, Tirol

Krimml Waterfall