Auschwitz (the Nazi name; Oswiecim in Polish)

Many words have been said and written already so I will add only a few more. Below is what the Nazis called the kitchen. They did not want prisoners to last very long, the aim was to work them to death so the 'food' was nothing more than occasional watery 'soup'.

 I was certainly upset at some of the things that we saw at the 'camp'. More often I was disgusted at the lengths to which the Nazis would go to make the prisoners suffer. for example, below are two posts. Victims would be pinioned by their arms and made to hang for hours just above the ground. Shoulders would become dislocated and when finally released from this torture, the victims would be expected to work; either that or be shot. You could be tortured for nothing more than looking at one of the guards. About 1.5 million people suffered here, mostly Jews, Poles, Russian POWs, gay people, the disabled. Some prisoners on outside work managed to smuggle messages to Polish resistance fighters. One set of messages included the names of the most brutal of the SS in the camp. Their names were then published in British and US newspapers, causing the cowards to be upset and providing the inmates with small but morale boosting satisfaction.

 A relatively minor number of the SS were brought to justice after the war. The gallows below were used to hang prisoners, usually in front of others to add to their terror. A small satisfaction for some was that after WWII the camp commandant was hanged here, just outside his residence. Having been inside the buildings and seen the rows of photographs of prisoners, the collections of hair, spectacles, toothbrushes, suitcases, false limbs, babies' shoes for example, I understand why the people at the Simon Wiesenthal Centre continue to hunt down the perpetrators of the appalling crimes of the Nazis and I wish them well in their efforts.

 Last stop on the tour is to enter a gas chamber.

Cracow, beautiful, inspiring and relaxing

Cracow, the former capital of Poland is a marvellous place to spend a few days. Below you have St Mary's Basilica in Rynek Glowny, europe's largest medieval market square. Every hour (24hrs a day) a bugler appears near the top of the tower and plays a warning to the four points of the compass. He then waves to the crowd who then wave back. Not sure what the crowd was like at 3:00a.m. though.

 The weather was great, as you can see. A bit warm for the horses perhaps but they are all well cared for and in beautiful condition.

 This is Wawel Cathedral, a short walk form Rynek Glowny. As in all the churches we visited in Cracow, the inside was awe inspiringly beautiful, including the ornate sarcophagi of Polish monarchs and national heroes. Our admiration for the Polish people grows as we hear how they finally gained independence in 1918 after a series of invasions and rule by Swedish, Prussian, Austrian empires. Then followed the dread of the Nazis and 45 years of Soviet repression.

 I would be very grateful if someone would tell me how this is done!

 Cracow is very relaxing, especially with a glass of Wyziec. Not bad in the back of a horse drawn carriage either!

Highgate Cemetery, London

A great place for a walk. We went on a sunny afternoon but I guess a windy Autumn or a spooky night would be just as uplifting.

£3 to enter or £7 if you want a guided tour. Some say it is pricey but there’s a big acreage to maintain!

Don’t the photos just make you want to visit?

Famous Residents:

Although its most famous occupant in the East Cemetery is probably Karl Marx there are many other prominent figures, Victorian and otherwise, buried at Highgate Cemetery. On a mainly literary and

artistic theme, residents include:

Douglas Adams, (E) author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and other novels. Next to him is Eddie Rosen, son of Michael.

Beryl Bainbridge, (W) novelist

Farzad Bazoft,(E) journalist, executed by Saddam Hussein's regime

Jeremy Beadle, (E) TV presenter, writer and producer, "curator of oddities"

Robert William Buss, (W) artist and illustrator

Patrick Caulfield, (E) painter and printmaker known for his pop art canvasses

John Dickens and Elizabeth Dickens, (W) parents of Charles and models for Micawber and Mrs Nickleby

Catherine and Dora Dickens, (W) wife and daughter of Charles

George Eliot (Mary Ann Cross), (E) novelist

William Alfred Foyle, (E) founder of Foyles the bookshop

Stella Gibbons, (W) novelist

Alexander Litvinenko, (W) Russian dissident turned critic, murdered by poisoning in London

Malcolm McClaren, (E) performer, impresario, manager of The Sex Pistols, 'godfather of punk'

Ralph Miliband, (E)  left wing political theorist, father of David Miliband and Ed Miliband

Henry Moore, (1831–95), (E) marine painter

Sir Ralph Richardson, (E) (1902–83), actor

Christina Rossetti, (W) poet

Frances Polidori Rossetti, (W) mother of Dante Gabriel, Christina and William Michael Rossetti

William Michael Rossetti, (W) co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Feliks Topolski, (E) Polish-born British expressionist painter

Patrick Wymark, (W) actor

Garway Hill, Herefordshire

I won’t reveal too much about Herefordshire because it is a largely rural county that in many ways modern life has passed by and I hope it stays that way, beautiful, lush and green.

We walked for a couple of hours from our hotel, the Bell at Skenfrith, through fields and farms to get to the summit of Garway Hill. Incidentally, the Bell at Skenfrith has great rooms but I would not recommend the place to anybody. The dining room service was poor and the barman offhand. The tone was set when the five of us arrived and instead of saying ‘Welcome to the Bell, I hope that you have an enjoyable stay’ the host said ‘name please.’

You would be better off at the Garway Moon Inn which we visited on the way down. It has good food, real ale and a friendly welcome.

Garway is a village in southwest Herefordshire, lying approximately equidistant from Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth. Above the village stands Garway Hill, a prominent local landmark rising to over 1200 feet.

From the top of the hill there is a view of seven counties in a 360-degree panorama. White mountain horses graze there most of the year and raise their foals amongst the bracken. Sheep roam freely. A pond near the summit provides a water supply for the animals which lasts all the year round, despite there being no visible source to keep it topped up. The pond is also home to a protected species of newt.

Here’s us at the summit, is Pete the first Australian up there? Perhaps not.

Old Dubai

Additional metro stations have opended in the two years since I was last in Dubai, including the one at Al Karama. The district of Al Karama is one where 'genuine' watches, handbags and designer clothes can be bought. How do you like the bag below? Someone looks pleased with their purchase!

Away from all the glitz of Downtown Dubai is Bastakiya. Here, traditional sand and stone wind tower houses have been restored. The alleys offer calm and shade and amongst the art galleries and museums. There are small hotels such as the one below where we enjoyed a nice pot of tea!

An abra ride for 1 dirham is a bargain but don't sit at the front unless you want to get wet from the wash of a passing cruiser. Across the Creek from Bastakiya there are dhows loading and unloading everything from tractor tyres to three-piece-suites. As you can see, they are not the most modern of seafaring craft and it must be a tough life for the traders as they ply the Persian Gulf and contend with oil tankers and Iranian coastguards - 'Cigarettes? Of course not, it's all tractor tyres on board sir!'

It's a lengthy walk from The Address to the sea but worth it!

Burj Khalifa

100dirhams if you book in advance but advance is a week away so we go so called VIP which means 400dirhams each, instant entry and no queuing. Late afternoon is a great time to go because you get daylight, the onset of evening and then the bright lights of downtown Dubai at night.

It is 160 floors to the top (828m) and though 'At the Top' (the observation deck) is a mere 124 floors up it is still quite an elevation. That's our hotel down below with the fountain area in front. The dark blue is that lovely pool I mentioned earlier and the Dubai Mall is on the left.

This is looking down Sheikh Zayed Road past the Emirates Towers and towards the Creek.

Christmas in Dubai

We stayed at the Address Hotel, close to the Burj Khalifa and definitely worth its 5 star rating. The Sky Bar, open after 6:00p.m. affords wonderful views of Dubai by night. The pool area is large, the pool water temperature just right and the sunbeds most comfortable. The poolside bar offers grandstand views of the fountains. The 2nd photo below, taken from the pool, shows part of the immense Burj Khalifa, whilst behind the hotel you can see the vast Dubai Mall and beyond it, that the building work continues into the desert. In the room, there is an electric powered shutter behind the couch so that the bathroom can be separated from the main room.



Christmas in Dubai? Santas, elves, reindeer, (piped) Christmas carols galore and a chocolate yule log in the hotel room. In keeping with the ambition of the place, some of the Christmas trees were very impressively large.

For Christmas dinner we kept away from the turkey and trimmings and opted for a very enjoyable Italian meal.