Daniel Rowland — Overland by Motorbike Armenia and back
Six months overland by motorbike through 29 Countries through the Balkans and Turkey to explore both Georgia and Armenia and returning via Greece, Italy and the Alps.
Christine Darwen — Sri Lanka: Scenic and Wildlife Tour of the South
A UNESCO World Heritage site – Rapa Nui National Park is a protected Chilean wildlife area located in Easter Island, which concentrates on the legacy of the Rapa Nui culture.
John Brinkley – Mumbai to Agra by train, bus and plane
A pre-Covid journey with a small group of travellers from Mumbai to Agra via Kolkata, Darjeeling and Lucknow
A study tour of Hanseatic Cities, covering some of the history and geography of the Hanseatic League including cities in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
Jo Crotty — Travels from the Great War to the Cold War
Jo is an enthusiast for 20th century history and politics and has travelled the world visiting sites that have shaped the recent past
Speaking on Saturday, June 8, 2024 (on the 2nd Saturday) we have :
1st: Joe Sheffer – The Road to Oxiana.
When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021 Joe Sheffer had been covering Afghanistan for nearly a decade as a cameraman and journalist. He decided to start taking tours to the country and his company – Safarāt – became the first foreign travel company offering tours in the new Afghanistan.
Three years later, Afghanistan is experiencing a tourism renaissance unseen since the hippy trail – spurred on by YouTubers, vloggers and travellers looking for adventure. But is travelling in Afghanistan ethical at the moment, or does it prop up a repugnant regime and should you think hard about visiting? Is the country’s sudden glut of tourists a disaster waiting to happen, or simply an important source of income for Afghans hungry to work and keen to show off their country to foreign guests?
Joe will have just returned from Nuristan – a place made famous by the writings of Eric Newby, and Wilfred Thesinger – will be presenting on his latest work in the province.
2nd: Mary Fogarty – Northern Greece: in search of Macedonian roots.
Last September Mary went with Australian Macedonian Victor to find his family roots in northern Greece. They arrived in Thessaloniki, where Victor was very taken with Alexander the Great (considered by Macedonians to be theirs, and by Greeks to be theirs!). From here it was a bus journey up to Florina, near the border with Macedonia, where they hired a car and took off into the mountains to visit the many villages where his parents, grandparents, and ancestors were all born. Here, despite the fact that they were clearly in Greece, it was interesting to discover that everyone was still speaking Victor’s parents’ old dialect of Macedonian …
Driving over the border to Northern Macedonia (ignoring bear warnings and the car hire’s disapproval), they visited Bitola and Lake Ohrid, a blissfully beautiful place where Mary longed to stay but no, after a few idyllic days, it was back to the old village for a Greek wedding, which went on all day, finishing up in a gigantic, Las Vegas-style ‘wedding reception hall’: here, 850 guests watched displays of fireworks and endless Greek/Macedonian dancing and horn playing; Mary took to drinking copious amounts of retsina and Coke, which was the ‘go to’ drink of the evening.
On the final leg of the journey, they took a six-hour bus journey down the backbone of Greece to Athens, where Victor was overwhelmed by the ancient Greek architecture and Mary by meeting a famous film director. Their last staging post was the heavenly island of Hydra, where mules have replaced cars, and the sea was the deepest blue … here Mary went swimming and Victor developed a chill, which was the beginning of another big drama …
Date & Time: Saturday 8th June 2024
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive early so we can deal with any issues with joining.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Admission costs:
£7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
Jay went to Peru in 2008 to explore its fascinating history, its current situation, and the fabulous scenery of the Andes range. Leaving crowded Lima, she went on to visit the vast Lake Titicaca with its islands, where indigenous Quechua-speaking campesinos live; also the floating sedge islands which are home to fishing families. A ride northwards along the Andean range then took her to sprawling Cuzco, once the capital of Peru. Here, modern buildings mix with older ones and ancient dry stone walls.
From Cuzco, she took the train to Aguas Calientes on the Urubamba River, and from here it was a bus up the steep switchback road to Machu Picchu far above. The remains of this world-famous Inca city reveal its architecture, terraces and Sun Temple.
Following this spectacular visit, the tour bus descended down towards the Pacific Ocean, taking in Colca Canyon, and then the old colonial city of Arequipa with museums illustrating Peruvian history and customs. At the coast, she visited giant sand dunes, took a boat to a sea lion colony and then returned to Lima.
From here she took a bus north to Ecuador, arriving in Quito to find the Mayday demonstration in full swing. After this came an unwelcome surprise…
2nd: Nick Marchant – A Toast To Georgia
A land of beautiful landscapes and passionate people, where guests are ‘gifts from God’, I tell the story of my five trips to this dramatic Caucasus country, from its post-Soviet and civil war chaos in 1996 to its modern 21st century West-leaning democracy. With Russia to the North and Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the South, it has always been at a critical juncture in geography and civilisation.
Visiting mostly the same family over almost 30 years, I describe how the country seems to have changed. A country steeped in tradition where the custom of ‘toasting’ with friends and family at a table laden with their delicious cuisine and local wine is a wonderful, joyous way of celebrating life. What characterises the Georgian people and what might survive of that character? And how might I have changed as a result of my three decades of friendship with this fascinating country and people?
Date & Time: Saturday 2nd March 2024
Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive early so we can deal with any issues with joining.
We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.
Admission costs:
£7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
