Globetrotters meeting on 1st February by
Padmassana
David Abram was up first and gave us a very interesting talk
on Trekking in Corsica. David has spent long periods in Corsica
in order to research his Trailblazer
guidebook. He told us that the cheapest way to get there is to take a
No-Frills cheap flight to either Marseilles or Nice and then take a ferry
across to the island. David first showed us the easier coastal walks;
we saw the azure seas and waves crashing on to rocky headlands. The main
route for Trekking/walking on Corsica is the GR20, which winds its way
170 Km across the islands roof. The route has an altitude change of 19,000
Metres. David explained that although his photos of the route looked daunting
to all but experienced mountaineers, including parts where it was necessary
to use cables and ladders, most reasonably fit people can manage the route.
The GR20 route is for the most part well marked with waypoints. It is
divided into 16 stages, which most of the 17,000 people who do the walk
each year complete in around 12 days. David finished up with some Corsican
music and some of his favourite photos of Corsica. In next month’s
e-news we are lucky enough to have one of David’s stories about
his time in Corsica – look out for it!
After the interval our second speaker was Peter Nasmyth whose
talk was entitled Caucasus adventure. Peter kicked off with
photos of snow-capped peaks like Mt Elbrus and hilltop churches, lit by
the intermittent electricity supply. This region has many surprises for
the visitor; it’s a place where the locals drink toasts to Stalin
(he was a Georgian) and to Adolf Hitler (he fought the communists). Other
surprises were a bubbling carbonated lake, surrounded by red mineral covered
rocks. Tblisi is the Georgian capital, we saw old areas where balconies
over hang the streets and a tower block that was once the best hotel in
town, but is now a home to many refugees from the wars in neighbouring
countries like Ossetia and Chechnya. Peter’s photos of the local
people included traditional dress that has built in bullet holders and
knives in the waistband of trousers. The Caucasus is an area where it
is possible to go heli-skiing, by renting a helicopter and heading up
into the mountains, very popular with German skiers. Peter finished by
telling us about his charity, which helps the local children, who are
bright and well educated, but have little to channel their energies into.
Peter also helped establish Prosperos bookshop. The first English language
cafe bookshop, which according to Peter sells the best coffee in the Caucasus.
Coming up: Saturday 1st March
Leslie Downer – “Sadayakko and her amazing
journey around the World.” Sadayakko was a geisha and Japan's
first actress. In 1900 she enchanted audiences around the World from san
Francisco, New York, London, fin-de-siecle Paris, Vienna and St. Petersburg.
Part II of Leslie's geisha adventures. Geoff Roy –
“Great Wall of China” is the longest man-made structure on
Earth- stretching from the Yellow Sea to Tibet (6,700kms.) Geoff's
talk covers walking on restored, as well as un-restored sections of “wild
wall”
London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind
the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each
month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September.
For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44
(0) 20 8674 6229, , or register for email updates at at our website (click here)