London calling

Countdown finished

Aunty Betty's diary

Leaving Sydney

Exactly one year to the day, on the same flight I depart to see Jane in London and start another adventure. This time the flight is via Dubai. This year I am more excited than scared and so looking forward to seeing much more of London. Will London be my favourite town forever?

Along the way on this trip you may see some extracts from a diary written 53 years ago when my Aunty Betty travelled through the UK and Europe. Aunty Betty with three girlfriends boarded a ship from Sydney to London, a 4 week journey at the time. Once in London they settled at Earls Court and brought a car they christened Marilyn.

Then Marilyn guided them up hill and down dale through England and Ireland. Across the channel to France where the first thing they did was stop at a bakery. Wartime rationing had made them all keen on bread. Next they went onto Paris, throughout France, down to Monte Carlo and over to Italy. Marilyn took them up over the alps to Austria and Switzerland with one or two hiccups along the way.  In Germany they brought a camera and alas Aunty Betty slows down writing in her diary. Belgium and Holland are tackled. The final stop in Europe is Dunkirk, only 13 years after the massive evacuation in WW2.

During this trip Jane and I fly to Rome and embark on a road trip around Italy with Sue. Our car will be a bit more modern than Marilyn, but suspect some of the country roads we will travel on have not changed much over the years.