485: The battle of Littleferry - 1746

Nations have been fighting each other since time immemorial. Why can't we just bloody stop it and live in harmony with each other??

I'm in the Highlands of Scotland and, for a change, the weather is wonderful. Or at least it was this morning. Can't really expect sunshine for the whole day.

My friend, Alisdair, and I, went for a walk to look at the recently installed memorial stones remembering the battle of Littleferry. Bonny Prince Charlie's Jacobites were defeated by Government militia in a 'prequel' to the more famous battle of Culloden. Read more about it here . 

I didn't think it was a very long walk, stretching from Golspie out to Dunrobin Castle and back along the beach, almost to Littleferry itself but my watch shows I've done >18,000 steps today - not too shabby. Think I'll take the rest of the day off!

 

Some stunning Scottish scenery in the video:

484: LLeida, Zaragoza & Madrid

 I've got a good friend who lives more than 500km away from Salou, up in the mountains in Southern Spain. I realised it was time for another visit but when I looked into train times it turned out there were no spare seats on the daily high-speed train from Camp de Tarragona to Granada.  It is Holy week this week and Spain is on the move. 

We decided to meet 'half-way' in Madrid and we both spent about 7 hours each on trains for a 3 hour meeting in Madrid. What do you think? Is that stupid? or worth doing? Would you do it?

I decided to split my journey(s)over two days. Hotel accommodation in Madrid was more than I wanted to pay so I spent the night in Zaragoza and went on the Madrid the next day. So, on Tuesday bus to Reus, slow train to Lleida and AVE (Spanish equivalent of the French TGV) to Zaragoza. On Wednesday AVE to Madrid, meeting with my pal and AVE back to Camp de Tarragona. The AVE trains are pretty swish and travel at speeds of 300 kph. Quite expensive, even with an old person's discount card.

Salou had rain on Tuesday and Wednesday but in Madrid it was a lovely, warm, sunny day. Nice. 

A couple of pics taken in Lleida, Zaragoza and Madrid.

483: Just for Jan

Jan is one of my Face Book friends. I've never met her, but I've met her two daughters and I know her first husband.It turns out that she's coming to Istanbul on Thursday as I'm leaving on Wednesday. Shame, we could have finally met.

But I wanted to write with some advice for her. KEEP YOUR WITS ABOUT YOU AT ALL TIMES. Istanbul is a great place, my blogs and diaries tell me that this is already my 4th visit. Johny Turk is a nice enough character, always willing to help. In my experience most times the help is offered out of the goodness of their heart but, occasionally, they like to help make your wallet a little lighter.

On this particular visit the scams started even before I left Salou. The Pegasus airlines official site included a link to a health site to allow people to complete the now ubiquitous (except in UK) health locator form. I filled it in and, on the last page, was invited to pay $104. Knowing that it was the official Pegasus site, and knowing how keen Turks are to help you spend your money, I, reluctantly, paid. I learnt later it was a scam, the real health locator form is free of charge. Didn't need it anyway, there were no health checks coming through SAW airport, just the usual passport checks. IST airport might be different, I don't know.

Thought I would splash out on a birthday meal last night, not dreaming for a moment it would cost me £85. £85 for a meal for one!!!! The Pina Colada (£6.21) (it's the Del boy in me) and the glass of house white (£3.88) were both acceptably priced but I grudge them £62.16 for the Turbot and then £7.56 for a service charge, just to rub salt into the wound. Making a total bill (including the soup) of £85. I had to go back to my room and lie down to get over the experience. It was partly my fault, I had the fish page of the menu open and had no idea what to choose. The waiter pointed at, and suggested, the turbot. I just agreed. In my defence, to look at the price I would have had to move my eye patch from one eye to the other and lifted the menu to my weak eye. I just agreed. When it arrived, it could have fed the whole street. Super-duper presentation including lwo flaming bowls at the corners. See picture below.

I've had other scams perpetrated on me here in the past, I must just look gullible. One particular incident, on Galata bridge, involved a shoe-shine boy dropping a brush. By the time I had picked it up to return it to him, there was his partner-in-crime already cleaning my shoes! 

So, enjoy the experience Jan but BE WARY. There are >15 million people in Istanbul, even more now that it's one of the few places Russians can go, but I know that you'll be used to crowds as you're from the Lake District! Masks are mostly worn on public transport - don't forget to buy a transport card when you arrive and top up as necessary. As far as Covid is concerned I'd say the picture is much as in England. Young people seem to have thrown caution to the winds and it is left to older, and more vulnerable, to wear their masks.

482: Turkey for my birthday

I'm 71 years old today. Quite an achievement as so many people don't make it this far. I consider myself to be very lucky as I still have (reasonably) good health. To a large extent I ascribe that to keeping the brain and the body active. 

I remember Major Alan Bolger, RAPC, RIP, once saying to me, on my computer programming course in 1980, "Staff, you think differently to most people." I've always taken that as a compliment. I thought about that when I decided on a title for today's blog. "Turkey for my birthday" would mean, for most people, I think,  a trip to the nearest supermarket to buy said turkey. For me it meant flying to Istanbul, that vast cosmopolitan city that straddles Europe and Asia. 

I flew in, from Barcelona, om Thursday evening and will be here until next Wednesday soaking up the sights, and sounds, and smells, of this great city. It is such a melting pot of cultures, East and West, Christian and Muslim. Walking down the same street, at the same time, you might see a girl in a mini-skirt next to a lady covered from head to toe in a burqa. In a city of over 15 million people, high-rise flats dominate the skyline most of the way in from Sabiha Gokcen International airport (SAW)  almost 50 km to the SE of the city. There are other airports serving the city but this is the one Pegasus airlines fly into.. 

I spent the first night at ISG hotel, a short shuttle bus ride from the airport and yesterday took public transport into the centre. I'm staying in the 3* boutique hotel Fehmi bey in the Sultan Ahmet area of the city. It's just after 5 a.m. (I woke up early) and I can clearly hear the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. This, apparently, is going to happen 5 times a day. (dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall).  It's OK, not a problem.

The jewel in the crown of the hotel Femhi Bey is the roof terrace, where one goes for breakfast, and an evening beer. A tremendous view over the Sea of Marmara, where there are tens of boats and ships  lying at anchor and there are ferries weaving in and out to destinations far and near. The Sea of Marmara, as you may know, links to the Aegean Sea and thence to the Mediterranean and, in the opposite direction, via the Bosphorus, to the Black Sea. Here also, flowing under the famous Galata bridge, is the Golden Horn. Ah, the Galata bridge. I must make my way there and pay the inflated tourist prices for a meal in one of the many fish restaurants under the bridge. 

I'm looking forward to the next few days, people watching and visiting a few of the many cultural attractions. And no visit to Istanbul is complete without a boat trip on the Bosphorus. I mentioned earlier that the Bosphorus links into the Black Sea. On the North of which sits Ukraine, which that monster Putin is slowly reducing to rubble. It seems a world away from here but is less than 1,000 kilometres. 

Afternoon coffee (NOT Turkish!)	Desmond had a barrow in the marketplace	a (very) retro radio
The sea of Marmara	Meat in the pan. As good a place as any!	a birthday breakfast

481: The war between Russia & Ukraine

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 as part of what Putin called a "special military operation". Ever since then they have been bombarding towns and cities thereby killing men, women and children indiscriminately. NATO and 'the West' have sent arms and ammunition to Ukraine but have refrained from putting boots on the ground, or planes in the air, for fear of starting World War III. Whether 'we' will get dragged into the conflict, either by weight of public horror at what is happening, or by some trigger-happy Russian accidently shooting down one of the reconnaisance planes constantly patrolling the Poland/Ukraine border, or even as a result of the madman in the Kremlin launching either nuclear or chemical weapons, remains to be seen. 

Almost everybody in the world is praying for peace, and an end to the barbaric slaughter of innocent people. Humanitarian aid is being offered to the millions of Ukrainian women and children who are leaving their country to seek refuge in one of the countries bordering Ukraine. All of those countries are now struggling to cope with the sheer weight of numbers looking for food and shelter.

Naturally, everbody wants to do something to help Ukraine in its hour of need. I have offered my services, as a very old Russian interpreter, to the UK MOD. I'm reasonably sure they won't call for me unless or until they are scraping the bottom of the barrel but British military Russian speakers are thin on the ground and you can't just pluck somebody off the street and turn him/her overnight into a soldier with military skills and with the ability to speak Russian. As the old Russian saying goes "На безрыбье и рак - рыба" (literally where there are no fish, even a crab is a fish, or, in other words, in the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed man is king.) So, I've dusted off my old uniform and, somewhat surprisingly, discovered it still fits. 

The one-eyed man (not really, waiting for an op!)

To change the subject to one more palatable, yesterday was the vernal equinox, the day when the Northern Hemisphere starts to tilt towards the sun and the days become longer and sunnier. Here are the daffodils in my garden. Welcome to Spring everybody! Relax with Vivaldi's Spring.  

 

480: Destination unknown

 

Came across this during my walk on Friday and it set me thinking... Destination unknown

The final destination is unknown for all of us. Where will we be 'when the music stops'?? What country? The country of our birth or some foreign field?  Will we be in our own home, surrounded by family & friends, or in a hospital or care home? Will we still be 'compos mentis' or will we have 'lost the plot'? Nobody can know the answer to these questions as our life unfolds and draws to an inexorable close. And after that? Those of us lucky enough to have Faith can look forward to an after life in eternity. For unbelievers there is really nothing to look forward to. Just THE END. Конец фильма!

The walk was part of a recce. I wanted to explore (some of) the area between Hospitalitet de L'infant and Cambrils. Google maps suggested a 3-hour walk but by the time I'd walked from the railway station into town I knew I wouldn't have enough oomph left for another 3-hours. I did, however, walk from Hospitalitet into Miami Playa where I had a very nice lunch and caught a bus home. That's what recces are all about - finding out what can, and what can't, be achieved. Next time, perhaps tomorrow, I know I can catch a bus from Cambrils to Hospitalitet and then walk the 3 hours back. 

I'd heard of 'whiskey in a jar' but beer?

2 Russians appeared from nowhere. I surprised them when I said "Приятного аппетита"

479: The green-eyed monster

Jealousy is the green-eyed monster. Apparently first coined by William Shakespeare in Othello in 1604. It's not something that usually bothers me - I'm a happy-go-lucky kind of person who is generally quite happy with his lot in life.

BUT, and isn't there always a BUT, today I found myself in Tarragona and went for a wander around the harbour. Looking at the beautiful yachts that were moored there. It set me thinking about capitalism and socialism and where is the fairness in this world when some people can own enormous yachts like this and others are begging for scraps on the streets of every town and city in the world.

Socialism, and equality for everyone, is a fine ideal which, unfortunately, doesn't work very well.There will always be some people who work harder and some people who are inherently idle. If only we could differentiate between those who can't help themselves (and are therefore worthy of our help) and those who won't help themselves and rely on others to spoon-feed them. 

And I'm certainly not saying that all the owners of these yachts got them by virtue of sheer hard work. You can work hard all your life and save every penny you've ever earned and still not be in the super yacht league. They will have found a different way to climb the rungs in the ladder of life and have ended up nearer the top of the ladder than I have.

So yes, for a few moments, I was green with envy. But, thank goodness, I soon got over it, and counted my blessings: intrinsic happiness, good family and friends, a roof over my head, and good health. Money isn't everything. (Says everybody who doesn't have much of it.)   

And finally, Rest in Peace, Bamber Gascoigne. The genial host of University Challenge from 1962-1987 - died today aged 87