A Reluctant Tourist

For the past few days I have found myself in a 'foreign ' country ' sharing in a family holiday. Exactly fifty years ago,when I was working in Germany, B. and I decided to go touring in this very same area , with a small ridge tent in the back of the car. Today, although the landscape is just as beautiful, the historic buildings stunning, and they still grow the same crops, the experience somehow feels different . It is the nature of tourism that has changed , and a large part of me no longer wishes to be a part of it. But then , as the buildings and scenery of this region have begun to work their charm, I have started to succumb.. As another morning dawns, I am looking forward to exploring the countryside, and yet another beautiful town. Here are a few of the first photographs I have taken. Can you guess where we might be?I shall reveal all in my next blog.

To arrive here we crossed one European border and a wide expanse of sea. Our ferry was so long, it seemed to stretch for ever, swallowing up lorries by the hundreds. We left that night and arrived in this country later the next afternoon. The drive to this country would have been long and arduous. This seems to me to be such an efficient means of transport. These ferries plie this route daily. When they are in port, they emit no noxious fumes.

A fellow passenger watches as land draws nigh. But what country have we reached?Here below are some visual clues.

An Old and Popular Means of Transport

Vast fields of sunflowers , maize, vines and olive groves.

Rolling hills topped with cypress trees

Hilltop Towns and Villages

A place for the daily chat amongst neighbours

Beautiful historic buildings

Arches and Alleyways

Have you guessed where we are yet? I am sure you will agree , this is such a beautiful area, that it is not surprising there are lots of tourists. After all, that's exactly what we are ourselves. Before long we shall be spending three nights in what has become one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world. It will be interesting to see how it has changed in the past fifty years. More of this very soon.I