Zambia World Wide

One area I have not really mentioned yet is my own home town of Great Yarmouth, most of us tend to speak of the places we visit but rarely talk about or show much interest in our own towns. The town is situated on the east coast of Norfolk, it is a major holiday resort and has one of the best beaches in the country. The marine parade on the one side is lined with various restaurants, amusement arcades, public houses and the usual hot-dog stalls plus hamburger stalls there also the usual souvenir shops that one associated with any seaside town. The beach side has other attractions, ornamental gardens, bowling greens, tennis courts, fun fairs and boating lake plus a few other holiday attractions. Most of the old town has disappeared but if you take the time there are still historical places to be seen. The market place still exists although it has been modified over the years. Quite close to the market place is the Dissenters Cemetery and on Blackfriars Road the old town wall is well worth seeing. On the Marine Parade between the Britannia Pier and the Wellington Pier is the Jetty which is where Lord Nelson landed after the battle of the Nile. In the market place is the Wrestlers Inn which is where stayed whilst in Great Yarmouth, at the south end of the marine parade is Nelsons Monument. Many people ask why is Norfolk named Nelson County it is because Nelson was born in North Norfolk in a small village called Burnham Thorpe. There are other places to visit such as museums and of course there river walks along the Yare and Breydon Water which is the start of the Norfolk Broads.

Along the Gorleston side of the river there is the old lookout tower and the lifeboat station. There are the usual tourist shops and stalls plus an excellent theatre, also the cliffs are very popular with walkers and a great place for an afternoon stroll. About three miles off the coast at Great Yarmouth is Scroby Sands which is home to one of the largest seal populations around the British Coast. Many people take a boat trip to see the seals as there are few places they can be seen in such large numbers. Going south from Great Yarmouth we come to Lowestoft which is the most easterly point in England and as we drive out from Lowestoft we find some of the most picturesque scenery around this part of the coast. One place that has always been special for me is Covehithe, a very small and not very well known village. Further along is Walberswick Common and Dunwich, both are enjoyable places to visit and if the weather is right no better places can be found for an enjoyable day out. Today Dunwich is a small village, many years back it was a very important town and has a very interesting history. There are many lovely spots around this area of Suffolk which I have visited but I write only of those that hold special memories for me. Framlingham Castle is without doubt my favourite place in this area of Suffolk, situated on the edge of Framlingham Village which is also picturesque the grounds are an ideal for picnics, nice cut grounds where children can play. It has everything for a nice family day out. Walking through the grounds and crossing the moat, it quickly becomes clear that the castle has been well preserved. Walking round the castle is a really worth while experience, the chimneys in particular are well worth the visit, they are ornamental and each is a different shape. This is a place I have returned to many times over the years.

It was about this time that I decided to travel overseas for a holiday, it would be the first time I had been out of England. Although I did not know at the time it would be the first of many overseas trips. I spoke to a friend who also wanted to go overseas on holiday and we decided to tour part of Europe on my motor-bike which was a BSA road rocket 650cc machine. So the planning began, we decided to travel by boat from Great Yarmouth to Rotterdam, tour through Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France then back along the coast to Rotterdam. The boat we sailed on was the Superior Trader, a cargo vessel which carried fruit and vegetables’ between Great Yarmouth and Rotterdam. Unfortunately due to bad weather conditions in the North Sea our arrival in Rotterdam was very late. We were unable to clear the motor-bike through customs until the following morning. We were however able to leave the boat so decided to spend the evening in town, have a meal and then look around (just to kill time really). As we were leaving the dockyard a young Dutchman came over to speak to us, asking if we had just arrived as he had seen the ship dock. We explained the position we were in and he offered to show us round town that evening, an offer we were glad to accept. He drove us to his apartment where we had a drink and chat whilst he showered and changed, and then we all went on a tour of Rotterdam by night. It was a great night out. also our first introduction to the people of Holland who proved to be equally as friendly and good natured as the young man we had met as we came out of the dockyard that first night. From Rotterdam we travelled through Holland to Brussels in Belgium where we stayed for a day or two site-seeing. Brussels is a very clean city with many things to do and great number of parks and building to visit. However the building I remember (when I say building I am using the word loosely) was the Atomian, it had been built the previous year to celebrate the World Trade Fair which had been held there. Leaving Brussels we travelled through Belgium towards Luxembourg, passing many picturesque towns and villages. One village I remember very well is Metz , known as the village of children, situated on the border between Belgium and Luxembourg. Apart from being an attractive village, in the village square is an aircraft standing nose down in the grass (not the kind of thing you expect to see in a village square). From Luxembourg we carried on through northern France via Soissons and Lille towards Calais. I am not going to mention the other places we passed through as there were so many. I will say however that we met friendly and helpful people where ever we went.