Days 33 and 34 - London - Melbourne.

Tommi, Aurelia, Clare and Tancredi in London

Days 33 and 34. Travelling London - Melbourne

Although this was two days of travelling, I thought it was worth recording the stories of a few people I met in my final hours OS. Together with some of my favourite shots.

Sukun and Krishnan in Singapore

Gordon, Roane and Laura in Whitby, UK

Sandra was sitting next to me on my left on the 13 hour trip to Singapore. Her TV screen didn't seem to work and the poor lady had to spend the whole time reading or just sitting. I couldn't fix it for her and when she asked for the hostess' help she failed to deliver. I offered to swap spots after I had watched 5 of the 6 hour long episodes of War and Peace but she declined. Instead we talked for the last 3 hours of the trip about her family and her travels overseas. A sad life but she was pretty up beat. She came from Cornwall only a few miles from the location where the Poldark series had been and was being filmed.

Sheila and Bob in Moffat, Scotland

With Rose from Germany

She had a husband who tragically could barely walk from a simple injury years before, a pregnant daughter who was a doctor who had worked in many places overseas in a voluntary capacity and a son who had died as a young adult  - surprisingly for me, I didn't pry any further. But he was in a BBC production of Twelfth Night a number of years before (1996 actually) where he'd been a body double for famous actors such as Ben Kingsley and Helena Bodham Carter in Harry Potter movies. Sandra was going on a tour of New Zealand. The lady on the other side of me was going to and although I didn't chat to her much, we did get on and if made the long journey go quickly.

Andy, Louis and I on the Camino

The second trip from Singapore to Melbourne was only 6 and a half hours, that also wrong quickly because of the 24 year old Hobart Medical student called Clive. He was good to talk to as well about footy and Studying Medicine and working out Ex-SPC students we both knew. He was returning from a three month exchange in Norway where he was able to spend time with his Norwegian girlfriend. Long term relationships like this do amaze me.

Hannah VG and I in Florence

Lucy in Brighton ,UK

At Melbourne airport, waiting at the pick up spot out front for Jasz and Lily who'd kindly offered to pick me up, I met a guy who had just been up to the tip - he said. I was puzzled about why this needed a plane ride but he meant the tip of Australia. He was interested in the Camino experience I'd had and offered to give me a lift to wherever - of I was able to cancel my lift - which was very generous of him. It helped me realise that kindness and friendliness can be found just as easily here in Australia as on the Camino or on the Moors of England, in planes across continents or on lonely paths up to secluded monasteries. Just as Luke had observed at my school fair well. All you need to do is give people time and your undivided attention to be able to see it. A lesson I hope to continue to use in my life now I'm back.