Frank's Christian Thoughts: Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza

Saturday, 15 November 2025

Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 48.

And so, the world turns...

One of the lessons learned when setting off on a foreign trip is that packed away in the documents bag are two travel ticket vouchers, the outgoing and the return. Every trip or vacation has an end, that moment when you insert the front door key into its lock to open the door that has remained shut for the past week, two weeks, a month, or several months. Here in the UK, as you open the door to let yourself in, the door pushes a pile of unopened mail, which lies there, slowly gathering dust.

In my case, the silence which hung in my apartment was deafening. But to keep any feelings of post-holiday blues to a manageable level, plans for the next Round-the-World solo backpacking trip are already formulated, with a future trip to London to collect my next Trailfinders magazine from the main branch of the agency in Kensington High Street.

And so, my empty rucksack packed away, I set off to resume work and settle down to a normal daily routine. Newly developed photos of New York and Boston were collected from the photo shop and compiled into an album. This was always a pleasant task following a vacation.

But a mile from my home, a family was stirring. One of the daughters wanted a reason to come and visit me in my apartment. One Sunday after the morning church service, Derek, along with his wife Barbara, invited Dan and me for lunch at their home. I didn't suspect anything other than a church family invite. At the table, Dan and Derek became locked in a conversation involving money, as Dan was a financial advisor, and Derek assisted Tim, our accountant. I sat quietly, wondering what this was all about. After the meal, Alex invited me to go out for a walk together.

At that stage, no idea of a relationship crossed my mind. Simply sensing that she wanted my company, I felt okay about accompanying her out for a walk while Dan and Derek stayed at home to discuss business.

However, any thoughts of marriage were far from any of my desires. In the apartment block where I lived, shouting matches were clearly heard from the neighbours, particularly on Sunday afternoons. The apartment adjoining mine was occupied by an engaged couple who were lodging while the owner was away. Her angry words, wrapped in screams, echoed throughout the entire block. Nope, any idea of marriage was off the agenda!

However, one Sunday, Derek approached me and asked if I would accept a set of drinking goblets from him and delivered by Alex, his daughter. I said that would be okay. So that afternoon, Alex arrived with the glasses. I expected her to call for a few minutes, maybe an hour, but I was surprised by how long into the evening she stayed. During our conversation, I discouraged her from getting too close, as there was a 28-year age difference between us.

Indeed, she was upset by my decision, but she was determined. It wasn't long before she was back at my apartment. This time, after I weighed the possibility of a relationship, I was more accepting of it. Over the coming weeks and into 1999, our friendship began to blossom. One Sunday afternoon in spring, 1999, we both sat next to each other on the sofa. I have arrived at the crossroads. I had a Trailfinders magazine in my hands as I contemplated another Round-the-World backpacking trip patterned after the 1997 experience. I had to decide. A future career in backpacking? Or a covenant of marriage?

All this took place before the 9/11 World Trade Centre disaster in 2001; thus, international travel was as easy and unbureaucratic as buying a train ticket. Furthermore, we were a member nation of the European Union. That meant in 1991, when I arrived in Dover Harbour after a coastal cycle ride from Weymouth in Dorset, I approached a kiosk and bought a day return ferry ticket for Calais, and wheeled my bicycle onto the ship.

So easy, wasn't it?

To Dover from Weymouth, 1991. I stopped at Swanage.

Since the 9/11 disaster, travel became a whole lot messier, with the USA introducing the ESTA document, a substitute for a US visa. Furthermore, Brexit, the UK leaving the European Union, has restricted movement, and tighter border security will soon be introduced, including the ETIAS registration, confirmation of where staying, proof of adequate funds, and the purpose of the visit. Whew!

Hence, since this was in 1999, two years before 9/11, I was faced with a tough choice when we sat on that sofa. After mulling over my feelings for her, I tore the magazine and binned it. While still sitting on the sofa, I popped the question. She said yes. My destiny has just taken a turn. The planned trip to South Africa, Australia, and perhaps California was never to be.

In the following months, we were engaged to be married. On our engagement day, which corresponded with Easter, Alex was baptised in the church's adult baptismal pool. The minister who baptised her was the same one who married us in October 1999.

On our wedding day, we then flew out to Rhodes, one of the Greek islands of the Dodecanese, for a two-week honeymoon. This was my first package holiday since Spain in 1972. What a difference the honeymoon was from the Spanish package, 27 years earlier! This time, there was no consumption of cheap Spanish wine, no drunkenness, no vomiting in the bathtub and sleeping the night in the hotel bathroom, no violence with other tourists, no feelings of being worthless and suffering from low self-esteem. In 1972, these were all the characteristics of a lost nineteen-year-old who tried to find his slot in life, and not succeeding well.

By contrast, our 1999 honeymoon in Rhodes was peaceful, romantic, alcohol-free, and fulfilling. It marked the start of a new life altogether, but my travel bug didn't die. The following year, to celebrate our first anniversary, we backpacked in Israel, staying in a marriage bedroom at a backpacker's hostel in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City.

During our pre-nuptials, I asked Alex about hostelling. She was adamant! No way would she spend a night in a ladies' dormitory! Although I was still willing to do some hostelling as a married man, that is, sleeping in a men's dormitory, she would have none of it.

This album was posted after receiving approval from my beloved. As this is a travel blog, all the photos featured here are scenic. Rather than lie on the beach day after day, my travel spirit surfaced, and Alex was to learn what it was like to be married to a backpacker. Even on a package holiday as this one, independent travel remained on the agenda.

For example, together, we hiked the six-mile (10km) route from Lardos Bay, where we had our hotel, to Lindos, a medieval town northeast along the coast. However, we both agreed to bus back to the hotel in the evening. We also visited the island's capital, Rhodes, which was also Medieval-built.

This is the first of a two-part album. This week, we cover Lardos Bay, Lindos, and St Paul's Bay, which is more of a lagoon, almost totally enclosed from the open sea. Next week, we will visit Kalithea for a scuba dive and Rhodes City. Also note: both Alex and I will appear frequently in this album, as it's of a honeymoon, and when compiled, any idea of a public blogger was just a pipe dream.

Click here for the Index link for the main Biography, Week 121.

Our Wedding Photo

We just tied the knot for life!